No. 22 and 28 iron wire is indispensable for binding when soldering.
Easy running silver solder may be made by the user, but as a small piece will solder many joints, and as it is not practical to make it in small quantities, it is better to buy it ready made as desired.
Powdered or lump borax is used as a flux in soldering. Charcoal or asbestos blocks are used when soldering small work.
Cut-quick and rouge are used for polishing.
Nitric and sulphuric acids are used to clean work.
PICKLE.
Pickle is a trade name given to solutions used in cleaning work. Different proportions of acids are used according to the work to be cleaned. For copper and silver a dilute bath of sulphuric acid is used of 1 part acid to 15 parts of water. The solution may be used cold but when used hot it becomes much more effective. When used hot a copper dish is necessary. The object being placed in the dish with enough pickle to cover it, it is then placed over a gas plate and allowed to come to boiling heat. The pickle is then poured off and the object rinsed in clean water. A dilute solution of nitric acid is used for brass.
GAUGE.
Gauge, as referred to in this book, is a term used to denote the thickness of sheet metal. The Standard Wire Gauge is divided in gauge numbers from 5 to 36; and is used for measuring the thickness of wire and sheet metal. It is usually a plate of steel having round its edge a series of notches of standard openings.