The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1889-10-04
CRESTS AND MONOGRAPHS.
HOW ARMORlAL BEARINGS ARE Sc
LEcTED BY AMBITIOUS PEOPLE.

tiODary OF Coats OF
Devices In Gold, Silver and Other Metals.
There are eight or ten shops in New
| York in which the trade of making me-
tallic coat5-of-arms, monographs. initial
| letters and the like is carried on. II
least one of these is in the French quar-
ter, a region that teens with curious
trades and dainty artisans. When one
wishes some metallic device to ornament
his harness, for example, he goes to one
of these shops to give his order. Perhaps
he has, or thinks he has, a coat-of-arms.
If he is not thus provided in reality or
Imagination, he has but to turn to his
own name in a dictionary of armorial
bearings kept at the shop. Here are set
down the names of all who have coats
of-arms in the British isles.
FOUND IN THE BOOKS.
Another book of plates shows just
what each coat of arms looks like, and
you a easily make choice. If your
own name doesn't appear in the diction-
airy you can choose the arms set down
opposite some other name. Some per-
sons improve upon the designs given in
the book. If you have a ditfidence about
assuming arms that perhaps do not be-
long to you, there is a book full of orna
mental monograms in various texts, and
you may choose one of those.
w. X. Vanderbilt uses a simple mono
gram on his harness, and the die is kept
at the shop in the French quarter. His
relative, DIR. Webb, uses an eagle with
spread wings, and beneath it a crown.
The late President Arthur's device was
a flying dove. Gen. Grants simple ~.
S. G." is still on hand at the shop.
Some one else may ask for a similar
monogram some day. Winfield Scott,
grandson Of the famous general of that
name, has for his device a stays head.
The making of these ornaments is a
very pretty trade. They are fashioned
of gold, silver. brass and nickel. Gold
ornaments for harness are rare, but the
precious metal is sometimes cut into
initiated breaAtpins and the like. First a
die is ma1a with brass face and solder
back. This accomplished, the work of
turning out the device in any metal is
not difficult. An iron pot, six or seven
inches in diameter, is filled with a dark
cement, compounded of beeswax, candle
grease, pitch end plaster of Paris. 1t
melts easily AMI hardens quickly. The
flame of {. gas blowpipe applied for an
instant to the surface of the cement
softens it SO that the die readily makes
an impression The die is removed after
-, ,,-+n,,f ND SIC raya-cn Inno pra Is loft
in the cement. The material soon hard
ems, and then u thin sheet of gold, silver
or brass is pressed and hammered down
into al the sinuosities of the impression.
When the sheet is taken out a perfect
copy of the device appears on the metal.
Into the hollow back of this device solder
is slowly melted by the aid of a hot iron.
You then have a gold, silver or brass
faced device on a back of solder. Shears,
saws and file trim face and back to the
proper lines.
A DIFFICULT TRADE.
If the device presents a solid face, the
work of trimming is quickly done, but
if it is an intricate monogram there is no
end of saving and filing. After the
lIllIiIllillS HIS DCtH COllDltiCu lIlC hIIt,
if of a base metal, receives a bath of
aqua forts. Then the face is polished
on a ..buffing" wheel, which runs by q
treadle. As the wheel reyolves its cir
conference of soft cloth is touched from
time to time with astick of red polishing
material. Five minutes of buffing leaves
the metal beautifully bright, but soiled
laua 1xl +1a,, u-,tj, +l,O ,.,1 ,o1s.l,,.
material. A short bath in a~mmoniated
water removes this, and then another
light bufing leaves the surface smooth
and brilliant. If the ornament is for
harness, little metallic pins have been let
into the solder back. so that it may be
fastened to the leather.
The cutting out of initials from solid
metal is a different branch of the bust
ness. This involves engraving to give
the surface an ornamental appearance,
and electroplating with gold, silver or
nickel, when it is not desired to make
IN expensive pin entirely out Of costly
metal. Those odd openwork pins with
Mamie" Gertrude" sFanny and
other feminine names in ornamental let
terS are made tlluS.
The trade is not easily learned. II &
man would master it well he must first
learn to draw cleverly, so as to make
designs. 1t usually requires several
years to master this branch of the bush
ness. Then the workman must learn 10
make his own tools. In addition to this,
he must become a fairly skilled engraver
or chaser. Then he must acquire the
knack of doing all the other parts of the
work with rapidity and precision. After
q lifetime in the business the journey
man finds that there are things yet to be
learned. 1t is becoming the fashion
now for the work to be split up among
three or four men, so that no one of
them learns the whole trade. Two fairly
skilled workmen can make an intricate
device in six or eight hours. Saddlcrs
order them by the gross, advertisers use
them in various ways, and private indi-
viduals with a taste for heraldry or some
pride of ancestry keep their dies at some
shop ready for emergency.-New York
Star.
The Trouble Nero Took.
A useful example of the proper are
of the voice is to be found in a very UNI
expected quarter. The Emperor Nero,
as is well known, believed himself to be
a great artist, a notion of which those
about were not likely to disabuse him.
His dying words, "Qualis a%rtifex pereol"
show that he had at least one feature of
the artistic tcnnerament He sought
fame by many paths, in poetry, liddling,