GILDING. 



Gil.DiKO!, Jiipanncrs, is pcrformcil T)y means of gold pow- 

 der, or imitalions of it, comcnicJ to tlic frround by a kind 

 of gold fize : for tin* nu-'hod of preparing wliicli, ft'c Gold- 

 _y(2c. This kind of gildino; may be praftifcd on alinoll any 

 fubftance whatever, v. h.-llier wood, mt-tal, leather, or paper ; 

 nor is there any preparatiort neceffary, befides making the 

 furface on which tlie fi/.e is to be Lid, even, and periedly 

 clean. Then fprcad the jiipanner's lize, mixed with a due 

 proportion of oil of turpentine and vcnr.ilion, with a brufli 

 over the v.ork, if the w!-.ole furface is to be gilt ; or draw 

 «lth it, by means of a pencil, the proper figure dcfired, 

 avoiding carefully any other parts ; v.hen it is ahnoil dry, fo 

 as to be capable, by its clamniinefs, cf receiving the gold, 

 dip a piece ot wafs-leather wrapped round the Hnger in the 

 pold powder, dcfcribed under SheH-GoLD, and rub it 

 lightly over the fized work ; or fpread the powder with a 

 foft camel's hair pencil ; and with a camel's hair brufli clear 

 jivN-ay the loofe powder, after the gilded furface is dry. 

 When leaf gold is ufed, the method of fizing muR be 

 the fame as tor the powders ; but great care is necefiary 

 in la)'ing them on, while the fize is in a proper ftate of dry- 

 Eefs. 



There is zfii/fe ilrid of gilding, in v.hich a colour of gold 

 k given by painting and varniflies, without employing gold. 

 Thus a very fine golden colour is given to brafs and to fil- 

 ver, by applying on thefe metals a gold coloured varnifli, 

 which, being tranfparent, (liews all the brilliancy of the 

 metals underneath. Many ornaments of brafs are varnifhcd 

 in this manner, which is called ^joW /itryum;/^, to diilinguilh 

 them from thofe that are really gilt. Silver leaves, thus 

 varnifhed, are put upon leatiier, which is then called gilt lea- 

 ther ; and many pitlure-frames have no other than this coun- 

 terfeit gilding, which may be difcovered by wafhing it with 

 a little rectified Iririt of uine ; for the fpirit will diiTolve tlie 

 varnifh, and leave the filvc:' Laf of its own whitenefs. For 

 plain pifture tramei, thick tin-foil may be ufed inilcad of fil- 

 rer ; the tin leaf fixed on with glue is to be burniflied, then 

 poliflied with emery and a fine linen cloth, and afterwards 

 with putty applied in the fame manner ; being then lacqueicd 

 over with the varnifli five or fix times, it looks like burnifli- 

 ed gold. (See Lacquering ) Among the falfe gildings 

 may alio be reckoned thofe which are made with thin leaves of 

 copper or brafs, called Dutch leaf. In this manner are made 

 all the kinds of what is called gilt paper. See Gilding of 

 Paper. 



GiLDiXG of Boots. There are various methods, with re- 

 fpedl to the cement ufed, by which the edges of books or 

 paper m.aybegilt. Strong gum-water or ifinglafs fize, or 

 glover's-fize may be employed ; but as the guin-water, and 

 weaker fizes are apt to run beyond the edge, and thus caufe 

 the leaves to flick together, ifinglafs, melted v.itli the addi- 

 tion of fome common proof fpirit of wine, and a fixth part 

 of honey or fugar-candv is much to be preferred ; to which 

 mud be added a third of bole armeniac well powdered. 



The foil jwing compofition may be ufed for this puruofe : 

 Take bole armeniac, and fugar-canJy well powdered ; mix 

 them with the whites of eggs, beaten to an oily confidence ; 

 and the cement will be fit for ufe. In applying any of thefe 

 cements, the paper, in quires or in books, Ihould be well cut 

 and poliflieioii the edges to be gilt ; and well fcrewed down 

 by a prefs ; in this ftate it is to be bruflied over, firfl; with a 

 little of the cement without the fugar-candy or the bole ; 

 and when that is dry, cither wiih the cement above given, 

 or any other fohitionof gum or fize with the proper proportion 

 of the bole ; after which it may be fuffered to dry ; and then 

 water -polilhed, by rubbing it with a fine hnen rag flighlly 

 jBoiftened. It is then fit for receiving the gold, provided 



it be moiftened at tliat time ; and the leaves may be tlie» 

 laid on, being cut according to tlie breadth which they are 

 to cover, and preflcd clofely down by a cotton ball; and 

 af;er the gilding is thoroughly dry and firm, it may be po- 

 liflied. See Booic-iin///n^, and Gilding o/" Prt/fr. 



