| How to Clean Brass Jewelry Posted: 02 May 2019 01:00 AM PDT Brass jewelry can be elegant and beautiful, but it's prone to tarnishing and can be difficult to maintain. Though its surface can easily be scratched by abrasive cleaning methods, there are a number ways to clean brass jewelry without damaging it. If your older jewelry has a thin green-brown layer– known as a patina– you can refine and preserve its aged look with simple soap and water. You can also use lemon and salt to gently clean pieces with no patina. If your piece has green, bluish-green, or black discoloration, it's tarnished, and will need a deeper and more aggressive clean. For that, you can use household items like vinegar, ammonia, or even ketchup! EditUsing Soap and Water for a Gentle Clean - Mix a few drops of mild dish soap in warm water. It won't take much soapy water to clean your jewelry, so pour about of warm water into a cup or a bowl, then add 3-4 drops of mild dish soap. Gently stir the water to make sure the soap is mixed in evenly.[1]
- Soap and water are perfect for a gentle clean that will remove dirt and grime from brass without removing its patina, or the aged layer that develops on older pieces over time.
- Test the soapy water on an inconspicuous area to make sure it's safe. Although this is a very mild cleaning method, if you're trying to preserve the patina of a piece, it's always a good idea to do a quick test before you clean the whole item. Dip a cotton swab in or the corner of a cloth into the soapy water, then gently rub it onto a hidden piece of the jewelry, like the back of a pendant or near the clasp on a chain.[2]
- If the patina starts to come off or you're concerned the water will harm the brass item, you may want to consider having the piece cleaned professionally.
- Clean the piece with the soapy water and a soft cloth or toothbrush. If you were satisfied with your spot test, dip a microfiber cloth or a soft toothbrush into the soapy water, then use it to gently clean the surface of the jewelry in small, circular motions. You may need to go over the same spot more than once to get it as clean as you want, but avoid scrubbing too hard, as you could scratch the brass.[3]
- A toothbrush is best for an item with a lot of crevices, like an ornate pendant or ring, while a cloth is more gentle for jewelry with a lot of flat surfaces, like a cuff bracelet.
- For stubborn dirt, soak the jewelry for 2-3 minutes in the water before you clean it with the cloth.
- Be sure to choose a toothbrush that's only used for cleaning!
- Rinse the jewelry thoroughly, then dry it with a soft cloth. When you've finished cleaning the brass item, hold it under running water and use your fingers to remove any soapy residue from the surface of the piece. Then, rub the jewelry with a dry microfiber cloth or towel until it's completely dry.[4]
- Water can leave spots on brass, which is why it's important to dry it thoroughly.
EditCleaning Light Tarnish with Lemon and Salt - Cut a lemon in half. The acidity in a lemon is perfect for dissolving dirt and tarnish on brass, without being so abrasive that you'll damage the finish. Place the lemon on a cutting board, then carefully slice it in half lengthwise.[5]
- Cutting the lemon lengthwise will give you more surface area to work with, but it's fine if you cut it the other way.
- You may want to remove any visible seeds, although this isn't necessary.
- You can also use a lime, if that's what you have on hand.
- Dip one of the cut sides of the lemon in salt. Pour a thin layer of salt onto a small plate or saucer. Then, press the cut side of one of your lemon halves into the salt.[6]
- The salt will stick to the lemon, coating the cut side completely.
- Rub the salt and lemon over the surface of the brass until it shines. Hold your brass jewelry in one hand, or lay it on a flat surface and use your hand to hold it steady. Then, rub the lemon and salt all over your brass jewelry. The combination of the acidic lemon and the abrasive salt should quickly loosen and remove dirt and tarnish from the jewelry.[7]
- Keep doing this until the jewelry shines.
- You may need to dip the lemon in the salt again, especially if it's a large piece.
- Use a toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach places. For smaller pieces with a lot of detail, squeeze out a little of the lemon juice into the pile of salt and mix it until it forms a paste. Then, dip a soft toothbrush into the paste and apply it to the jewelry. Scrub gently until it's clean.
- Rinse the jewelry and dry it thoroughly. Once you're happy with how your jewelry looks, rinse it well under running water. Then, rub it vigorously with a soft, dry cloth to make sure it's completely dry. If you leave any water on the jewelry, it could leave spots.[8]
- Make sure to completely wash away any lemon juice; otherwise, it could etch the surface of your jewelry.
EditCleaning Built-Up Tarnish and Grime - Make a salt, flour, and vinegar paste for an all-natural deep clean. Mix of white vinegar with 1 tsp (6 g) of salt and stir until the salt is dissolved. Then, add about 2 tbsp (30 g) of flour, or enough to make a thick paste. Rub the paste onto the jewelry and let it dry for about 10 minutes, then rinse and dry the item thoroughly.[9]
- This is a gentle way to remove built-up tarnish and stubborn grime.
