Restoring Antique Finishes.
There are many beautiful antiques which have been subjected to rough usage or through some accident have had the oxidation rubbed off in parts. To clean such an antique so as to secure uniformity of appearance would be a mistake. It is better to "restore" the finish and imitate that which age has imparted. The solution required is 60 gr. nitrate of silver and 2½ oz. water, mixed with a solution of 60 gr. nitrate of copper and 2½ oz. water. After the solution has been applied to the parts the object should be heated in a gas-oven until it is sufficiently dark coloured.
Some time ago an expert in Indian antiques, bronzes, and metal-work published in The Times of India an account of how Oriental bronze and brass which had been soiled and scratched by time and climatic conditions might be restored. The writer went on to describe how the great secret of restoring the dull half-green and half-brown shades had been revealed to him. The remedy he propounded was simple in the extreme. It was that the statue should be washed in beer, which should not be rubbed off but allowed to dry on.