for too frequent scrubbing causes it to decay. Use as little soap
as possible, and wash it off with plenty of clean water to prevent
discoloration. To clean paint that has not been varnished, put upon
a plate some of the best whiting; have ready some clean warm water,
and a piece of flannel, which dip into the water and squeeze nearly
dry; then take as much whiting as will adhere to it, apply it to
the paint, when a little rubbing will instantly remove any dirt or
grease; wash well off with water, and rub dry with a soft cloth.
Paint thus cleaned looks equal to new, and, without doing the least
injury to the most delicate colour, it will preserve the paint much
longer than if cleaned with soap, and it does not require more than
half the time usually occupied in cleaning.
(_b_) When painted work is badly discoloured, put 1 tablespoonful
ammonia water into 1 qt. moderately hot water, and with the aid of
flannel, wipe off the surface. Rubbing is not necessary.
(_c_) Take 1 oz. pulverised borax, 1 lb. shavings of best brown soap,
and 3 qt. water. Put the soap and borax into the water, allow it to
simmer until all the soap has been dissolved, stir it frequently,
but do not allow it to boil. Apply it to the paint on a piece of old
flannel, and rinse with clean water.
(_d_) Dissolve ½ oz. glue, and a bit of soft-soap the size of a
walnut, in about 3 pints warm water, and with a well-worn whitewash
brush well scrub the work, but not sufficient to get off the paint;
rinse with plenty of cold clean water, using a washleather; let it
dry itself. Work done in this manner will often look equal to new.
(_e_) First take off all the dust with a soft brush and pair of
bellows. Scour with a mixture of soft-soap and fullers’ earth, and
use lukewarm water. If there are any spots which are extra dirty,
first remove these by rubbing with a sponge dipped in soap and water.
Commence the scouring at the top of the door or wainscot, and proceed
downwards; dry with a soft linen cloth. When cleaning paint, it is
always better to employ two persons, one to scour and the other to
rub dry.
Paint-brushes.--(_a_) To soften brushes that have become hard,
soak them 24 hours in raw linseed oil, and rinse them out in hot
turpentine, repeating the process till clean. (_b_) Wash in hot soda
and water and soft-soap.
_Paper and Books._--(_a_) The amateur book-cleaner had better begin
to practise on some worthless volume, until he acquires the necessary
skill. All traces of lime, &c., used in the cleaning process must be
removed from the book, else in time it may be completely destroyed.
The first thing to be done in a book that wants washing, is to cut
the stitches and separate the work into sheets. Then a glance may be
taken for the separation of those leaves or sheets which are dirty
from those which have stains of ink or oil. The dirty leaves are
now placed in a bath composed of ¼ lb. lime chloride and the same
quantity of soda to about 1 qt. water. These are left to soak until
the paper has regained its proper tint. The pages are now lifted
out tenderly into a second bath of cold, and if possible running,
water, where they are left at least 6 hours. This removes all traces
of lime. The paper, when thoroughly dried by exposure, must be
dipped into a third bath of size and water, and again laid out to
dry. This restores the consistency of the paper. Pressure between
printers’ glazed boards will then restore smoothness to the leaves.
The toning of the washed leaves in accordance with the rest of the
book is a delicate process, which requires some experience. Some
shag tobacco steeped in hot water will usually give the necessary
colouring-matter, and a bath in this liquid the necessary tone.
The process described above may do for water-stains; but if the
pages are dirted by grease, oil, coffee, candle-droppings, or ink,
different treatment will be required. Dilute muriatic acid with 5
times its bulk of water, and let the oil-stained pages lie in the
liquid for 4 minutes--not longer. Then remove, and wash, as before,
in cold water. If the grease is a spot in the middle of a page, place
between 2 sheets of blotting-paper, or cover with powdered French
chalk (the blotting-paper is preferable), and pass a hot iron over
the place. This will melt the grease, which is immediately soaked up
by the chalk or paper.
