METALLIZING FLOWERS AND INSECTS. 



A. W. Scott of Edison Park, Illinois, writes: "Some months past I wrote 

 you pertaining to the plating or metallizing of insects, especially butterflies. At 

 that time I was unable to give you an explanation of the process in detail, but 

 after much searching and roaming I happened to find the trail of the man who 

 originated the idea. This I find to be located in the woods of northern Minne- 

 sota; however, this is only as it should be; he is home with Nature. I send the 

 formulas just as I received them and hope that you and your pupils may gain 

 some little help from them. The insects cannot be plated so that the natural 

 colors show, but they can be retouched with water colors. 



"Formula 1 . To one pint of Orange Shellac add one-fourth pint of 

 Wood Alcohol, and mix thoroughly. Attach No. 20 or other small copper 

 wire to article to be plated. If it is a flower, run wire through the stem into 

 flower, bend over slightly and pull back into flower. Now dip into above solu- 

 tion for one minute. Remove and shake off surplus shellac, then fill an ordinary 

 insect powder gun with gold bronze powder and blow or spray over shellacked 

 surface of article to be plated. Be sure it is well covered with powder, other- 

 wise it will not plate. 



"Bath Suitable for All Metallizing Formulas. Dissolve one pound of Blue 

 Vitrol in two quarts of warm water and add two ounces Sulphuric Acid; add 

 slowly, stir constantly. Place this bath in a jar (it must be a non-conductor of 

 electricity), and wire batteries as follows: Two cells of Lalande (or Columbia), 

 or one of stronger type will give good results. Connect several feet of fine iron 

 wire between zinc of battery and article to be plated, for resistance, and if deposit 

 is loose or grainy, use more resistance wire; if slow, less wire. A slow deposit is 

 best, as it finishes with a satiny appearance. Leave articles in this bath from 

 twelve to twenty-four hours, or until plating is heavy enough. If upon removal 

 there are spots on articles that are not plated, gild them carefully and return to 

 plating bath until plated. If it is a flower and the petals are loose, solder them 

 together with soft solder and then solder them on pin, afterward. The soldering 

 must be done after the flower is plated, of course. Always copper-plate over 

 solder if you wish to gold plate afterwards. Articles may now be finished with 

 such plating or by bronzing with gold or silver or by oil painting or enameling. 

 To produce a metallic finish in colors, use combinations of gold and silver for 

 green, gold and copper for red, and for rose pink use a flash of silver, then a flash 

 of copper, alternately. These colors take considerable practice to master, and 

 no definite directions can be given. 



A. Wire from Zinc of battery. Attach article to be plated here. 



B. Wire from Copper or Carbon. Attach piece of copper 3x4 

 in. for anode. 



"Formula 2. Make a thin solution of Shellac by adding wood alcohol. 

 Place articles on wires as in formula No. 1 and spray with this solution, using- 

 common oil throat spray. Now make a solution by dissolving Nitrate of Silver 

 Crystals in liquid composed of six parts 95 per cent Alcohol and four parts 

 distilled water. Dip articles in this liquid for a moment, then remove and expose 

 to fumes of Sulphureted Hydrogen. For small articles taken any tumbler with 



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