Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-07-18
Silver Manufacturers.
From the Detroit Post.

FROM the DeEFOll EOets
Melting silver is a nice operation. The
broken coin and pure silver, from 200 to
400 ounces in weight, are put into a cru
chile, which IS placed upon an anthracite
fire, subjected to a strong draught. The
difficulty is to pour OF the liquid metal at
the precisely right moment. II it is al
lowed to get too hot the silver viii loose
much Of its malleabilitT; II viii become
what the workmen call "puddingy;" it
viii not ''work well, as they say. Some
times nothing can be done with it until 1t
has been melted again. If, on the con-
trary. the same is taken from the fire be-
fore it is hot enough, it viii crack and ty
and must be remelted. 1t is only when II
has been poured of at the nght instant
that It becomes the tough, ductIle and
malleable silver, in proper condition TO be
wrought into plate The melter judges
only from the appearanceSot the metal,
which, when il IS Just hot enough, assumes
for a moment a certain cloudy aspect. easy
10 distinguish, but difficult 10 describe.
Among the secrets Of this nice operation
there are some which the uninitiated
might be disposed to class among the su-
perstitiOns Of the trade, bat experience
shows that they are not. The liquid met
al is run into one Of the forms. If it is to
be converted into spoons, forks or other
solid ware, It is cast into bars Of the pro-
per thickness; but if into hollow ware, it
is run into sheets or vide, thin bars, which
are called ''skillits." These are next Ia
ken into the fattening room, where be
tween ponderous iron rollers they are roll
ed to the desired thinnesS and thus be-
come the mater5ll out Of which all the in
r IL Nr 1r|ra
is a trade by itself-and a very good trade
TOTO make silver forks, spoons and small
tableware. Il is another to make the
larger silver vessels. Chasing is, of course
a separate and most difficult branch. En-
bosslng is a trade. Die-eutting, pattern,
making, moulding, engraving, furnishing
plating, designing, polishing and stamp
ing, are all separate trades, to which boys
are apprenticed. The informing soul Of
all this beautiful labor dEelis in the de-
signing room-tO perfect utility until it
becomes elegance: TO produce forms novel
and pleasing because they are perfectly
convenient; TO devise ornaments which
shall truly harmonic with the object they
are intended to adorn, always to keep a
little in advance OF the public taste so as
to educate while delighting it. It Is easy
for an accomplished designer to produce
articles many years in advance of the pub
demand. Occasionally artists have anus
ed themselves by chasing a vase in so ex-
quisite manner that upon $50 worth Of
silver there was several hundred dollars
worth Of work; but as yet there are not
upon the whole continent Of America more
than a dozen people who could be expect
ed to purchase such a dainty product. All
beauty is akin. A designer may get from
an arch Of the Cologne Cathedral an ideal
for the handle Of a mustard spoon, and in
fuse the spirit Of a gorgeous mosque into
the design for a castor. he may borrow
from the gnarled branch Of brave old
oak q crook for pitcher handle, and imi-
tate the droop Of a vine in the bend Of its
spout. Antique vases. the Elgin marbles,
books Of animals, birds, fishes, flowers,
trees, portraits, pictures, statuary, archi-
lecture and all other accumulations Of
grace and beauty may be useful to those
whose it is TO cover with grace and beauty
the tables Of mankind.