For dirty finger-marks, the following is recommended: Cover the mark
with a piece of clean yellow soap for 2 or 3 hours, then wash with a
sponge and hot water, and dip the page in weak acid and water. Give
another bath of hot water, and then thoroughly cleanse with cold
water. To remove ink-stains, dip the page in a strong solution of
oxalic acid, then in a solution of 1 part muriatic acid and 6 water,
after which bathe in cold water, and allow to dry slowly. Vellum
covers which need cleaning may be made almost equal to new by washing
with a weak solution of potash binoxalate, or, if not much soiled,
warm soap and water. Grease may be removed from the covers of bound
books by scraping a little pipe-clay, French chalk, or magnesia over
the place, and then ironing with an iron not too hot, else it will
discolour the leather. (_Publishers’ Circular._)
(_b_) Press powdered fullers’ earth lightly upon the greasy spot, and
allow it to soak out the grease.
(_c_) Hannett says the spots may be removed by washing the part
with ether, chloroform, or benzine, and placing between white
blotting-paper, then passing a hot iron over.
(_d_) A more expeditious, and thought by some, the best way, is to
scrape fine pipe-clay, magnesia, or French chalk on both sides of the
stain, and apply a hot iron above, taking great care that it is not
too hot.
(_e_) After gently warming the paper, take out all the grease you can
with blotting-paper, and a hot iron, then dip a brush into essential
oil of turpentine, heated almost to ebullition, and draw it gently
over both sides of the paper, which must be kept warm. Repeat the
operation until all is removed, or as often as the thickness of
the paper may render necessary. When all the grease is removed, to
restore the paper to its former whiteness, dip another brush in
ether, chloroform, or benzine, and apply over the stain, especially
the edges of it. This will not affect printers’ or common writing ink.
(_f_) Lay on a coat of indiarubber solution over the spot, and leave
it to dry. Afterwards remove with a piece of ordinary indiarubber.
Any operation with ether, chloroform, or benzine, should never be
conducted by candle-light, as their vapour is apt to kindle even at
several feet from the liquid. (_d_) will remove grease from coloured
calf, even if the spot be on the under side of the leather; it may
thus be clearly drawn right through.
(_g_) Apply a solution of pearlash (in the proportion of 1 oz.
pearlash to 1 pint water) to oil-stained drawing-paper.
_Parchment and Vellum._--(_a_) Immerse in a solution of acetic acid,
and gently rub the stained parts while wet on a flat board with lump
pumice, then bleach with lime chloride. This process was recommended
in the _English Mechanic_. It is not very successful, but it makes
it white enough for bookbinding. It has, however, the objectionable
qualities of not making the parchment flexible, and when dried it is
as hard as a board, and it has no gloss like the virgin parchment. On
no account must the parchment be washed in very hot water, or held
before a fire, as it will shrivel up in a most provoking manner.
(_b_) Benzine applied with a sponge. It will remove almost every
stain, and does not destroy the texture in the least.
_Pictures, Prints, and Frames._--Pictures.--(_a_) Remove the works
from their frames, and first of all examine the surface of each
separately and with care. Then, if there are no cobweb cracks, no
cockled-up edges of bits of paint likely to peel off, and no unburst
bubbles of colour, take an old soft cloth, and some white of egg,
and wash the surface, a square inch at a time, with a spiral motion
of the hand, not pressing too heavily. If there is much dirt, make
a basin of bread, treacle, and new milk with a trifle of turpentine
in it, and wash with soft flannel and sponge; after, use white of
egg. If mildew from damp walls has attacked the canvas, and even
the surface, let a committee of artists be called; there are so
many varieties of this form of injury, it is well to understand
the particular case. If coal gas, foul air, or other pollution is
suspected of having injured the varnish, an artist chemist, learned
in varnishes of the different schools, must prescribe; but if the
surface is injured, or the colour scales off, no amateur can repair
the crack; and in every case, before returning the well-cleaned
and well-rubbed surfaces to their frames, let good plate glass be
securely fastened over each to prevent future injury.
(_b_) Pictures may be cleaned by rubbing the thumb over the painting
moistened with saliva, or by a raw potato cut in half and rubbed
evenly over the picture.
(_c_) Dissolve a little common soda in urine, then add a grated
potato and a little salt; well rub this over the paintings till
clean. Wash off in spring water, and dry with a clean cloth.
(_d_) First rub the picture well with good whisky, which will make
the varnish come off in froth, then wash well with cold water, and
when dry varnish again; this will restore the picture to its original
colour unless very old. Keep the picture covered from dust till the
varnish is dry.
