GOLD-BEATltfG 72d 



a feat dextrously done in the interval of two strokes, so as not to lose a blow. The 

 packet is occasionally bent or rolled between the hands to loosen the leaves and secure 

 the ready extension of the gold ; or it is taken to pieces to finish the gold, and to 

 shift the central leaves to the outside, and vice versa, that everything may be equalised. 

 Whenever the gold plates have extended under this treatment to nearly the size of the 

 vellum, they are removed from the packet, and cut into four equal squares by a knife. 

 They are thus reduced to nearly the same size as at first, and are again made up into 

 packets, and enclosed as before, with this difference, that skins prepared from ox-gut 

 are now interposed between each gold-leaf, instead of vellum. The second course of 

 beating is performed with a smaller hammer, about 10 pounds in weight, and is con- 

 tinued till the leaves are extended to the size of the skins. During this period, the 

 packet must be often folded, to render the gold as loose as possible between the mem- 

 branes ; otherwise the leaves are easily chafed and broken. They are once more 

 spread on a cushion, and subdivided into four square pieces by means of two pieces of 

 cane cut to very sharp edges, and fixed down transversely on a board. This rectan- 

 gular cross being applied on each leaf, with slight pressure, divides it into four equal 

 portions. These are next made up into a third packet of convenient thickness, and 

 finally hammered out to the area of fine gold-leaf, whose average size is from 3 to 3 

 inches square. The leaves will now have obtained an area 192 times greater than the 

 plates before the hammering began. As these were originally an inch square, and 75 

 of them weighed an ounce ( = 6 x 75 = 487^), the surface of the finished leaves 

 will be 192 x 75 = 14,400 square inches, or 100 square feet per ounce troy. This is 

 by no means the ultimate degree of attenuation, for an ounce may be hammered so 

 as to cover 160 square feet ; but the waste incident in this case, from the number of 

 broken leaves, and the increase and nicety of the labour, make this an unprofitable 

 refinement ; while the gilder finds such thin leaves make less durable and satisfactory 

 work. 



The finished leaves of gold are put up in small books made of single leaves of soft 

 paper, rubbed over with red chalk to prevent adhesion between them. Before putting 

 the leaves in these books, however, they are lifted one by one with a delicate pair of 

 pincers out of the finishing packet, and spread out on a leather cushion by blowing 

 them flat down. They are then cut to one size by a sharp-edged square moulding of 

 cane, glued on a flat board. When this square-framed edge is pressed upon the gold, 

 it cuts it to the desired size and shape. Each book commonly contains 25 gold- 

 leaves. 



We must now describe some peculiarities of the French practice of gold-beating. The 

 workman cuts the laminated ribands of an inch broad into portions an inch and a half 

 long. These are called guartiers. He takes 24 of them, which he places exactly over 

 each other, so as to form a thickness of about an inch, the riband being of a line, or 

 2\th of an inch thick ; and he beats them together on a steel slab with the round face 

 (panne] of the hammer, so as to stretch them truly out into the square form. He be- 

 gins by extending the substance towards the edges, thereafter advancing towards the 

 middle ; he then does as much on the other side, and finally hammers the centre. By 

 repeating this mode of beating as often as necessary, he reduces at once all the guartiers 

 (squares) of the same packet, till none of them is thicker than a leaf of grey paper, and 

 of the size of a square of 2 inches each side. 



When the quartiers are brought to this state, the workman takes 56 of them, which 

 he piles over each other, and with which he forms the first packet (caucher) in the 

 manner already described ; only two leaves of vellum are interposed between each gold- 

 leaf. The empty leaves of vellum at the top and bottom of the packet are called 

 emplures. They are 4 inches square, as well as the parchment pieces. 



The packet thus prepared forms a rectangular parallelepiped ; it is inclosed in two 

 sheaths, composed each of several leaves of parchment applied to each, and glued at 

 the two sides, forming a bag open at either end. 



The block of black marble is a foot square at top, and 18 inches deep, and is framed 

 as above described. The hammer used for beating the first packet is called the flat, 

 or the enlarging hammer ; its head is round, about 5 inches in diameter, and very 

 slightly convex. It is 6 inches high, and tapers gradually from its head to the other 

 extremity, which gives it the form of a hexagonal truncated pyramid. It weighs 14 

 or 15 pounds. 



The French gold-beaters employ besides this hammer, three others of the same 

 form ; namely, 1. The commencing hammer, which weighs 6 or 7 pounds, has a head 

 4 inches in diameter, and is more convex than the former. 2. The spreading hammer, 

 (marteau a ckasser) ; its head is two inches diameter, more convex than the last, and 

 weighs only 4 or 5 pounds. 3. The finishing hammer ; it weighs 12 or 13 pounds, has 

 a head four inches diameter, and is the most convex of all. 



The beating processes do not differ essentially from the English described above. 