- Try ketchup for a unique way to shine your brass jewelry. The acidic blend of tomatoes and vinegar in ketchup makes it a great brass cleaner. Just squirt a little ketchup onto a soft cloth or brush, then rub it gently into the surface of the jewelry. If the piece is badly tarnished, you may need to leave the ketchup in place for 3-5 minutes, but you should be able to see it working right away. Rinse the ketchup away with warm water and dry the jewelry thoroughly with a soft cloth.[10]
- Opt for non-gel toothpaste for occasional cleaning. Coat the jewelry in a thin layer of plain white toothpaste and leave it on for about 5 minutes. Then, polish the jewelry with a clean, soft cloth to remove stubborn dirt and grime. Once it looks shiny and bright, rinse the brass completely under running water, then dry it with a separate soft cloth.[11]
- Toothpaste is mildly abrasive, which is why it gets the brass so clean. However, you should only use this technique for occasional cleaning, as it can scratch the surface of the brass over time.
- Use ammonia for a quick clean if you don't mind the fumes. Working in an area with plenty of fresh air, mix 1 part ammonia with 8 parts in a plastic or glass container. Soak the jewelry in the mixture for several minutes, then carefully remove it once it looks shiny and clean. Use a cloth to wipe away any tarnish, then rinse and dry the jewelry thoroughly.[12]
- For example, if you're only cleaning a small piece of jewelry, like a brass ring, small brooch, or pendant necklace, you might mix of ammonia with of water. Increase the amounts for larger jewelry, like chunky bracelets or necklaces.
- Ammonia can be dangerous, so take the proper precautions! Make sure to wear gloves and goggles and work in a well-ventilated area, and never mix ammonia and bleach, as the fumes can be deadly.
- If the piece is lacquered, or it appears to have a thin, shiny layer, it should not be cleaned the same way as regular brass. Instead, just wipe it down with a soft, damp cloth, then dry it with a separate cloth. If that doesn't work, take it to a professional for cleaning.
- Always dry your brass thoroughly, or you can end up with water spots.
- Rub olive oil on a finished piece to help prevent tarnish.[13]
- If your jewelry has gemstones or other decorative pieces, make sure to only apply your cleaning solution to the brass. Stones can be damaged by acidic cleaning methods.
- If you're working with ammonia, wear goggles and gloves to protect yourself in case it splashes, and work in a well-ventilated area.
- NEVER mix ammonia with other cleaning products, as it could produce dangerous fumes.
EditThings You'll Need EditUsing Soap and Water for a Gentle Clean - Cup or bowl
- Warm water
- Mild dish soap
- Spoon
- Cotton swab
- Microfiber cloth or soft toothbrush
- Dry cloth
EditCleaning Light Tarnish with Lemon and Salt - Lemon
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Plate
- Salt
- Water
- Dry cloth
- Toothbrush (optional)
EditCleaning Built-Up Tarnish and Grime - Soft, dry cloth
- Water
- white vinegar (optional)
- 1 tsp (6 g) salt (optional)
- 2 tbsp (30 g) flour (optional)
- Ketchup (optional)
- Non-gel toothpaste (optional)
- Ammonia (optional)
- Glass or plastic container (optional)
- Goggles and gloves (optional)
EditReferences
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| How to Pack Without Wrinkling Clothes Posted: 01 May 2019 05:00 PM PDT Opening your suitcase or duffel bag and finding your clothes wrinkled is a real bummer! Fortunately, there are several solutions to this common problem. You can try using packing folders, garment bags, or even tissue paper to keep your clothes wrinkle-free. You can also bring a spritz or steamer with you on the road to get rid of wrinkles in a snap! EditFolding Your Clothes to Keep Wrinkles Out - Bring packing folders with you to keep nice clothes from crumpling. Packing folders are hand-held, briefcase-like bags that are perfect for keeping delicate tops, button-up shirts, pants, and dresses from crumpling up. An packing folder, which is the main size the product is sold in, can fit 8-12 items of clothing. All you need to do is fold your clothes like you normally would and stack them on top of each other. Then, close up the packing folder to compress the clothes.[1]
- Packing folders are flat enough to fit inside luggage, so try and fit them in your suitcase if you can.
- You can purchase packing folders online.
