[Experiments on iron and steel]
Part VI: A collection of very valuable secrets for the use of Smiths, Pewterers, Braziers, Book-binders, Joiners, Turners, Japanners, &tc.
To harden Sword-blades.
Swords are to be made tough, so as not to snap or break when pushing against any thing capable of resistance ; they must also be of a keen edge ; for which
purpose they must all along the middle be hardened with oil and butter, to make them tough, and the edges with such things as shall be prescribed hereafter, for hardening
edged instruments. This work requires not a little care in the practice.
How to imitate the Damascan Blades.
This may be done to such perfection that they cannot be distinguished from the real Damascan blades. First po¬lish
Push your blade in the best manner, and finish it by rub-bing it with flower of chalk ; then take chalk mixed with water, and rub it with your fingers well together on your
hand ; with this touch the polished blade, and make spots at pleasure, and set them to dry before the sun, or a fire ; then take water in which tartar has been dissolved, and
wet your blade all over therewith, and those places that are left clear from chalk will change to a black colour ; a little after, wash all off with clear water, and the places
where the chalk has been will be bright.
I
How the Damascan Blades are hardened.
The Turks take fresh goat's blood, and after they have made their blades red hot, they quench them therein ; this they repeat nine times running, which makes their
blades so hard as to cut iron.
To perfume a Sword-blade, so as to retain always an odo-riferous Scent.
Take eight grains of ambergrease, four grains of musk* grind them together with a little sugar-candy, in a glass ot agate mortar ; after this add to the mixture four scruples of the best oil of benjamin, and mix it well together ; then
hold the sword blade over a gentle, clear, charcoal fire, and when the blade is well heated, dip a little spunge in the forementioned mixture, and wipe your blade all over ; though you do this only once, yet the odoriferous scent
will remain, although the blade was to be polished again* To harden Steel and Iron, which will resist and cut com-
mon Iron.
Take shoe-leather, and burn it to a powder, the older the leather is the better it is for use ; salt, which is dissolved, and glass-gall powdered, of each an equal quan-
tity ; then take what you desire to harden and wet it
therewith, or lay it in urine, and taking it out, strew it
over with this powder, or else stratify it therewith in an
earthen pan ; give it for five hours a slow fire to cement,
and make it afterwards red hot for an hour together.
To temper Steel, so as to cut Iron like Lead.
Take the steel; then distil from earth-worms, in an
alembic, a water, which mix with an equal quantity of
the juice of radishes; in this liquid quench the steel,
blades of knives, daggers, swords, &c. and they will be
of an excellent temper.
Several other Temperings of Steel arid Iron.
1. Iron quenched in distilled vinegar, or in distilled
urine, becomes of a good temper.
2. Vinegar, in which sal-ammoniac has been dissolved,
gives it a good temper.
3. So does the water in which urine, salt, and salt-
petre have been dissolved.
4. Mix together an equal quantity of saltpetre and sal-
ammoniac, and put the mixture into a phial with a long-
neck ; then set it in a damp place, or in horse dung, where
it will turn to an oily water ; this liquor will make iron
works of an incomparable temper and hardness, if quench-
ed therein red hot.
5. A lye made of quick-lime and salt of soda, or of
pot-ash, filtered through a linen cloth, gives a very good
hardness to iron, if quenched therein.
6. The dung of an animal which feeds only on grass,
mixed with water and calcined soap to a thin paste,
gives such a good temper, as to make it cut untempered
7. Or take Spanish radishes, grate them on a grater,
and express their juice 5 this gives a good temper to iron or steel quenched therein.
8. Take the juice of nettles, fresh urine, ox-gall, salt and strong vinegar, equal quantities of each • this mixture
gives an incomparable temper.
9. Red hot iron or steel, wiped over with goose grease,
and then quenched in sour beer, takes also a good temper.
A particular Secret to harden Armour.
Of the following take an equal quantity; common salt, orpiment, burned goat's horn, and sal-ammoniac ; powder
and mix them together ; then anoint the armour with black soap all over, strew this powder upon them, and wind a wet rag about them, and lay them in a fierce char¬
coal fire, till they are red hot ; then quench them in urine. If you repeat will be the better.
To temper Steel or Iron, so as to make excellent Knives.
Take clean steel, quench in distilled rain, or warm
water, and the juice of Spanish radishes the knives made of such steel will cut iron.
Another Method.
