Brass ornaments, when not gilt or lackered, may be cleaned, and a
fine colour may be given to them by two simple processes. The first
is to beat sal ammoniac into a fine powder, then to moisten it with
soft water, rubbing it on the ornaments, which must be heated over
charcoal, and rubbed dry with bran and whiting. The second is to
wash the brass work with roche alum boiled in strong ley, in the
proportion of an ounce to a pint; when dry it must be rubbed with
fine tripoli. Either of these processes will give to brass the
brilliancy of gold.