West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-01-23
GOLD LEAF.
Combined SKIN and Judgment Requisite
in It's Manufacture.

II sheet of gold leaf is held up
against the Light i, appear, TO ho Of q
vivid dark green color; thi, means that
thc light is transmitted through the
leaf. When it is considered that thi.
leaf j. piece of solid metal "A httt,r
idea of the extreme tcnuit, of thick
ness of the lcat can bc c1mprrhcudcd
than by any comparison of figures;
nothing made by the hand of man
equals IL in thinucs, This extreme
thinucss is produced hy patient ham.
mcring. the hammers Weighing from
seven 10 twenty pounds. the Tighten
hammers being first used. When the
true method of this beating Is under
stood, the wonder expressed somctimcs
that gold leaf beating should not br
rclcgatCd 10 machinery ceases: the arr
belongs to the highest department ci
human skill and Judgment Apwcu-
ticcS have served term, and have been
compelled TO abandon the business. h,-
cause they never could actu.r' the
requisite skill and Judgment combined
necessary 10 become successful work
men.
The only pure gold leaf is that used
10y dentist, for filling Carious teeth. and
il is called foil II is left much thirNc,
than the gold leaf for gliding indeed
il could not lc beaten SO thin; for thiu
or leaf gold uu alloy of silver and cop
per is required to iwport the requisite
tcnacity Dentists foil weighs si\
grains five, four and three graius per
sheet, or leaf, according TO It's thick
ness The last operation on tho leaf I.
annealing This is done over char.
coal fire, the leaf being laid ~inglv i'm %
sort of corn pepper u square rccopta
Gle with wire bottom at the end of "a
handle over which is held a similar
cover to prevent the flame from carry
ing the leaf away. An mslaut's cN-
posurc 60 the flame induces a red heat.
when the leaf is laid on sheet OF a
book
The material for gold leaf and den
lists foil j, coin gold. The gold is pre-
cipitatcd 10y muratic aud nitric acid
over fire to separate the gold and sil
yer, the copper of the alloy passing of
in the heat The silver from gold coin
amounts to about seven pcnuywcight-
to eight hundred dollars worth of coin
the amount usually treated at time.
This reduction and separation of the
not require special description.
The pure gold is then melted i'm sand
cruciblcs with the proper proportions OF
silver and copper TO produce the color
of leaf desired, very fine ornamental
effects being produced in gliding with
leaf Of different shades. The fluid met
al is poured into iron moulds, making
bars seven inches long. one and au
a. t. !. a
an inch thick. These bar, are forged
like iron, between anvil and hammer
TO even the edges, and then rolled I'D
powcrfully-gcortd roll, 10 ribbon moi
thicker than writing paprrnnl one inch
widc. or course. i'm the rolling as i'm nll
the processes, there musl be occasional
anncalings.
Now comes the first of the boating
processes. These squares of gold Gone
lnch squarc) are placed i'm a pile alter
mating with larger squares Oour inches
or morc) Of "kutch' paper, mn'ciii
made from pulp of animal membrane
-raw-hidc, ntcstncs. etc and the
outside Of the pile receives a square oi
parchment The hammcring then be-
Gins with pound hunm on
Il block Of marble that rests on
solid foundation After one hour
beating the pile is warmed at a fire 'u
anncll the gold, q process requiring
care, so that tho kutch paper be nor
burned -Four hours OF beating suniccs
for this preliminary process, lSJ squares
Oi gold being treated in one pile. The
final process requires great skill The
partially beaten squares are packed as
before, but with altcruHtrs OF gold beat
er's skin until the pile contains 800
sheets. The beating j, continued with
increasingly heavier hammers until the
final finish with the twenty pound
hammer The gold bcatrr'- skin come,
from England, and the best of 30 and
the most of it d. made by one family
Frederick Perkins The skin {. -o
thin ~ to b. almost transparent. and
yet it. i- double. two thickucs.c-. n is
prepared from the larger intestine of
the oN. Each sheet of the skin D.
rubbed ON each side, before thr pacl i
made. and whenever the pack { rear
ranged (placng the outer gold in the
center and vice ycrsa) with powder
made from calcincd gypsum OF % very
pure sort imported from Germany This
is 10 prevent the gold from sticking TO
the skin.
IN beating. ihc work of ,prcading the
gold - from the center Of each .luaro
pf gold out toward the edges. and fle
finished squares are thicker at fhr edges
than in thc center c0nlrar, -prclI-
ing would plit the edges and ruin tho
squares IN rcaTanging the square in
thc procrs of beating they urr .omp-
times torn. bat another piece Iaid ou as
70 patch. tapping over thc torn place.
wIl. Doe FIRMLY welded iu tlc after NDij.
ING
The finished squares are cut tua size
Of three and tbrc- -cIghlb- inches. and
packed boo book h0ldIng twenty
hte sheets tho paper leaves Dclug
rubbed with red ocID to- prctou. IIos-
ing These books of twenty-five sheets
are sold at from thirty tO forty cent
each The cutting Of thc leaf is done
by knives, which are simply slips of Che
outer shiny -hclI or skin OF 'ho M1Iacca
cane such as i- used for walking sticks.
Tho outcr riui contains .IlcE Or lut iu
minute. invisible particle-. lofmrng
peculiar edge Steel win mo-. answer
thc purpose Sci,uFFc Imcricqu
s-
Scarcely twenty-five years aga
ihc most powerful p..ac ol artillery
was -.Niycight pou1der. throwing
D. pro nn.Ic with velocity of 600
ioe pr second Now fUc Wa uhfs OF
guns llre been increased FROM u.. o.