Gn.mso on china-iviire. The gold is very much vahied 

 on c!iina-ware, and would be much more io, were it not that 

 it is very hable to lofe its luftre, and to rub oft". The Chi- 

 nefe have at prefent a method of preventing both thefe acci- 

 dents, in a great meafure, by means of a fort of pclifl-.ing, 

 which they give it after it is laid on. They prepare for this 

 purpofe a fine piece of agate, which they polifli on one fur- 

 face in as perfect a manner as pofiible. With this they rub 

 over the gold, as it lies on the porcelain, feveral times, when 

 it firfl comes from the baking. This gives the gold a luftre 

 which it would not otherwife have, and fixes it down to the 

 ware in fuch a manner, that it cannot eafily be got ofT. The 

 principal mifchief to which gold thas l?id on is fubjeft, is 

 the tarnifliing, or growing dull ; this is remedied by the 

 fame fort of means. They wet the velTel, upon which thej 

 would revive the luftre of the gold, in common clean v.'ater ; 

 and while it is wet, they rub it with the fame poliilicd agate, 

 adding a little fair water at times to keep it moifh If the 

 gold has not been well laid on at firfl, this may pofiibly raife 

 it or take it off in fome places; but if it was originally put 

 on with the help of tliis flone, as all the gold on porcclaiu 

 now is, the rubbing it with it a fecond time never gives it 

 any fcratches, but recovers its pridine luftre and -beauty. 

 It muft be obfervcd, that the rubbing with this flone mull 

 be all done one way, both in the firlt laying on the gold, 

 and in the brightening of it up afterwards. This may lerve 

 as a method for us as well as the Chinefe, not only to re- 

 cover the beauty of our tarniflied gilt china-ware, but alfo 

 to lay gold upon fome of our home manufaftures of this 

 kind. Obferv. fur les Coutumes de I'Afie. See Porce- 

 lain. 



GiLDl-XG on enamel and ghfs, is perform.ed by burning or 

 annealing, i. e. by producing a cohefion of the gold with 

 the glafs or enamel, by the intermediation of a flux, or by 

 producing the like effett without any. In both thefe me- 

 thods, the gold is made to adhere to the enamel or glafs» 

 in coiifcquence of the fufion or approach to that ftate, either 

 of the flux ufed, or of the body of the enamel or glafs it- 

 felf, by which the gold is cemented to fuch body. The flux, 

 when any is ufed, ir'^.y be either fimple glafs of borax, or 

 any of the preparations of fluxes powdered (fee Flux); 

 and the gold is ufed, cither in the form of leaf gold, or in 

 that of powder made mechanically, or by precipitation, 

 (See Gold poiui/cr. J When leaf geld is employed without 

 any flux, the enamel or glafs may be moiflened with a very 

 weak folution of gum arabic, and again dried. After being 

 thus prepared, it ihould be breathed upon till it becomes a 

 little adhefive or fticky, and then laid upon a fufficient num- 

 ber of leaves of gold ; when the gold is thus united to the 

 enamel or glafs by the cementing quuhty of the gum arabic, 

 the work is ready for burning. If a flux be ufed, it fliould 

 be finely levigattd, tempered with a very weak folution of 

 gum arabic, and very thinly fpread on the part of the work 

 to be gilded: and when the gum water is ahr.oft dry, the 

 leaf geld fhou!d be laid on that part thus prepared for it, 

 which is then in a ftate proper for burning. In the prefent 

 practice, the aurum fulm'mans, or precipitation of gold by- 

 alkaline falts, is made by thefe who gild glafs in the greatelt 

 perfedlion; and the volatile alkali is e;nploycd for the pre- 

 cipitation by the cheir.ift, who prepares it for this purpofe. 

 But when this kind of precipitate is chofen, the ufe of any 

 flux mull be avoided, and a very confiderable degree cf 



heat 



