METHOD OF PLATING SILVER UPON METTAL WIRE, AND DRAWING THE SAME INTO WIRE OF VERY FINE SIZES, BOTH ROUND, FLATT, AND SQUARE, AND OP DRAWING THE SAME SO FINE AS TO MAKE THREAD, LACE, FRINGE, AND TINSEL, WHICH WILL BE AS USEFUL IN VARIOUS BRANCHES OF BUSINESS AND MANUFACTORIES AS REAL SILVER WIRE, THREAD, LACE FRINGE, AND TINSEL, AND A GREAT SAVING AND BENEFIT TO HIS MAJESTY'S SUBJECTS; AND ALSO
Year: 1768

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
WHATELEY, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Plater of Silver, send
grecting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighth day of November, in the ninth year of His reign,
did give and grant unto me, the said George Whateley, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and
authority, that I, the said George Whateley, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term of fourteen years therein expressed, should
and lawfully might use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations in
America, my new-invented "METHOD OF PLATING SILVER UPON METTAL WIRE,
AND DRAWING THE SAME INTO WIRE OF VERY FINE SIZES, BOTH ROUND, FLATT, AND
SQUARE, AND OP DRAWING THE SAME SO FINE AS TO MAKE THREAD, LACE, FRINGE,
AND TINSEL, WHICH WILL BE AS USEFUL IN VARIOUS BRANCHES OF BUSINESS AND
MANUFACTORIES AS REAL SILVER WIRE, THREAD, LACE, FRINGE, AND TINSEL, AND A
GREAT SAVING AND BENEFIT TO HIS MAJESTY'S SUBJECTS; AND ALSO MY NEW-
INVENTED METHOD OF PLATING GOLD UPON SILVER WIRE, AND DRAWING THE SAME
INTO WIRE OF THE FINEST SIZES, BOTH ROUND, FLAT, AND SQUARE, AND OF DRAWING

page_text: THE SAME SO FINE AS TO MAKE THREAD, LACE, FRINGE, AND TINSEL, WHICH WILL BE
AS USEFUL IN VARIOUS BRANCHES OF BUSINESS AND MANUFACTORIES AS REAL GOLD
WIRE THREAD, LACE, FRINGE, AND TINSEL, AND BE A GREAT SAVING AND BENEFIT
TO HIS SAID MAJESTY'S SUBJECTS;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso that if I, the said George Whateley, should not particularly
describe the nature of my said Inventions, and in what manner the same are to
be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, and cause
the same to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within four
calender months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent, then the same, and all the liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, should utterly cease, determine, and become void, anything therein
contained to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding, as in and by the
said Letters Patent, relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said provisoe in the said
Letters Patent contained, I, the said George Whateley, do hereby particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inventions, and do hereby declare
that the first of my said Inventions is done and performed in manner and form
following (that is to say):-
Take fine copper, or two parts of fine copper and one part of fine brass,
melt it, and when it is melted put it in a lump of borax as big as a hasel nut, and
run such mettal into round or flat ingotts; then file it, and form it so as to be
drawn into round wire, and draw it through eight or ten holes of a draw plate
till the wire is about two or three inches in circumference, and about four or
five inches in length; then neal it, or make the wire hot, after which smooth
the wire with a fine file. Then take the finest virgin silver, run it into a flat
ingott, and roll it to the thinness of a sixpence or a shilling. When the silver
is so rolled cut thereout so much as will nearly cover or clip round the mettal
wire. Then, with a smooth-faced hammer, rub the rolled silver after it is cut
out, till it is very smooth on the side intended to be put next the mettal wire,
and scrape the same side of the rolled silver till it is as smooth and even as
possible; after which take a lump of borax, dip it in water, and rub it all
round the mettal wire, and rub the side of the rolled silver, so rubbed and
scraped as aforesaid, with a lump of borax dipped in water; then put that side
of the rolled silver rubbed with borax and water round the mettal wire, and draw
it through three or four holes of the draw plate till the silver is nearly closed
round the mettal wire, then bind it round with iron wire to keep it in its
place, and put it into a clear coal fire, blow the fire with bellows, and keep the

