_ 
surface. They should be of a large size, that 
‘may not yield or bend ; for the ultimate perfection 
ie gold leaf depends yery materially upon the pre- 
‘ with which eyery part of the ribband is reduced 
Be ual thickness. . Formerly the reduction was 
wholly effected by hammering: i course of time, a 
small hand flatting-mill was used to finish the work, af- 
ter a considerable extension had been produced by the 
hammer ; but at present the most improved practice is 
to have the rolling done at a flatting-mill, where, by 
following a similar process to that which we have de- 
scribed under the article Corina, a ribband can be pro- 
duced which will contain very nearly the exact weight 
uired for a given surface. The gold-beater gene- 
the rolling, shews his care in coming as near 
tothis as possible. Still much depends upon the good- 
ness of his machinery, and also upon the regularity of 
the ingots in the first instance. 
‘The moulds for casting the ingots should be made of 
cast-iron, and the internal surface rather concave, be- 
cause, in cooling, the metal contracts more in thickness 
at the centre than at the outside. The moulds are. 
ng. previously divided it rather accurately 
e pore will all be very nearly of an 
In order to beat out these 
ares to greater extent, they are made up into a par- 
cel of about 150, with a leaf of fine calf-skin vellum 
interposed between each square, and about 20 leaves 
extra at the top and bottom of the parcel. The vellum 
leaves are about four inches square, and the plates of 
an inch square are carefully laid in the centre. In or- 
der to retain the packet together, it is thrust into a 
case of strong cohen which is open at each end, 
so that it is only a belt or band, but sufficiently broad 
to cover the whole packet, except the two ends ; and to 
secure these, a second case is drawn over the packet in 
the opposite direction. By this means the packet is. 
rendered sufficiently firm and compact to bear beating 
with a large hammer of 15 or 16 pounds weight, the 
face of which is circular, nearly four inches diameter,!and 
so much convex as will make it strike more forcibly 
upon the centre of the square packet, and extend the 
small square plates cr dna f 
The beating is performed upon a very strong stool, 
or bench, framed to receive a block of marble, or other 
hard stone, which is about nine inches squareon the 
surface, and as heavy as can be procured ; the wood- 
work is carried up round the stone in the form of a ledge, 
rising on the two sides and at the back; and to the 
front edge is nailed a kind of apron, which the work- 
man takes before him, to preserve any fragments of 
gold which may come out of the packet. The handle 
of the hammer is very short, and the workman mana- 
ges it with one hand: he strikes fairly upon the middle 
of the packet, which he uently turns over to beat 
the opposite side, but this he does in the interval be- 
tween two strokes, without losing his blow. He keeps 
up a constant beating, and when fatigued with one 
hand he dextrously ges the hammer to the other, 
Ww. the hammer is elevated in the air, and without 
any loss of time or force. The packet is occasionally 
bent, or rolled between the hands, to loosen the leaves, 
GOLD-BEATING. 
y orders this to be at the rate of very nearly 6}. 
ee to a square inch ; and the workman who con- 
. desired, which is generally 3% inches square. 
881 
and render the extension of the gold more free; and 
the packet is sometimes taken to pieces to examine the 
gold, and the centre leaves put at the outside, by which 
means the spreading of the gold will be equal through- 
out the packet... The beating is continued until the 
gold plates are increased to nearly the same size as the 
pieces of vellum; they are then taken out of the pack- 
et, and each cut, into four squares, by a knife drawn 
across them in two directions, This reduces the plates to 
about the same size as at first, andthey are again made 
up fora second beating, in a packet of about the same 
thickness as the former; but instead of vellum, skins 
about five inches square, prepared from the intestines 
of an ox, are interposed between each. The packet is 
made up in cases in the same manner as before descri- 
bed, The second beating is performed with a smaller 
hammer, .of about ten pounds weight, and is continued 
until the leaves are extended to the size of the skins. 
The folding of the packet must be frequently repeated 
during this beating, to leave the gold as free as. possi- 
ble between the skins ; because the leaves begin now 
to be very delicate, and are easily broken if the beatin, 
is not very carefully performed. The leaves are sprea 
be a cushion, and again divided into four, by means 
two pieces of cane cut to very sharp edges, and fixed 
upon a board crossing each other at right angles. This 
cross being applied upon each square 
upon it, will divide it into four equal portions, which 
are made up into a third packet of convenient thickness, 
and once more extended to the size of the intended 
leaves, which is about three inches, or three and a half 
square. In this state the leaves will be extended to 
192 times the surface which the plates had before the 
beating was begun. As these plates were each an 
inch square, and 75 of them weighed an ounce, the sur~ 
face of the ultimate leaves. will be 192 x 75 = 14400 
square inches, or 100 square feet per ounce. This is 
by no means so thin as they may be made, for it is 
very. practicable to extend an ounce to 160. square feet ;, 
but the waste arising from the great number of broken 
leaves, and the increase of labour, renders it of very 
little advantage to the gold-beater to reduce them toa 
greater thinness ; and to the gilder such thin leaves are 
less valuable, both because they make less durable work, 
and are so liable to break and waste in laying them on. 
The leaves when finished are put into small books 
made of single leaves of: soft panes folded, but without 
sewing, and the surface of the paper is rubbed with 
red chalk to prevent. the leaves adhering. Before put- 
ting the leaves into these books, they are taken one by 
one, with a pair of delicate pincers, out of the packet 
of the last beating, and spread out upon a cushion of 
leather, by blowing them flat; then to cut them all to 
the same size, a piece of square 
has four sharp edges of cane glued upon it. These 
edges being pressed upon the gold, cut it to the a 
e 
books are made up to contain 25 leayes each, and in 
this state they are ready for the gilder., 
The extension of the gold during the latter beating 
depends greatly upon the nature of the membrane or 
skin, which is interposed between the leaves. The prepa~ 
ration of these skins is kept a secret by the few indivi- 
duals who furnish them to the gold-beaters. Dr Lewis 
describes them as being made from the skins of ox-gut, 
stripped off from the large straight gut cut open. A 
RNG os, of these membranes are laid with the smooth 
sides together whilst in a moist state, and will adhere 
together: they are then stretched in a frame, and the 
fat and loose skin carefully scraped off, so as to leave 
Second 
beating be- 
tween skins. 
eaf, and pressed . 
Third beat- 
ing. 
Thickness 
of the 
leaves, 
board is applied, which citing the 
Preparation 
of the skins, 