(_e_) The painting is first removed from the frame, and the dust and
smoke brushed off with a pencil or feather. After this it is washed
with a sponge dipped in well water. It is next covered with a thick
layer of soap; shaving soap is the best for the purpose, because
it remains moist and does not dry on. After the soap has been on 8
or 10 minutes it is all washed off with a strong brush or pencil,
adding a little water if necessary. The soap that still adheres is
rinsed off sufficiently with water, and the picture left to dry. When
completely dry, it is further cleansed with nitro-benzol--also known
as nitro-benzine, artificial oil of bitter almonds, or essence of
mirbane. It is a yellowish oily, poisonous liquid, with a powerful
smell of bitter almonds. It is formed when coal-tar benzol is mixed
with fuming or concentrated nitric acid under suitable precautions.
The nitro-benzol is poured into a dish, and a clean linen rag is
dipped in it, and passed over the painting. This quickly removes all
the adherent dirt. This linen rag must be frequently exchanged for a
clean one. When the rag remains clean after going over it repeatedly,
the cleansing is finished. If the colours look dull after going over
it the last time and letting it dry, it is given a thin coat of the
finest olive oil, and after a while must be varnished with a good,
quickly-drying varnish. (Von Bibra.)
(_f_) The picture had better first be sponged with cold water and
allowed to dry, then apply solution of hydrogen peroxide with a
clean sponge in successive lines, not going over the same surface
twice; again allow to dry. If the solution is sufficiently strong,
the painting is now tolerably clean; if not, a second or third
application is necessary. Peroxide of hydrogen, hydroxyl, or hydrogen
di-oxide (H_{2}O_{2}), owing to the readiness to part with half
its combining weight of oxygen, is a powerful bleaching agent; but
the way in which it serves to clean oil paintings is accounted for
thus:--Sulphuretted hydrogen, which is present in the atmosphere,
especially in the neighbourhood of towns, attacks the lead in the
paint and forms lead sulphide, which is readily soluble in peroxide
of hydrogen, water and lead sulphate being the result; thus
PbS + 4H_{2}O_{2} = PbSO_{4} + 4H_{2}O (J. T. C. Williams.)
Prints.--(_a_) Presuming these to be mounted, proceed in the
following manner. Cut a stale loaf in half, with a perfectly clean
knife; pare the crust away from the edges. Place them on a flat
table, and rubbing the surface with the fresh-cut bread, in circular
sweeps, lightly but firmly performed, will remove all superficial
markings. Soak the prints for a short time in a dilute solution of
hydrochloric acid, say 1 part acid to 100 of water, and then remove
them into a vessel containing a sufficient quantity of clear chloride
of lime water to cover them. Leave them here until bleached to the
desired point. Remove, rinse well by allowing to stand an hour in
a pan in which a constant stream of water is allowed to flow, and
finally dry off by spreading on clean cloths. Perhaps may require
ironing between two sheets of clean paper.
(_b_) Put on a smooth board, cover it thinly with common salt finely
pounded; squeeze lemon juice upon the salt so as to dissolve a
considerable proportion of it; elevate one end of the board, so that
it may form an angle of about 45° or 50° with the horizon. Pour on
boiling water from a tea-kettle until the salt and lemon-juice be all
washed off; the engraving will then be perfectly clean, and free from
stains. It must be dried on the board, or on some smooth surface,
gradually. If dried by the fire or the sun it will be tinged with a
yellow colour.
(_c_) Hydrochloric acid, oxalic acid, or eau de Javelle may be
employed, weakened by water. After the leaves (if it be a book) have
by this means been whitened, they must be bathed again in a solution
of soda sulphate, which will remove all the chlorine, and leave the
pages white and clean. They will, however, have lost all firmness of
texture, owing to the removal of the size from the paper. It will,
therefore, be advisable to give a bath of gelatine and alum made with
boiling water, to which may be added a little tobacco, or any other
simple substance to restore the tint of the now too white paper.
(_d_) Immerse each mildewed sheet separately in a solution made
in the proportions of ½ lb. lime chloride to 1 pint water. Let it
stand, with frequent stirring, for 24 hours, and then strain through
muslin, and finally add 1 qt. water. Mildew and other stains will be
found to disappear very quickly, and the sheets must then be passed
separately through clear water, or the lime chloride, if left in
the paper, will cause it to rot. Old prints, engravings, and every
description of printed matter may be successfully treated in the same
manner.