Take black or Spanish radishes; grate them on grater put salt and oil upon them, and let them stand two days. Then press the liquor out, and quench the
steel or iron several times in and will be very hard.
To bring G> avers and other Tools to softer Temper.
Tak little pan with live charcoal, and put couple of old files, or any other smail bars of iron over then lay
your gravers upon them, and when you see them change to a yellowish colour, it is a sign that they are softer ; after this colour they change to a reddish, which shews them still softer ; and if you let them turn to a blue, then they are quite soft and unfit for use : after this manner you may soften any steel that is too hard.
General Rules to he observed in tempering of Iron or Steel.
We know by experience, that the tempering of iron may be performed and executed several ways ; for every mechanical branch requires a particular method of harden¬
ing. The tools that are used for wood, require a different temper or hardness from those used in cutting of stone or iron, and therefore are prepared, according to the several methods treated of before : an artist ought to acquaint him¬self with the powers of the different ingredients and li¬quors that are here prescribed, and improve upon such as seem most promising. He is to observe the degrees of heat, which he is to give, and the length of time he is to keep the metal in the liquor for quenching j for if the iron be made so excessively hot that it is not capable of receiv¬ing a greater degree of heat, it cannot well be quenched, and it will become cankered ; but if it appears of a saf¬
fron or reddish colour, it is called gold, and is fit to be
quenched, for hardening : however, in this, as well as
most other things, practice is the best instructor.
A curious Method of hammering Iron without Fire, and
making it Red Hot.
Take a round iron, about an inch thick ; at one end thereof fix a round iron knob ; then begin gently to
hammer it under the knob, turning it quickly round ; and by following your strokes harder and harder, the
iron will heat of itself, and begin to be red hot ; be-
cause the knob keeps the heat, on each of the motions,
from passing off.
To soften Iron or Steel that is brittle.
1. Anoint it with tallow all over; neal it in a gentle
charcoal fire, and let it cool of itself.
2. To neal as above, with human excrement, softens
but you must keep in the fire for two hours.
3. Or take little clay, lime, and cow's dung; cover
your iron with and neal in charcoal fire then let
cool of itself.
4. Or, make iron or steel red hot, and strew upon
good hellebore, and will become so soft that you may
bend which way you please this very useful for those
who cut in iron or steel.
5. Take lead, put into crucible, or iron ladle, and
melt and pour into oil this repeat seven times run-
ning. If you afterwards quench iron or steel in this oil,
will be very soft and after you have shaped or worked
in what manner you please, you may harden again by
quenching in the juice of onions.
6. Take lime, brick-dust, and Venice soap with this
anoint your steel, and neal then let cool of itself.
1. lake the root of blue lilies; cut them fine infuse
them in wine, and quench the steel in it.
8. Wind about the steel some thin slices of bacon, and
over that put clay let neal for an hour, and the steel
will be very soft.
9. Take quick-lime and pulverized soap, of one as much
as the other mix together, and temper with ox's blood
with this anoint the steel then lay covering of clay over
and let neal and cool of itself.
10. Take the juice or water of common beans, quench
your iron or steel in and will be as soft as lead.
A particular Powder and Oil, to take off Rust and Spots from Iron, and to preserve it from Rust for a long
Time ; ve ry useful in Armories.
The Powder.
Take two pounds of crucible powder, of such as is commonly used for refining of silver, and sift it through a fine hair sieve: then take four pounds of emery, and one pound of silver ore ; pound them all very fine, and sift them ; put at last fine beaten scales of iron to them, and the powder is fit for use.
The Oil
Take three pounds of Lucca oil, and put it into an iron pot ; then take three pounds of lead, melted, and pour it into the oil ; take it out, and melt it again, and repeat melting and pouring several times ; the oftener the better the oil will be*. After you have done this, and the heat of the lead has extracted both the greasiness and salt of the oil, take the lead out, and put the oil into a
glass ; fling three pounds of filings of lead into shake well together pour afterwards on colour stone,
grind together as painters do their colours, put again into the glass, to preserve for use the lead will sink to the bottom, and the oil swim at top, which you may use in the following manner.
Take some of in bit of cloth, on which there some of the before-mentioned Powder, and rub the rust of spots, upon armour, or any other iron work,' therewith, and will take clean off: afterwards, you anoint the
Litharge now used in simiiar intention, to make the oil of drying quality for merely drying oil. Ed.
armour or iron work with clear oil, it will keep from rust for a long time.
