Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-05-10
BEATING GOLD LEAF
THE WAY THE SQUARES OF METAL
ARE WORKED UNDER THE HAMMER.
Gradually Reduced In Thickness I'm
til the Sheets Are Transparent and
SO Fine That 100000 of Them In IL

4 local sign writer was in the win
dow of large L street establishment
tiers he had made with u stencil. The
curiosity of a reporter was aroused az
to how these tiny sheets Of gold were
/ reduced to such minute thinness.
4 visit to the establishment of one oil
Washington's largest sign writers ane
talk with the proprietor brought fortl
the following:
II learned the gold beater's trade il
Rochester some years ago. Imagine 6
slab of gold measuring eight inches ii
| width, ten inches in length and half az
inch in thickness being reduced to
800 sheets OF gold, each five inches
square and almost transparent, and
you get vague idea of the queer In
dustry known as gold beating.
Imagine square of gold three-hun
dredths of an inch in thickness, and
/ you will appreciate the Drawn and
brain making for the result, and then
reflect that the word beating means
| just 'beating'-for no power other than
the strength of mans arm is used In
| the process--and you will have been
| of silent art.
/ Few persons are familiar with the
/ work for several reasons: First, there
are less than twenty-five gold beating
| establishments in the country; second
! 1t is an exclusive industry, and few
admitted to It's secrets. and, third, the
/ trade is limited Therefore 1t is most
| interesting study.
The gold beater buys direct from the
/ government assay office, where the
| gold is weighed, stamped and guaran-
would cause it to pulyerize or part into
/ fragments. Twenty-three carat gold
is used exclusively. Usually the gold
comes in nuggets weighing fifty.five
| pennyweights and valued at 500 each.
After the gold has been received 1t
is placed in crucible and made ready
for the beating about to follow. 1t is
nodded into shape which will fit into
| the only power machine in the place,
which congresses the gold into rib
| bon ten yards in length, one inch in
width and one thirty second inch in
thickness. Out of this ribbon are cut
go squares of equal size.
| THE work of reducing is begun. To
| each workman is given twenty-five
/ squares, and these he places between
| the leaves of u book This book is a
| 'kutch' paper and is sealed with pat
ent envelope device which prevents the
| loss of particles of gold, precaution
made necessary by the laany turnings
and hoppings Of the book in the proc
| ess. A sixteen pound hammer Is used,
| and the beater is compelled to work I'M
interruptedly for twenty minutes to
gain the desired measurement.
WELDING a sixteen pound hammer
for a few seconds only is exhausting
work for the uninitiated, but the beat
ers hammer away as ii it was boys
play. They must grasp the end Of the
hammer farthest from the head, which
increases its weight, but the benches
they use are so constructed that they
| cause a small rebound of the hammer
when the 'kutch' book is opened
twenty-five sheets are taken out. and
each sheet Of gold is cut into four
pieces. Its thickness has been reduc-
ed in the operation from one thirty
second Of an inch to one one-hun-
dredth of an inch. Twenty-Five of these
squares are put into book called the
'shodder.' The 'shodder' is not pa
per, but skin, and it is said that GER
tain intestinal parts of 800 oxen are
required to make package or book
Of twenty-five papers. The 'shodder'
is made in England by secret proc
ess. 1t is the most exclusive industry
in the world
Like the kutch' book, the shoder'
book is sealed and handed to the art
list, who is required to pound it ninety
minutes with a twelve pound hammer.
This reduces the thickness. and when
it is taken out of the book each leaf
of gold Is again cut into one inch
squares. This time the gold is so
fragile that metal knife blade, no
matter how sharp, would break the
edges; so knife with double blades
Is used, requiring only two strokes to
cut square
Now comes the last beating. Each
square is again put into a book called
a mold Forty minutes beating is
required to give this the proper size.
When the leaves of gold are removed
they are transparent, but perfect in
shape and unbroken. 1t would require
100000 Of them to make one inch in
thickness.
"The last operation is to send them
to the booking room, where women re-
move the gold leaves and place them
in wax paper books ready for sale
The leaves are so delicate that they
can be handled only with bamboo
sticks. So adhesive is the gold that If
leaf is broken in removing it Is cas-
lily patched without trace of it being
apparent to the naked "-Washing-
ton Star
Alas, Poor Fido!
ooh. John" sobbed the young wife
~ baked some cakes today and that