(_e_) “I have in my time cleaned many hundreds. The plan which I
adopt is as follows:--I place them, one or two at a time, in a
shallow dish, and pour water over them until they are completely
soaked or saturated with it. I then carefully pour off the water,
and pour on to the prints a solution of lime chloride (1 part liquor
calcis chloratæ, to 39 of water). As a general rule, the stains
disappear as if by magic, but occasionally they are obstinate. When
that is the case, I pour on the spot pure liquor calcis chloratæ,
and if that does not succeed, I add a little dilute nitro-muriatic
acid. I have never had a print which has not succumbed to this
treatment--in fact, as a rule they become too white. As soon as they
are clean they must be carefully washed with successive portions of
water until the whole of the chlorine is got rid of. They should
then be placed in a very weak solution of isinglass or glue, and
many collectors colour this solution with coffee-grounds, &c., to
give a yellow tint to the print. They should be dried between folds
of blotting-paper, either in a press or under a heavy book, and
finally ironed with an ordinary flat-iron to restore the gloss;
placing clean paper between the iron and the print. Grease stains are
much more difficult. I find benzine best. Small grease spots may be
removed by powdered French chalk being placed over them, a piece of
clean blotting-paper over the chalk, and a hot iron over that.” (F.
Andrews.)
(_f_) Mildew often arises from the paste used to attach the print.
Take a solution of alum of medium strength and brush on back and
face of the engraving 2 or 3 coats, then make the frame air-tight by
pasting a strip of paper all round the inside of glass, leaving about
½ in. overlapping (taking care not to paste the paper on the glass,
so as to be seen from the front), then place your glass in frame,
take the overlapping piece and paste to side of rebate; place your
picture in position, spring backboard in, and then place a sheet of
strong paper (brown) on the table, damp it, and paste round back of
frame, lay it on to the paper, leave to dry, cut level. If this does
not answer there will be no help for it, but dust off as the mould
accumulates. Do not brush on surface with the alum if the engraving
is coloured, but several coats on the back.
(_g_) A plan recommended by Wm. Brooks is to get a dish or china tray
a little larger than the engraving to be operated upon; if, smaller,
there is a great risk of tearing and damaging the engraving. The
bleaching agent used is Holmes’ ozone bleach. The strength preferred
is 1 part bleach to 10 of water, well shaken up before pouring into
the dish. A much stronger solution can be used (say 1 in 5), but the
weaker it is the easier is its removal from the paper afterwards.
The engraving is immersed in the solution face upwards, avoiding
bubbles. The only caution to be observed is that the sodden engraving
is somewhat rotten, and needs careful handling. If the engraving be
only slightly stained, ½ hour will suffice to clean it, but if quite
brown it may require 4 hours. After all the stains are removed, and
the paper has regained its whiteness, pour the solution back into the
bottle, as it can be re-used till it becomes discoloured; fill up the
dish with water, changing frequently for about 3 hours, or place it
in running water. When the engraving is sufficiently washed, it can
be taken out, blotted off, and hung up to dry. When quite dry, it may
be ironed on the back with a warm flat-iron, which must not be too
hot. (_Brit. Jl. Photog._)
(_h_) If the engravings are very dirty, take 2 parts salt and 1 soda,
and pound them together until very fine. Lay the engraving on a
board, and fasten it with drawing-pins, and then spread the mixture
dry equally over the surface to be cleaned. Moisten the whole with
warm water and a little lemon-juice, and, after it has remained about
a minute, or even less, tilt the board up on its end, and pour over
it a kettleful of boiling water, being careful to remove all the
mixture, and avoid rubbing. If the engraving is not very dirty, the
less soda used the better, as it has a tendency to give a yellow hue.
(_i_) Does not injure the quality or texture of the engraving.
Immerse the print in a lye made by adding to the strongest muriatic
acid its own weight of water; to 3 parts of this mixture add 1 of
red oxide of lead or black oxide of manganese. If the print is very
dirty, it may remain in the liquid 24 hours without harm. Indian
ink stains should be first assisted out with hot water, and pencil
marks with rubber or breadcrumbs. If there be old paste on the back,
it must be removed with warm water. The saline crystals left after
immersion are removed by several rinsings in warm water.