N. B. The emery which is used among the other ingre¬dients of the powder, must be first calcined.
Another Oil.
Fry a middling eel in an iron pan, and when brown and
thoroughly fried, express its oil, and put into a phial, to
settle and become clear in the sun. Iron work, anointed
with this oil, will never rust, although it lay in a damp
place.
To etch upon sword or knife-blades,
To prepare the Etch-water.
Take mercury and aqua-fortis, put them together
into a glass, till the mercury is consumed, and it is fit for use.
To make the Ground.
Take three ounces of red lead, one ounce of white lead, half an ounce of chalk, all finely pounded ; grind these together with varnish, and anoint your iron ; let it
dry in the sun, or before a slow fire, and with a pointed steel, or needle, draw or write on it what you please ; and then etch it with the above prepared water.
Another Water to etch with.
Take two ounces of verdigrise, one ounce of burnt
alum, and one ounce of dissolved salt : boil this mix¬ture
lure in one quart of vinegar, till it is half boiled away; and when you are ready to etch, warm, and pour it with a spoon, or glass cup, over your work ; hold it over the
fire to keep it warm, and repeat this till you find it etched deep enough.
To etch 100 or more Knife-blades at once.
Grind red lead with linseed oil or varnish ; with this wipe your blades all over, and let them dry well, and harden ; then write, or draw, with a pointed bodkin, what¬ever you will : then put them at some distance from each other, into a glass or well glazed pot or pan ; dissolve some
vitriol in hot water, pour it over the blades, and lute the glass or pot ; set it over a gentle coal-fire ; let it boil for some time, and then let it cool ; then take your blades
out ; scrape the red lead off, and you will find the etching to your satisfaction.
To make Blue Letters on Sxeord-blades.
Take the blade ; hold it over a charcoal fire till it is blue ; then, with oil colours, write what letters you will upon the blade, and let them dry ; when dry, take good strong vinegar ; make it warm, and pour it all over the blade ; this will take off the blue colour ; then wet your oil colour with fresh water, and it will come offeasily, and
the letters drawn therewith remain blue.
To harden Fishing Hooks.
After you have (of good wire) made your small fish¬ing hooks, you must not put them into the fire to harden, but lay them upon a red hot iron plate ; and when they are red, fling them into water; take them out again, and
when dry, put them again on the hot iron plate, and when
when they appear of an ash-colour, fling them again
into cold water; this will make them tough, otherwise they will be brittle.
To gild upon Iron or Steel.
Take common salt, saltpetre and alum, an equal quan-
tity of each ; dissolve them in as little warm water as pos-
sible ; then filter them through whited brown paper ; add
leaf gold, or rather thin beaten gold, to and set on
hot sand, to make almost boiling hot keep in that
heat for twenty-four hours, and the water evaporate, you
may supply with more but at last let all evapo-
rate, and will turn to yellow salt this pulverize
put into glass, and cover with strong brandy, or
spirit of wine, two inches high above the powder then
stop your glass close, put into gentle warmth, and
the brandy, or spirit, will extract all the gold, and be
of a beautiful colour. With this water you may, with
new pen or pencil, write or draw what you please upon
sword-blade, knife, or any other thing made of iron or steel, and will be gilded to high colour.
A Ground for gilding Sttel or Iron.
Take five ounces of vitriol, two ounces of gall-stone, two ounces of sal-ammoniac, one ounce of feather-white, and handful of common salt beat all this together until
fine, and mix well put into glazed pipkin, add to quart of water, and give quick boiling then take knife, or any other iron that clean, and stir
about of copper colour right, but of red colour better.
If you have mind to gild with this ground, put your
steel on slow fire, and make so hot that you cannot bear
some cotton into wipe the steel with take afterwards quicksilver, and wipe your ground over then take the prepared gold, and lay on such places as you would have gilded after you have done this, lay on charcoal fire until turns yellow then wipe over with tallow and take cotton to wipe your blade, holding all the while
over the fire until inclines to black rub with woollen cloth, until that colour vanishes and rub again
with chalk, until you bring to fine gloss. If you would have the ground brown or blue, hold over the fire until
turns either to the one or the other colour; then wipe over with wax, and polish with chalk.
Of lead and pewter
To make Pewter hard.