page_text: wire turning with a pair of tongues till the rolled silver and the mettal wire
cement and incorporate together. Take it out of the fire and lay it on the top
or side of the fire, and let it cool gradually. When it is cool take off the iron
wire, and boil the mettal wire so plated with silver in about two quarts of
water, in which put half a pound of allum, and boil it about ten minutes;
then draw the mettal wire, so plated with silver, through four or five holes of
the draw plate till the silver is intirely closed round the mettal wire. Then
neal such silver-plated wire, and let the same cool gradually by the fire, and
draw the same through so many holes of the draw plate, dressed with beeswax,
till the wire gets stiff and stubborn; and continue to neal and draw the said
silver-plated wire in manner and form last mentioned, from time to time. so
often as the said silver-plated wire requires it; taking care, when such silver-
plated wire is drawn fine, to neal it in such a manner that no blaze of the fire
can reach it; and when it is drawn to the fineness that is wanted, then, in order
to make such silver-plated wire flat, and so fine as to make thread, lace, fringe,
and tinsel, take the said silver-plated wire at such a fineness as is thought
right and roll it between a pair of rolls, which will reduce such silver-plated
wire into such a state as to spin upon silk or thread, and make thread, lace,
fringe, and tinsel. And in order to make the said round plated silver wire
square, draw the said round plated silver wire through such a number of
square holes of a draw plate, dressed with beeswax, as shall be necessary, and
neal it, and draw it from time to time in manner and form before mentioned,
untill such silver-plated wire is drawn to such squares, sizes, and fineness, as
shall or may be wanted.
And I, the said George Whateley, do hereby further declare that the last of
my said Inventions is done and performed in manner and form following (that
is to say):-
Take silver, melt it and run it into round or flat ingotts, then file it and form
it so as to be drawn into round wire, and draw it through eight or ten holes of
a draw plate till the wire is about two or three inches in circumference, and
about four or five inches in length, then neal it or make the wire hot; after
which smooth the wire with a fine file. Then take the finest virgin gold, run
it into a flat ingott, and roll it to the thinness of a sixpence or a shilling. When
the gold is so rolled cut thereout so much as will nearly cover or clip round
the silver wire, then with a smooth-faced hammer rub the rolled gold after it is
cut out till it is very smooth on the side intended to be put next the silver wire,
and scrape the same side of the rolled gold till it as smooth and even as
possible after which take a lump of borax, dip it in water, and rub it all

page_text: round the silver wire, and rub the side of the rolled gold, so rubbed and
scraped as aforesaid, with a lump of borax dipped in water. Then put that side
of the rolled gold rubbed with borax and water round the silver wire, and draw
it through three or four holes of the draw plate till the rolled gold is nearly
closed round the silver wire, then bind it round with iron wire to keep it in its
place, and put it into a clear coal fire; blow the fire with bellows, and keep
the wire turning with a pair of tongues till the rolled gold and the silver wire
cement and incorporate together. Take it out of the fire and lay it on the
top or side of the fire, and let it cool gradually. When it is cool take of the
iron wire, and boil the silver wire so plated with gold in about two quarts
of water, in which put half a pound of allum, and boil it about ten minutes.
Then draw the silver wire, so plated with gold, through four or five holes of the
draw plate till the gold is entirely closed round the silver wire; then neal such
gold-plated wire, and let the same cool gradually by the fire, and draw the
same through so many holes of the draw plate dressed with beeswax till the
wire gets stiff and stubborn; and continue to neal and draw the said gold-
plated wire in manner and form last mentioned, from time to time, so often as
the said gold-plated wire requires it, taking care, when such gold-plated wire
is drawn fine, to neal it in such a manner that no blaze of the fire can reach it;
and when it is drawn to the fineness that is wanted, then, in order to make
such gold-plated wire flat, and so fine as to make thread, lace, fringe, and tinsel,
take the said gold-plated wire at such a fineness as is thought right, and roll it
between a pair of small rolls, which will reduce such gold-plated wire into such
a state as to spin upon silk or thread, and make thread, lace, fringe, and tinsel.
And in order to make the said round-plated gold wire square, draw the said
round-plated gold wire through such a number of square holes of a draw plate
dressed with beeswax, as shall be necessary, and neal it from time to time in
manner and form before mentioned, untill such gold-plated wire is drawn to
such squares, sizes, and fineness as shall or may be wanted.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Whateley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Sixth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand seven hundred and sixty-nine.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBRED, that on the Sixth day of February, in the
year last above written, the aforesaid George Whateley came before our said
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid,
and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above written.
And also the Instrument aforesaid was stampt according to the tenor of the
Statute made in the sixth year of the reign of the late King and Queen
William and Mary of England, and so forth.
Inrolled the Eighth day of February in the year last above written