MailufdBure of GtU Buttons, tj 



Vith'si brufli till the mercury, carried by tlie affinity' of 'the 

 Held to the copper, adheres to the whole furface of the biit'tdri. 

 I'he buttons are then taken olU and put into what is called al 

 l>q/kef^ ihdngh in fsiSi an earthen vefTel full of fmall holb, 

 the handle of which the o})erator holds in his hand, and jerlts" 

 it with confiderable force down towards a wooden trough 

 (a receptaclie for the qmckfilver) till, by repeated jerks; all the 

 loofe particles of mercury are difengagcd, leaving a complete 

 continuity over the furface, and giving them the appearance 

 of filver btittbnSi 



Now the gold, a grain of which will fpread over many 

 fuperficial feet of copper, is thus prepared : Any given 

 quantity of mercury is poured into an iron ladle, the infideof 

 which having been previoufly guarded,— -ihsit is, rubbed over 

 with dry whiting to prevent the gold from adhering to the 

 iron, — into this mercury is thrown the portion of pure gold 

 intended to cover a given quantity of buttons. The gold and 

 mercury are h*eated together in the iron ladle till the work- 

 man (whofe praclicc foon enables him to jndge) perceives 

 that there is a perfect union between them; w^ieii he empties 

 his ladle into a veflel containing cold w^ater. 



The amalgam being cold, is put into a piece of Ihammoy 

 leather^ and fqueezed till no more mercury will pafs through. 

 What palTes the fliammoy contains not the fmalleft portion of 

 gold ; what remains will be about the confittency of butter, 

 fo completely united that every particle of mercury (liall con- 

 tain an equal portion of gold. The amalgam (liould be then 

 put into an earthen veflel, and a fmall quantity of nitric acid 

 added thereto, allowing fufficient time for the acid to unite 

 with the mercury. But the buttons and amalgam are com- 

 monly introduced firfl:, and a quantity of diluted nitric acid 

 added thereto, fo that, for want of a complete union between 

 the mercury and acid firft, if there be not a fuperabundancy 

 of acid, there may not be fufficient to carry all the amalgam 

 to the furface of the buttons. 



When tlie acid has had fufficient time to nrihrace (as work- 

 men call it) the mercury^ the buttons fhould be introduced, 

 ;and be ftirred till the amalgam, carried bv the affinitv of the 



Vol. IX. C ' acid 