Take one pound of common pewter, and let melt in an iron pan add to some salad oil,- let evaporate well, and stir continually, keeping the flame from
add some fine wheat flour, and stir well about then take all the burnt matter off the top, and to each pound add three or four ounces of plate brass, filed small, and mixed with oil, and few ounces of pulverized bismuth, or regulus of antimony stir all the while, and when all
melted and incorporated, you will not only have pew¬ter that harder and whiter, but also different its sound from common pewter. Or,
Melt tin in an iron pan, strew colophony, or common resin, with fine wheat flour mixed together, into and stir gently about this takes off the blackness, and makes of fine white colour.
If you Avill have it hard, add to each pound of tin one or two ounces of pulverized regulus of antimony ; this makes it white and hard, and gives it a clear sound.
Another Method to make Pewter as White as Silver.
Take clean copper one pound, and let it flux ; add to it of the best English pewter one pound, and continue the flux ; to this add two pounds of the regulus of anti¬mony, and let it still flux for half an hour ; then cast it into an ingot. Beat this in a mortar to a fine powder, and fling thereof as much into melted tin as you think requisite : you will find it (after you cast of fine silver colour will be hard and give fine sound to a make flux the better, you may add little bismuth.
0r,
Melt one pound of copper, add to one pound of tin, half pound of zinc, one pound of regulus of antimony let them flux for half an hour, and cast them into an ingot.
N. B. There are many more secrets relating to whitening and hardening of pewter. found by ex¬
perience, that the regulus of antimony will make con¬tinue white, hard, and of good sound.
To make Tin, or Lead, Ashes.
Take which sort of these metals you will let melt and fling well dried and beaten salt into stir well to¬gether with an iron ladle, or spatula, until separates
and forms itself into powder. Or,
After the tin or lead melted, pour into fine dry salt, Stir together until fit for sifting then put this pow¬der into pan of clean water, and stir pour off the first water, and put fresh to repeat this until the water
conies off clear, and without the taste of any salt. The remaining powder put into a melting pot ; set it in a rever- beratoiy furnace ; stir it well together, and you will have fine white tin ashes.
A Gold Colour upon Lead or Tin.
Take saffron, as much as you will, and put it into strong gum-water ; add to it a third part of vinegar, and let it soak over night ; then mix it with a little clarified honey ; stir it well together, and let it boil until it comes to the consistence of honey ; strain it afterwards through
a cloth, and it is fit for use. Or, Take linseed oil skimmed over the fire, and add pow¬dered amber and hepatic aloes, of each an equal quan¬tity ; set it over the fire, and stir it until it its thick ; then cover it all over with earth, for three days. If you anoint your tin or pewter with will have fine gold colour.
A Water to be used in Tinning all Sorts Metals, especi-ally Iron.
Take one ounce of fine pounded sal-ammoniac, and put into very sour vinegar when you would tin iron, wash first with this vinegar, and strew beaten resin over dip into the melted tin, and will come out with fine and bright lustre.
To make Tin which shall have the Weight, Hardness, Sound, and Colour Silver.
Take fine crude crystal antimony beat fine, and wash in water until becomes sleek, and let dry again.
Then take well dried nitre and tartar, of each an equal quantity beat them fine, and put them together into an earthen pan, on which lay some live charcoal, and the nitre and tartar will soon begin to fulminate ; then cover the pan with a lid ; let the matter burn out and cool, and you will find a yellow salt : this salt beat to powder, be¬fore it is quite cold, and put thereof, into a crucible, one pound, and of the washed antimony two pounds. Mix them well together, and let it flux in a wind furnace for three quarters of an hour : then fling a little lighted small coal into them, and let them consume, and stir them well together with a stick. Presently after, take the crucible out of the fire ; beat it a little down to the bottom, and let it cool of itself; then break the crucible, and you will find a silver-coloured regulus of three quarters of a pound weight.
Then take two pounds of old copper ; cut it fine ; neal and quench ten times running, in very strong lye made of the above tartar and rain water. Take while wet, and put into crucible, with one pound of fine beaten arsenic, stratum super stratum. When all in the crucible, pour as much linseed oil on as will cover the matter then cover and lute your crucible put into a new pan fill all round with sand, and set three hours in circular-fire after cold, open and you will find the copper spungy and of several colours. Of this take two pounds, and plate-brass two pounds melt these together add, by degrees, the copper, and give quick fusion in wind furnace then add two pounds of English pewter, half pound of bismuth, and two poundsof the above regulus let flux well then pour out, and you will have fine silver mixture. Beat this into fine powder mix with linseed oil, to paste, and with spatula add to melted pewter stir well toge¬ther, and you will have fine tin, which will resemble silver exactly.
