276 SILVERING. 



fire till all is dissolved, which will happen in about 

 five minutes ; then take them off, and mix it in a 

 pint of clear water; after which, pour it into another 

 clean vessel, to free it from grit or sediment ; then 

 add a spoonful of common salt, and the acid, which 

 has now a green tinge, will immediately let go the 

 silver particles, which form themselves into a white 

 curd; pour off the acid, and mix the curd with two 

 ounces of salt of tartar, half an ounce of whiting, 

 and a large spoonful of salt, more or less, accord- 

 ing as you find it for strength. Mix it well up to- 

 gether, and it is ready for use. 



Having well cleared the brass from scratches, 

 rub it over with a piece of old hat and rotten-stone, 

 to clear it from all greasiness, and then rub it with 

 salt and water with your hand : take a little of the 

 before-mentioned composition on your finger, and 

 rub it over where the salt has touched, and it will 

 adhere to the brass and completely silver it. After 

 which, wash it well with water, to take ofi' what 

 aqua fortis may remain in the composition ; when 

 dry, rub it with clean rag, and give it one or two 

 coats of varnish, prepared according to the direc- 

 tions given under the article varnislies. 



This silv^ering is not durable, but may be improved 

 by heating the article, and repeating the operation 

 till the covering seems sufficiently thick. 



Silver Plating. 



The coat of silver applied to the surface of the 

 copper by the means mentioned above, is very 

 thin, and is not durable. A more substantial 

 method of doing it, is as follows : form small pieces 

 of silver and copper, and tie them together with 