- Use garment bags to fold your clothes just once. Garment bags are incredibly convenient because all you have to do is place the clothes you want to pack on hangers, store them in the garment bag, zip up the bag, and fold the bag to fit it in your suitcase. Since you're only folding the clothes once and securing them within the garment bag, you'll avoid creases and wrinkles. A garment bag is also incredibly easy to unpack![2]
- One downside to garment bags is that it's tough to fit them in carry-on luggage if you're flying. The smallest width for garment bags is about , which is too long for carry-on suitcases. If you don't want to check bags in when you get to the airport, go with the packing folder method instead.
- Wrap your clothes in a bundle to fit bulky items in your suitcase. Bundle wrapping is a bit more time-consuming than other packing methods but well worth it to keep wrinkles and creases away. First, ball up 2 pairs of socks into a shirt, place them in the middle of the shirt, and fold the shirt over the socks to create a "core" that goes in the middle of the bundle. Then, lay out a long-sleeve shirt and place it face down with the arms at the sides. Take your next shirt and lay it face up, making sure the bottom of the shirt is facing the opposite direction of the bottom of the first long-sleeve shirt. Make sure to overlap the arms of the shirts. [3]
- Next, take your heavier items, like jackets and button-up shirts, and place them directly over the original long-sleeve shirts.
- Finally, lay your pants down horizontally, followed by your shirts and shorts vertically. Take the "core" you folded earlier, put it in the middle of the pile, and start wrapping the clothes around the core one-by-one.
- Make sure not to overpack. This technique works best if you only pack the essentials.
- You will have to unpack all of your clothes every time, so this method might not be the best if you're on a fast-paced trip or one that lasts only a few days.
- Fold your clothes in tissue paper to reduce wrinkles. Place a sheet of tissue paper inside the sleeves of long shirts and jackets before you fold those items. Then, line your suitcase with tissue paper and place more tissue paper between each layer of clothing.[4]
- Putting tissue paper in between and inside of clothes reduces wrinkles because the slippery texture of the paper lowers the friction on the fabric.
- Cover your clothes in plastic wrap to separate them from one another. Plastic wrap works the same as tissue paper in the sense that it reduces friction between clothes and keeps wrinkles away. Place a sheet of plastic wrap that covers the length and width of your suitcase in between each layer of clothing. If you plan on packing nice clothes that were just recently dry cleaned, don't unwrap them, just lay them in your suitcase as is.[5]
- Be sure to use plastic zippered bags for shoes and toiletries. This keeps them separate from your clothes and lessens the risk of your clothes getting damaged if you're flying.
EditGetting Wrinkles out of Packed Clothes - Pack fabrics that don't wrinkle easily. Generally speaking, clothes that have a little bit of stretch don't wrinkle as much. To test your fabrics, give them a scrunch and pack them in a suitcase for a few hours to see how they hold up to wrinkles.[6]
- There are clothing brands that specialize in making travel clothes which use wrinkle-resistant fabrics. The downside to these clothes is that many of these fabrics can't be steamed or ironed if they do get wrinkled.
- Take a wrinkle-free spritz with you to keep clothes fresh. If you're taking a plane, these spritzes come in travel sizes which are TSA-approved and can fit in your carry-on luggage. Not only do they release wrinkles, but they get rid of odors as well. When you unpack, spritz each item of clothing lightly and let them sit for about 20 minutes before wearing them.[7]
- You can purchase these spritzes at your local drug or department store or order a bottle online.
- Bring a hand-held steamer with you to instantly freshen clothes. These steamers are perfect for suits, blouses, and delicate dresses. They are small enough to fit in your carry-on luggage if you're flying and can get rid of wrinkles in no time. When you unpack, hang up the clothes you want to steam and run the steamer up-and-down the clothing 2-3 times. Be sure to keep the steamer at least away from the clothes, as you don't want to damage what you've packed.[8]
- One reason a hand-held steamer is such a good travel buddy is because you never know how good the irons will be in hotel rooms. The quality of the irons could vary greatly depending on where you're staying, so bring a steamer with you to ensure you're getting the same results every time.
- Hang your clothes in the bathroom while you shower to get the wrinkles out. If you don't have a steamer or spritz handy and need to get wrinkles out of your clothes, hang your clothes in the bathroom and take a hot shower. In just a few minutes, the steam from the shower will get rid of the wrinkles in your clothes.[9]
- If you're traveling to a humid, tropical destination, you can hang up your clothes outside. The humidity will loosen up the wrinkles. Just make sure the weather will be nice for the next few hours if you decide to do this!
- Travel lightly to give your clothes room to breathe. Take only the clothes you truly need when you go to pack everything. Overpacking can not only wrinkle and crease clothing, but the clothes can also start to smell if they're sitting in a suitcase for many hours.[10]
- One way to determine if you've packed too much: bundle wrapping. If you cannot wrap your clothes in a bundle and fit them in your suitcase, you've packed too much clothing.
