The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1905-03-29
MARCH ae. 1905.
ART OF GOLD BEATING
ONE OF THE OLDEST tANDlcRAFTS
IN THE WORLD.

The Way IA Little Square of the yell
low Metal Is Expanded Into IA
Large and Almost Transparent
Lenf by the Artisans Hammers.
The art of the gold bcatcr IS one of
the Oldest handicraftS In the world
md among those which have changed
least. Much of the decoration of Solo
mons temple Is believed to have been
covered with gold leaf, hammered TO
the requisite thinncss by hand, as 1t
Is today.
The gold beatcr receives his material
not in the form Of the sixty penny
weight ingot in which it is cast. but
In the form of n ribbon about an inch
wide and twenty-fonr feet long.
This ribbon is first cut into 200
squares and placed III the "cutch,"
which Is pile Of square pieces of
peculiar paper. part animal and part
vegetable in composition, the prepara-
ton of which is a secret. The best
clutches are made in London. a square
OF gold is placed between each two
leaves and the whole mass is ready
for the first beating.
This in done with an iron hammer
weighing from twelve to seventeen
pounds, while the Clutch rests upon
granite block which Is supported by
a heavy wooden post.
Under the heavy, measured blows Of
the hammer the sheets of gold begin
tn, l,nIF
three-quarters of an hour they have
reached the edges of the clutch. They
are then removed and with n thin
strip of bamboo are cut into quarters,
so that the 200 pieces become 800.
Next comes the "shoder," collection
of 800 pieces of skin, four inches
square, made from the intestines of
cattle. AS In the clutch, each piece
of gold is placed between two leaves
of skin, and bands of parchment or
vellum are slipped over the whole pile
to keep it together.
Another beating, this time with a
hammer weighing from eight to ten
pounds, now follows. This takes about
an hour, during which the sheets of
gold are all the time expanding.
The last stage is the "mold. which,
like the clutch and the shoder, Is com
posed of alternate leaves Of gold and
skin, but the mold is about five inches
square and made up of gold beater's
skin. The preparation of this is a jeal-
ously guarded trade secret
The skin. like that In The shoder, is
is translucent and not unlike rawhide
In color Although It will stand con-
tlnuous beating without breaking. 1t
will tear like n sheet of thin paper.
The making of n single mold requires
the intestncs of 800 bullocts. Between
each two beatings the skin Is rubbed
with baked and pulvcriaed gypsum.
A mold contains 1,G00 sheets After
the second beating the workman takes
from the shodcr single leaf Of gold at
n time, handling il with bamboo pinch
ers and, when necessary. smoothing
1t with n rabbits foot. With the strip
of bamboo he cuts each sheet into quar-
tiers again, so that the original 200
have now become $500. One shoder,
gold to fill three molds.
The final beating In the mold Is done
with seven pound hammer and re
Quires from three to four hours. by
this time the gold leaf should have eX
banded again to the edge OF the skins
and should he Of the requisite thnness,
which Is determined by holding 1t up
TO the light. If It transmits green rays
1t Is done and will measure about one
two-hundred- and eighty thousandth Of
an inch in thickness.
The hammers used in beating gold
are slightly convex on the face. The
art of the workman consists in 80 strk
Ing that the gold will always be thin
nest in the center. lie must pound
with evcnness all over the square IN
order that the sheets of gold may ex-
pand without losing their form. but ut
the same time he must keep the thick
est part near the edges, so that when
the sheets are finally trimmed to size
the thicker portions may fall in the
waste to he rccast No machinery has
ever been devised which Will do this
successfully
The tools of the craft are interesting
and peculiar The rabbits foot Is ex
ceedingly soft and lust oily enough to
prevent the gold from sticking and
the bamboo pliers and cutting slips
are the only things with which 1t Is
possible TO do this delicate work The
gold does not adhere to the ihers of
the reed as it does TO steel
The gold heater performs all his
work standing, The use of the heavy
hammers In such continuous pounding
would. one would think. impose an al
most intolcrablc strain upon the hands
and arms Tho men say. however,
that their arms never ache. The only
place where 1t catches them" is In
the bend of the knee.
The lack of strain upon the arms is
accounted for 10y the fact that The
hammer rebounds. 1t Ia an astonish-
ing but by no means Il rare thing to see
gold heater change hands while the
hammer is IN the air and without los.
ing n stroke Edward Willlston Trent7
in Youths Companion.
Hair Color.
In the case of horses where the skin