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Black Lacquer for Brass
There are two methods of procuring a black lacquer upon the surface of brass. The one usually employed for optical and scientific instruments consists in first polishing the object with Tripoli, then washing it with a mixture composed of 1 part nitrate of tin and 2 parts chloride of gold, and, after allowing this wash to remain for nearly a quarter of an hour, wiping it off with a linen cloth.
An excess of acid increases the intensity of the tint. 3392. Το Clean Brass Inlaid Work.
Mix Tripoli and linseed oil, and dip into it a rubber made of a piece of an old hat, with which polish the work and rub off with clean soft leather. If the wood be ebony or rosewood, polish it with a little finely powdered elder ashes; or make a paste of rotten-stone, a little starch, sweet oil, and oxalic acid, mixed with water. The ornaments of a French clock are, however, best cleaned with breadcrumb, carefully rubbed, so as not to spoil the wood-work. Ormolu candlesticks, lamps, and branches, may be cleaned with soap and water. They will bear more cleaning than lacquered articles, which are spoiled by frequent rubbing, or by acids or strong alkalies.