EditReferences
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| How to Shoot Time Lapse Photography Posted: 01 May 2019 09:00 AM PDT You've probably seen some super cool time lapse videos and wondered what it would take to start shooting time lapse photography of your own. Well, it's actually a lot easier than you may think! The easiest way to capture time lapse photography is by using a phone with a good camera, which is something you might already have. For professional-quality time lapses, you'll need a good DSLR camera, a sturdy tripod, and the right accessories. Once you decide on the equipment to use, you need to pick a good subject, set up your gear for the shot, and program the right intervals to get the images you need to make your very own time lapse video. EditUsing a Phone Camera for Basic Time Lapses - Select the time lapse mode in your phone's camera app. Most smart phones these days have a time lapse mode in the camera app. Open up the app and scroll through the different modes until you find it.[1]
- Keep in mind that the time lapse mode on your phone has few or no settings that you can adjust. If you want more control, then you will need to download a time lapse app instead.
- Set your phone in a stable place so it won't move while you record. A tripod with a phone mount is the ideal stabilizer for your phone. Prop your phone up against something that won't move if you don't have a phone tripod.[2]
- If you are outside, keep in mind wind and other factors that could move your phone during recording.
- Make sure you have a full battery if you plan on shooting for a long time so your phone doesn't die in the middle of your time lapse!
- Hit record and leave your phone in place for as long as you want to record. Record longer periods for slower moving objects, and shorter periods for faster moving objects. The number of frames captured per second by your phone will depend on how long you record for.[3]
- For example, if you are shooting slow moving clouds, then your time lapse will look much better if you record for 20 minutes vs. for 5 minutes.
- The frame rate drops the longer you shoot, so the length of the video will not vary greatly if you shoot for 10 minutes compared with if you shoot for 40 minutes. Most time lapse videos shot with phones are 20-40 seconds long, regardless of how long you shoot for.
- Download a 3rd party time lapse app if you want more settings to play with. 3rd party apps offer you much more control over settings like exposure, frame rate, white balance, video speed, and even let you set a timer or add filters. Search the app store for your model of smart phone, download a few time lapse apps, and experiment them to find one that you like.[4]
- Some examples of nice time lapse apps are Framelapse, Lapse It, Microsoft Hyperlapse, Hyperlapse from Instagram, TimeLapse, iTimeLapse Pro, iMotion, and OSnap!. Some of these apps even have other features like letting you shoot stop motion videos or add audio.
EditSetting up Professional Equipment - Use a DSLR camera to shoot the best time lapse photography. DSLR cameras are by far the most professional way to capture time lapse shots. They are easiest to connect to an intervalometer (or even have one built in) and have the most options of settings that you can adjust for shooting in all kinds of scenarios.[5]
- DSLR stands for Digital Single-Lens Reflex. These types of cameras offer the most bang for your buck and are far and away the best option on the market for photographers who want to take professional photos.
- Choose a subject with movement. The whole point of a time lapse video is to see movement sped up over time. Walk around the area to find the best framing and composition for your shot.[6]
- Pick somewhere to shoot that will have lots of interesting movement to capture for your time lapse video. For example, a sky with lots of moving clouds, a busy intersection, crowds of people, a sunrise, or a sunset are all good options for time lapse videos.
- Keep the "rule of thirds" in mind when picking the location to frame your shot. In other words, look at the frame of your shot as a grid of 9 squares. Try to compose it so that the most interesting parts are at the intersections of the squares on this imaginary grid.
- Select a stable tripod to hold your camera steady while shooting. You need a heavy tripod that won't shake in the wind. This will ensure that your camera stays as still as possible while shooting your time lapse so all the shots are the same. [7]
- Your camera will be in the same position for up to 2 hours, so make sure to use the heaviest tripod you can get your hands on.
- While shooting, you can stabilize your tripod even further by hanging your camera bag from it or placing rocks around the legs to hold them in place.
- Use a memory card of at least 32GB with a write speed of 50MB/s or more. Your camera will be working hard and taking a lot of images for your time lapse. A large and fast memory card will reduce the buffer time to allow your camera to quickly process each image before the next shot.[8]
- The shorter your intervals between shots, the more important this is.
- Put a battery grip on your camera to avoid a dead battery. Battery grips let you use 2 batteries at the same time. Your battery will drain much faster during time lapse photography, so having 2 batteries connected at once will help you avoid having to change the battery while shooting.
