156 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



April, 1907 



Copper and Brass Repousse Work 



By Mabel Tulce Priestman 



HE artistic work of hammering on brass and 

 copper has a charm. The quick response to 

 the blows of the mallet, the play of color on 

 the metal, and the many uses for which it 

 can be employed, make it one of the most 

 interesting forms of handicraft. The crafts- 

 man must naturally possess a knowledge of 

 drawing before he can design to suit the requirements of 

 metal. 



Copper is especially attractive on account of its unusual 

 advantages. It assumes the most beautiful colors. At the 

 same time it is malleable, durable and inexpensive. In the 

 actual technique of repousse work there is not much to learn. 

 The word repousse signiiies "pushed back," and is usually 

 applied to ornament raised out of sheet metal. 



The repousse work is done with hammers, nails, and 

 punches, or even a poker. The following list would be 

 found useful to one who is going to take up the work 

 seriously: A chasing-hammer, a second hammer (heavier 

 in weight), several beaters or tracers (these have rounded, 

 flat, or oval heads, and are useful for making dents in the 

 metal), a pick, a wooden mallet, a spatula or metallic 

 spreader, a pair of compasses, a bed (to hold the work), a 

 wooden bench, a stone slab (one inch thick), a chaser's bowl, 

 a frying-pan or pitch-pan, and a file. 



The tool is held upright in working, and the top is struck 

 with a hammer to make a depression in the metal, which is 

 placed face downward on a yielding surface. 



A bowl, one of the easiest forms, is usually the first 

 attempt of the amateur. For a bowl seven inches in diam- 

 eter, procure a "nineteen-gauge" sheet of copper. On it draw 



ness at the edge with a file. The bed on which the metal is 

 worked may be either of wood or pitch. A wooden bowl is 

 sometimes utilized for hammering on bowls of the same 



Drinking Cup. In this Open-mouthed Type the 

 Design IS Beaten out from the Interior and 

 Finished on the Outer Face 



a circle three inches in diameter. Then make two smaller 

 concentric circles. Cut with a pair of shears a piece of 

 copper a little outside the largest circle, removing any rough- 



Bottle in Brass Repousse 



size. For bowls or cups wood has many advantages. 1 

 would therefore suggest that a piece of hardwood four or 

 five inches square should have a circular depression one-half 

 inch deep, and three inches wide. 



After having rigidly clamped the block in the vise, place 

 the copper on it, and begin to hammer it an inch from the 

 edge, over the hollow, hammering in circles, until the last 

 circle is reached. The blows must be struck evenly, so that 

 the surface is uniform. Too hard a blow will obviously 

 make too deep a depression. Continue this until the bowl 

 begins to grow. Any uneven places may be removed by plac- 

 ing the bowl on a hard, flat surface, and hammering gently 

 until it is smooth. The size of the bottom of the bowl can 

 be determined according to the choice of the worker, but this 

 must be perfectly flat and even. 



Casserole-covers are made in the same way as a bowl. 

 For the flange of the lid the edges are turned over sharply, 

 so as to fit the casserole. Care must be taken to make the 

 cover fit the rim of the dish. The rim is hammered very 

 carefully while it is held in the vise. When the repousse 

 work is finished the object is not yet complete, as it now 

 needs to be colored. 



After removing all dust it can be immersed in a solution 

 of sulphuric acid and water. Two tablespoonfuls of sul- 

 phuric acid to one gallon of water is a sufficiently strong 

 solution. After immersing the work in this for a few min- 

 utes, it must be washed in cold water and dried. If a bright 

 polish is preferred, it can be polished with emery-paper, and 

 finally polishing-paper. 



Another way of coloring the metal is by the application 

 of heat. After a thorough cleansing, it must be rubbed with 

 oil, and placed in a slow oven, until good color appears. 

 There are many ways of coloring metals with acids, and 

 much individuality can be given to the work by experiment- 



