Important: Safety Warning
This page describes cleaning processes that use dangerously toxic and corrosive materials — quicklime with strong lye, butter of antimony (antimony trichloride), oxalic acid, copper sulphate and benzine. These burn skin and eyes on contact, are poisonous if swallowed or inhaled, and require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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To Remove Stains from Marble
Mix quicklime with strong lye to the consistency of thick cream, and apply to the marble surface with a brush. Leave the composition in contact over night and wash off in the morning. If this is of no avail, mix 4 ounces soft soap with an equal quantity of whiting, add 1 ounce of soda (sodium hydrate) and a half ounce of copper sulphate in powder, and boil the whole together for 15 minutes. Rub this mixture, while still hot, over the marble, using a bit of flannel on a stick for the purpose. Leave the application in place for 24 hours, then wash off and polish. Oil stains may be removed by applying a paste of common clay and benzine. Iron rusts and iron inks are treated as follows:
Butter of antimony, 1 part; Oxalic acid, 2 parts; Soft water (rain water), 32 parts. Dissolve, and add whiting or flour to the consistence of a thick paste. Apply evenly with a brush and leave on for a few days. If the stains are still visible repeat the operation.
To restore polish after any of these operations with a bit of old felt hat, wrapped around a bit of wood, and with it water and emery powder, rub the marble until an even surface is obtained. The emery powder should be in graded sizes, using coarser first and finishing with the finest flour of emery (changing the felt with each change of powder). The flour will leave a comparatively fine gloss on the surface, which should be hightened by putty powder and fine clean cotton rags, finishing with silk. No water should be used toward the last.