The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-05
CARE Of The BRG-A-BRAC
OF SILVER ARTICLES AND
JEWEIRY
QUESTION OF HUE FOR SILVER
BUhl-Wo~I1 ANA HOW 1t should Be
TreHted-SIstcd Tripod! Powder
and Linseed Oil the
Best.

1t seems superduous to say that bric-
a-brac in its cleansing requires a different
treatment and handling than kitchen
CrCckery. but many persons fail 10 recog
niZe this fact. The scullion who regards
fine bit of china or silver with no more
reverence than q pot or a kettle never
should be trusted with ones most
precious possessions. The best way to
clean silver objects The New York Press
% says, is to wash them in a basin with
jewelers. soap and warm water, using
nailbrush with some hair on 1t, not stiff
and unyielding fibres, 10 remove any solid
dirt which may have ACCUMULATED any
where. Another good plan IS to use
warm water. to which ammonia has been
added till the water smells fairly strong
of this useful alkah. There is nothing
so good as ammonia on wet sponge for
removing the dark tarnish which is de-
posted SO soon on silver or on almost
any metal surfaces by the sulphur IN the
air Of large towns. Lemon juice is an eff,
fcient cleanser of filagree work. but the
objects so cleansed with this, or with am
II Oma for that matter, must be rinsed
With clean water and properly dried.
Plate powders, even when not mer-
curial, are best left alone where
silver bric-a-hrac is concerned.
Nothing looks more unsightly than
corners With remains of plate
powders accommodating and forming
excellent traps for dust Of all kinds.
Moreover. the amount of brushing and
rubbing incidental TO the use of plate
powder is bound to have its effect on the
metal in time Another cleansing agent
is hyposulphite of soda, the salt so much
used in photography for fixing negatives.
1t must not be too strong. After its use
the silver must be well rinsed and rubbed
up with a soft leather or piece of vel
II, L. sNFfA sd fN
clean silverware 1t is open to the same
objections as plate powders in general,
but it's use has one merit. Some Of 1t Is
sure to stay In work which is much
chased or Ornamented, and Its fine color
certainly tones down the crude brightness
Z of the white metal.
After rinsing in water, silver articles
! are dried best in warm lockwood dust kept
in q drawer or box with a tightly fitting
lid All superfiuous water may be re-
moved by swinging the object br1skly
through the air. If by chance silver ar
tiCles are broken they must be soldered
by an expe t, not by any travelling tinker
or other workman experienced in the
methods Of soft soldering metal. Any
soft solder containing lead irretrievably
ruins silver, and, by turning black, causes
unsightly marks. Dents or bulges on the
sides of cups or on fiat surfaces can often
be removed by continuous rubbing Oh
dent has been caused by a sharp instru-
ment CT by something falling on, or
knocking the silver, careful hammering
by chaser Is necessary, followed by
furnishing
Where it IS found necessary silver may
be coated with a collodion or with ceilu-
loid varnish. and In this way preserved
from contact with the outer. air. Optn-
ions differ as to what is the proper hue
for silver TO have upon it, some persons
preferring the crude brilliancy of an alb
solutely fresh polish, while others prefer
the semi-OXidized appearance induced by
the sUlphides in the air.
Silvcrware when inclosed In a glass
cavered case, naturally requires less at
tention, and even the amount necessary
may be diminished by the simple eXpe-
dent of keeping a small piece of cam
phor In the case. If the case is alright,
SO much the better
For silver lace powdered magnesia IS
the best cleanser. If the lace is much
furnished the magnesia may be put on in
the form of a paste and brushed off when
dry; in the ordinary way the dry magne-
STA may be used. The use of cyanide of
potassium should be forbidden entirely.
1t is an efficient cleansing agent, but it
is also a deadly poison, and should not
be handled except by experts.
Jewelry hardly comes in as bric-a-brac.
but ii often Is injured by careleSSness in
handling or cleansing. Washing and
brushing with jewelers. soap and water is,
IS a rule enough, and may be done
where stones are clear set When they
are backed with foil, water must not be
used or the foil, after having been wet
once, will be clouded over and cease TO
be of any use.
Occasionally gold and silver articles be-
come much furnished from contact with
Vulcantzed rubber, which contains a
large proportion of sulphus. Precipitated
chalk carefully sifted through two thick
nesses OF muslin and mixed with spirit
and water. makes an excellent paste in
such lases.
Bull-work is oTten ruined by the loss of
small portions of the brass work or, in
some cases, Of the tortoise shell The
damage may be caused by blow, bat
often is due primarily to the perishing Of
the cement by which the thin metal or
the shell is fixed to its foundation work
The defect may be remedied as soon as
noticed by the use of shellac cement, pro-
Vtded there IS no trace of grease en- the
under side of the brass or tortoise : ell
Buhl-work is, as a rule, French polished
when completely finished, and the coat OF
thin. almost transparent lacquer thus Civ
en- causes the brass work to have G g Id
en- appearance. When the brass begins
to get black, as it soon does in a rom
lighted by gas, 1t is a sign that the lac
preventing the air from penetrating to the
brass. The possessOr' of the kind of ig-
nOrance that once suggested the cleaning
of a buhl clock with bath brick and Gil
would. of course soon remove the lacau r
and the polish from the tortoise shell as
well. Buhl-work which has been badly
treated may be entirely repolished pro
fessionally. but the effect is not so good
as that produced by one good cleanin ,
with sfted Tripoli powder and ilnseed
oil. This will polish and clean at the
same time. and frequent rubbing with a
soft rag and little Tripoli or putty pow
der will keep the metal bright. Missing
parts in buhl-work clocks and tables can
be replaced, but to prevent any pieces
that are already loose from further dam
age, sealing wax may be run in as cement,
either by the aid of heat or of pure spirits
of wine a solvent.
In the case Of work coated with lacquer,
Or a thin coat of transparent Varnish
ess.-ass.S.1z@--1.ss------@