To make Tin flow easy.
Take resin and nitre, of each an equal quantity ; beat
them to powder, and strew them upon the tin, when in fusion.
A particular Method to make Tin resemble Silver*
Melt four ounces of fine plate-brass, add to it four ounces of fine clean tin, and when in fusion, add four ounces of bismuth, and four ounces of regulus of anti¬mony ; let these flux together, and pour it out into an ingot ; then beat it to powder ; grind it with resin, and a little sal- ammoniac, and with turpentine form it into balls ; let them dry in the air ; when you would use them, beat them fine, strew the powder thereof upon the melted tin, stir it well together, and continue putting the powdered balls upon the tin, until you perceive it white and hard enough: of this tin you may draw wire, for hilts of swords, or to make buttons ; it will always retain its silver colour.
Solder, to Solder Tin with
Take tin and lead, of each one ounce ; bismuth two ounces ; melt these, and pour them over a plate, to cast
them thin : with this you may solder over a candle, or a small charcoal fire.
Another Solder, for Pewter.
Take resin and oil ; let them melt in a spoon, and fling into them a little devil's dung* ; then pour them out,
* Asafoetida is sometimes called bv the name of Devil's dung. Ed.
and having new filed the two pieces to be joined, anoint
them with the resin ; dust some fine filed tin over and hold over coal-fire, and when flows, take off and let cool.
To make Tin Coat-buttons, in Imitation worked
Buttons Gold and Silk.
Take lamp-black grind with oil of spike, and mark the ground-work with pencil when dry, draw all
over with the varnish before described * the best way to imitate worked buttons to do them in a fine mould, either stamped or east the ground first filled up with
black, blue, red, or any other colour then the raised part to be wiped very clean, and when dry, to be drawn
over with the varnish, which will make look much finer than what can be done upon plain button.
For brown colour take umber.
For green take distilled verdigrise, mixed with othei colours, to make either deeper or lighter.
For grey take white lead, and lamp-black.
All your colours must be ground with oil of spike.
In this manner you may embellish pewter, with coat
of arms, cypher, or ornaments; that such pewter things as are not to be scowcrcd*
The Art making Tin Plates, or Latten.
There are only certain sorts of iron which can be re¬duced into leaves or sheets for that purpose the best that which, when heated, easiest extended, and can be forged with hammer when cold the more soft and ex¬ceeding flexible, as well as the more brittle, are to be rejected. These leaves are drawn from bars of iron about
See Page 2C0. .
an inch square, which, being made a little flat, they cut into thin pieces, and fold them together into parcels, each parcel containing about forty leaves, which they batter ail at once with a hammer of six or seven hundred pounds weight. After this, the principal of the art is to prepare
these leaves ; for the least dust, or rust, upon their surface, will hinder the tin from uniting with them : this indeed might be taken off by filing, but that being both too tedi¬ous and expensive, there is a way to it by steeping them in an acid water for a certain time, and scowering them with sand when taken out ; by which method a woman can clean more plates in an hour, than an expeditious workman can file in several days. This water, which is
kept a mighty secret, is nothing else but common water, made eager or sour with rve, which requires very little pains ; for, after they have ground the grain grossly, and pounded they leave to ferment in common water for
certain time, and with little patience they arc sure to have an eager menstruum with this they fill troughs or tuns, into which they put piles of iron plates and to
make grow eager the better, and have more activity, they keep these vessels in vaults or sioves, which have a little air, and in which they keep lighted charcoal the
workmen go into these vaults once or twice day to turn the plates, to take out such as are sufficiently cleansed, and put others in their room and as the liquor more acid, or the heat of the vault or stove more intense, the plates arc sooner cleansed but requires at least two days, and sometimes longer time. This the method
the Germans use for preparing the iron plates for tinning.
In France they go another way to work thev dip the iron plates in acid menstruums, as in water wherein alum,
common salt, or sal-ammoniac are separately dissolved, and instantly expose them to the air, in order to rust.
After two days, during which every plate has been dipt
into the menstruum twice or thrice, they are scowered.