- If you don't have or can't use a battery grip for your camera, then at least carry a fully-charged spare battery that you can quickly swap into the camera if the battery dies during your shoot.[9]
- Use an ND filter if you have one to control exposure. Neutral density filters help increase motion blur and still capture sharp images. This will ensure the highest quality shots for your time lapse video.[10]
- If you don't have an ND filter, you can experiment with underexposing shots by 1-2 stops, but this will decrease some of the image quality and you will have to recover it in editing.
EditAdjusting Camera Settings and Capturing Footage - Focus the camera's lens on your subject. Manually focus the camera's lens on subjects of interest you want to capture in the time lapse video. Focus the lense to infinity if you are using a wide angle lens, or focus on specific elements in other cases.[11]
- For example, if you are shooting a sky with moving clouds, then manually adjust the lens so that the clouds are fully in focus. If you are shooting at an intersection, then adjust the lens so that the cars at the intersection are most in focus.
- Set your camera to manual mode. You need to shoot in manual exposure mode to create quality time lapse videos. Your camera will try to adjust for every slight change of light if you use automatic and you will end up with too much variation in your images.[12]
- When you shoot time lapse photography in manual mode, you should to set ISO to 100 with aperture at f/11.
- Shoot RAW files instead of JPEG. RAW files allow you the most flexibility when editing your video. With JPEG files you are pretty much stuck with what you get.[13]
- You will export your RAW files as JPEGs later, after editing, to turn them into the time lapse video.
- Hook up an intervalometer to your camera to trigger the time lapse shots. Some cameras have a built-in intervalometer, in which case you won't need to buy an external one. Get a remote intervalometer that is compatible with your camera if it doesn't have a built-in one.[14]
- Some built-in intervalometers have the advantage that they let you program a start time, so you could even begin shooting when you are not right next to the camera.
- Set the time lapse interval according to your subject. Use a longer interval for slow moving subjects and a shorter interval for fast moving subjects. 1-5 seconds is a good general interval range for most time lapse subject matter.[15]
- Use 1-second intervals for fast moving subjects such as traffic or fast moving clouds.
- Use a 3-5 second interval for things like slower moving clouds, crowds of people, sunsets, and sunrises.
- Longer intervals of 15-30 seconds can be used to shoot things over longer periods of time, like the sun moving across the sky or construction projects. Keep in mind that it takes about 1 hour to shoot enough images for a 30-second time lapse video at 5-second intervals, so a 30-second video shot at 30-second intervals would take you 6 hours to shoot.
- For extremely slow moving subjects, such as growing plants, use intervals of 10 minutes or more.
- Shoot for 250 frames for every 10 seconds of video you want. 25 frames creates 1 second of video. Set your intervalometer to capture the required number of frames at the chosen intervals, click "start", and leave it alone for the whole time it is shooting.[16]
- For example, if you want to make a 20-second video of traffic at a busy intersection, then you would need to shoot 500 frames. Since you would be using 1-second intervals for this type of movement, it would only take you 500 seconds to get all the footage you need for your 20-second video.
- If you don't know how many frames you need or want, then set your intervalometer to "infinity" so it will just keep shooting until you stop it.
- If you want to do heavy editing, then it's a good idea to take an extra 100-200 frames to give you some extra to work with.
- Upload your images to a photo editing software program and edit them. Edit 1 of the images to your liking, and then copy the edits to all the other images you are going to use in your time lapse video so they are all the same. Export the images as JPEG files when you are done editing.[17]
- Adobe Lightroom is the most popular photo editing software, but you can use whatever you know and are comfortable with.
- Other options include Affinity Photo, Capture One Pro, ON1 Photo Raw, Luminar, and DxO Photo Lab.
- Use time lapse assembling software to put the images together in a video. There are lots of free or paid options for putting together time lapse videos. Find one that you like, upload the images, then set the frames-per-second to 25 to create your time lapse video.[18]
- LR Time Lapse is an example of a plugin for Adobe Lightroom that you can use to assemble your video. Another option is putting it together in Adobe Photoshop.
- Free tools include Time Lapse Assembler for Mac and the Startrails app for PC.
- Use video editing software if you want to add music or special effects. Import the video to a video editing software program. Add the final touches to your video then export the final copy to share with the world![19]
- Some examples of software you can use to add music and other effects are Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Windows Movie Maker, and iMovie.
- Save and export your completed video file. The process will vary slightly depending on the software you used to edit your video. In most programs you simply need to click on File, then Export, and choose the desired video format.[20]
- The best video format to select for general use is MP4, which uses MPEG-4 or H.264 video encoding to compress the file. When you export your video as an MP4 file, the resolution and frame rate will stay the same as when you imported the files.
EditReferences
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