(_j_) To remove surface dirt from engravings and mezzotints, the most
effectual plan is to use common bookbinders’ paste, applied with a
paste brush, both to front and back of the print; the paste will take
up the whole of the dirt, which will come away with the paste when it
is removed with water. A bath of plain water completes the operation,
from which the print will emerge as fresh as when first issued. Many
a guinea has been earned by this simple but efficacious plan.
Frames.--(_a_) Fly-marks can be cleaned off with soap and water used
sparingly on end of finger covered by piece of rag. When all cleared
off, rinse with cold water, and dry with chamois leather; next buy 1
lb. (1_d._) of common size, and 2 penny paint pans. Boil a little of
the size in one of the pans with as much water as will just cover it.
When boiled, strain through muslin into clean pan, and apply thinly
to frames with camel-hair brush (called technically a “dabber,” and
costing 6_d._ to 1_s._ each). Take care you do not give the frames
too much water and “elbow grease.” On no account use gold size, as it
is used only in regilding, and if put on over the gold would make it
dull and sticky.
(_b_) Dissolve a very small quantity of salts of tartar in a wine
bottle of water, and with a piece of cotton wool soaked in the liquid
dab the frames very gently (no rubbing on any account, or you will
take off the gilt), then stand up the frames so that water will drain
away from them conveniently, and syringe them with clean water. Care
must be taken that the solution is not too strong.
(_c_) If new gold frames are varnished with the best copal varnish,
it improves their appearance considerably, and fly-marks can then be
washed off carefully with a sponge. The frames also last many times
longer. It also improves old frames to varnish them with it.
(_d_) Gilt frames may be cleaned by simply washing them with a small
sponge, moistened with hot spirits of wine or oil of turpentine,
the sponge only to be sufficiently wet to take off the dirt and
fly-marks. They should not afterwards be wiped, but left to dry of
themselves.
(_e_) Old ale is a good thing to wash any gilding with, as it acts at
once upon the fly-dirt. Apply it with a soft rag; but for the ins and
outs of carved work, a brush is necessary; wipe it nearly dry, and do
not apply any water. Thus will you leave a thin coat of the glutinous
isinglass of the finings on the face of the work, which will prevent
the following flies’ fæces from fastening to the frame, as they
otherwise would do.
(_f_) The _Papier Zeitung_ recommends the following method of
renovating gilt frames. It consists in applying with a camel-hair
pencil a gum solution to which has been added gold bronze having the
colour of the frame. Before mixing with the gum water the bronze
must be washed with water until it runs off perfectly clear. If one
application does not suffice, it may be repeated until the spot
entirely disappears, but of course one coat must be dry before the
next is applied. Spots treated in this way look very well at first,
but it will not last, for it is not able to resist the moisture in
the air unless it is specially prepared. For this purpose an ordinary
bristle brush is rubbed with a piece of yellow wax until it is
somewhat sticky, then it is passed very lightly over the spot several
times as when dusting it. This gives it a very thin coat of wax that
hardens in 2 or 3 days; in the meantime it must be protected against
dust.
_Sponge._--(_a_) First clean, wash, and squeeze out the sponges;
then dip them into a 2 per cent. solution of potassium permanganate.
Here they become quite brown (from separated manganic oxide); after
10 minutes, take out, wash in water, again well press, and dip
into a 2 per cent. solution of oxalic acid [some prefer diluted
sulphuric (1:20) or diluted hydrochloric acid (1:15)], in which they
become perfectly white. Success mainly depends on the soaking in the
permanganate solution; if they are macerated too short a time they
do not become thoroughly white; if too long, they are apt to become
rotten. (Siemens.)
(_b_) First clean the sponges by immersing in dilute hydrochloric
acid. Then soak in a bleaching liquid, composed of 1 part sodium
hyposulphite, 12 water, and 2 hydrochloric acid. After some time,
remove and well wash. To the last wash-water a little glycerine is
added in order to preserve the sponges soft. The liquid is best
pressed out by passing the sponges through a clothes-wringer.
(_c_) Toilet sponges which have been in use, often become peculiarly
slimy, fatty, and almost useless, owing to some action of the soap.
Mere washing in distilled water does not remove the difficulty.
It may be overcome by using fused calcium chloride. The sponge is
pressed as much as possible, placed on a plate, the powdered calcium
chloride is sprinkled upon it, and allowed to deliquesce upon the
sponge. After about ½ hour, the sponge may be washed in water and
dried, when it will become white. (Valta.)