These menstruums, though weak in themselves, produce
the effect as well as the stronger which are much dearer;
among the latter, vinegar is the most effectual, especially
if you dissolve a little sal-ammoniac therein, about a
pound or two in a puncheon ; by this means the iron rusts
sooner than with any other salt, but it must be used very
moderately, and the leaves be left to steep in clean water,
to dissolve any particles of it that may stick to its sur-
face, which may otherwise make it rust after it has been
tinned.
In the preparation of the plates it must be observed,
1.
In battering them, each parcel should receive the immedi-
ate action of the hammer in its turn, otherwise they will
not extend equally.
2. Steep them in clay, or fuller's
earth, tempered with water, before you heat them, to
prevent their soldering with one another.
Whether, you make use of the German or French way,
in preparing your plates, it is absolutely necessary, after
the plates are sufficiently scaled, to scower them with sand,
and when there remain no more black spots on their sur-
face, to throw them into fair water to prevent their rusting
again, and to let them remain, till you are ready to tin
them: the manner of doing it is thus ; flux the tin in a
large iron crucible, of the figure of a broken pyramid with
four sides, of which two opposite ones are less than the
two others ; this crucible you heat from below ; the upper
rim you must lute quite round in the furnace : the crucible
must be deeper than the plates are long, which you dip in
downright, so as for the tin to swim over them. The tin
being melted in the crucible, you cover it with a layer of a
sort of suet, an inch or two thick, through which the
plate must pass before it comes into the tin (the use of
this is to keep the tin from burning) : the common unpre-
pared suet will render the success of the work uncertain :
wherefore you prepare it by first frying and then burning
which not only gives blackish colour, but puts
intoi a condition to give the iron a disposition to be tinned,
which it does surprisingly.
The tin itself must have a certain degree of heat, for if
it is not hot enough, it will not stick to the iron ; if too
hot, the coat will be too thin, of several colours, and a
dirty yellow cast. To prevent this, you must make an
essay with small pieces of the scaled plates, and see when
the tin is in proper order. However, you dip the plates
into tin that is more or less hot, according to the thickness
you would have the coat ; some plates you only give one
laver, and these you plunge into lin that has a lesser de-
gree of heat than that into which you plunge those which
you would have take two layers : when you give these
plates the second layer, you put them into tin that has
not so great a degree of heat as that into which they were
put the first time. Observe, that the tin which is to give
the second coat, must be fresh covered with suet, but
only with the common sort, without preparation : for, melt-
ed tin is sufficiently disposed to attach the new tin to be
joined.
To gild upon Tin, Pewter, or Lead.
Take varnish of linseed oil ; red lead, white lead, and
turpentine ; put them together into a clean pipkin, and
let them boil ; then grind them upon a stone, and when
you gild pewter, take a pencil, draw the liquid thin upon
what you would gild, and lay your leaf gold upon it ; or
instead of that, Augsburg metalj and press it with cotton
to make it lie close.
Another Method to gild Pewter, or Lead.
Take the white of an egg, and beat it clear ; with this
wipe your tin or pewter, which must be first warmed
before a gentle fire, in such places as you design to gild ; lay on your leaf gold quick, and press it down with cotton.
The juice of nettles is also fit for that use, and rather
better than the clear of white of egg.
oo
Another Method to gild Pewter.
Take leaves of staniol *, and grind them with common gold-size ; with this wipe your pewter or lead over ; lay on your leaf gold, and press it with cotton : it is a fine gild-
ing,
and has a beautiful lustre.
A Method to gild with Pen'ter, or with Tin-foil.
This may be done several ways ; but the best is to take white lead, ground with nut oil ; with this lay your ground on what you design to gild, let it be wood or any thing
else ; then lay on your gilt tin leaves, press them down with cotton, or a fine rag, and let it dry ; when dry,
polish it with a horse's tooth or polisher, and it will look as if it had been gilded in fire.
To gild Lead.
Take two pounds of yellow ochre, half a pound of red lead, and one ounce of varnish, with which grind your ochre, but the red lead grind with oil ; temper them both
together ; lay your ground with this upon lead, and, when it is almost dry, lay on your gold ; let it be thoroughly dry before you polish it.
* Leaves of staniol are not known by that name ; but it is proba¬ble that leaves of tin are meant, e. tin-foil, because stannum the Latin for tin (ignorantly called staniol;) and this conjecture cor¬
roborated the following article. Ed.