BUTTON. 



a wire clamp like a pair of sugar tongs, 

 and a small quantity of solder and resin 

 applied to each. They are in this state 

 exposed to heat on an iron plate, contain- 

 ing about a gross, till the solder runs, 

 and the shank becomes fixed to the but- 

 ton, after which they are put singly in a 

 lathe, and their edges turned off smooth- 

 ly. The surface of the metal, which has 

 become in a small degree oxydated by 

 the action of the heat in soldering, is next 

 to be cleaned, which in this, as in a great 

 variety of other instances in the manufac- 

 ture of metallic articles, is effected by 

 the process of dipping or pickling; that is, 

 some dozens of them are put into an ear- 

 then vessel, pierced full of holes like a 

 cullender; the whole dipped into a vessel 

 of diluted nitric acid, suffered to drain 

 for a few seconds, again dipped succes- 

 sively into four or five other vessels of 

 pure water, and then dried. 



The nextoperation is the roughburnish- 

 ing, which is performed by fixing the but- 

 tons in the lathe., and applying a burnish- 

 er of hard black stone from Derbyshire : 

 the minute pores occasioned by the suc- 

 cessive action of the heat and the acid are 

 thus closed, and the subsequent process 

 of gilding considerably improved, both 

 with regard to economy and perfection. 

 The first step towards the gilding of all 

 the alloys of copper consists in covering 

 the surface uniformly with a thin stratum 

 of mercury, by which means the amalgam, 

 which is afterwards applied, attaches it- 

 self to it much more readily than it would 

 otherwise do. This part of the process is 

 called quicking,and is effected by stirring 

 the buttons about with a brush, in a vessel 

 containing a quantity of nitric acid super- 

 saturated with mercury, which latter is, 

 of course, by the superior elective attrac- 

 tionot the copper for the acid,precipitated 

 in its metallic state on the bottoms, whose 

 surfaces become uniformly and brilliantly 

 covered with it. The mercury, which 

 hangs in loose drops on the buttons, is 

 then shaken off, by jerking the whole 

 violently, in a kind of earthen cullender 

 made for the purpose, and they are then 

 ready for receiving the amalgam. The 

 amalgam is made by heating a quantity 

 of grain gold with mercury in an iron ladle; 

 by which means the former is soon dis- 

 solved, and the whole is then poured into 

 a vessel of cold water. The superabun- 

 dant mercury is strongly pressed out 

 through a piece of chamois leather, and 

 the remaining amalgam, which is of about 

 the consistence of butter, is then fit for 

 application. This is performed by stirring 



the buttons, whose surfaces are already 

 thinly covered or wetted with mercury, 

 in an earthen vessel, with the requisite 

 proportion of amalgam and a small quan- 

 tity of diluted nitric acid, by which means 

 the amalgam also attaches itself to their 

 surfaces with a considerable degree of 

 equality. The necessary quantity of gold 

 is about five grains to a gross of buttons 

 of an inch in diameter. 



The next process is the volatilization of 

 the mercury by heat, which is usually 

 called by the workmen drying off. This 

 is formed by first heating the buttons 

 in an iron pan, somewhat like a large fry- 

 ing-pan, till the amalgam with which they 

 are covered becomes fluid, and seems 

 disposed to run into drops, on which they 

 are thrown into a large felt cap, called a 

 gilding cap, made of coarse wool and 

 goat's hair, and stirred about with a brush, 

 to equalize the covering of the surface 

 by the gold. After this they are again 

 heated, again thrown into the gilding cap, 

 and stirred, and these operations succes- 

 sively repeated till the whole of the mer- 

 cury is volatilized. When the mercury is 

 volatilized from the buttons, or, as the 

 workmen denominate it, when the buttons 

 are dried off, they are finally burnished, 

 and are then finished and fit for carding. 



The white metal buttons, which arc- 

 composed of brass, alloyed with different 

 proportions of tin, after having been cast as 

 before mentioned,arepolished,by turning 

 them in a lathe, and applying successively 

 several pieces of buffaloe skin glued on 

 wood,charged with powdered grindstone 

 and oil, rotten stone, and crocus martis. 

 Theyare then white-boiled,that is, boiled 

 with a quantity of grain tin in a solution of 

 crude red tartaj-jOr argol,and,lastly,finish- 

 ed with a buff with finely prepared crocus. 



Glass buttons. These articles are also 

 frequently wholly composed of glass of va- 

 rious colours, in imitation of the opal, 

 lapis lazuli, and other stones. The glass 

 is in this case kept in fusion, and the but- 

 ton nipped out of it whilst in its plastic 

 state, by a pair of iron moulds like those 

 used for casting pistol shot, adapted to 

 the intended form of the button ; the 

 workmen previously inserting the shank 

 into the mould, so that it may become 

 imbedded in the glass when cold. 



Mother of pearl buttons. This substance 

 is also frequently used in the manufacture 

 of buttons: in which case, the mode of 

 fixing in the shank is somewhat ingenious. 

 It is done by drilling a hole at the back, 

 which is under-cut ; that is, larger at the 

 bottom than the top,like a mortise,anchhe 



