The tip is a tool made by fastening the long hairs of a squirrel's tail between two cards, and is used for taking up the gold-leaf after it is cut, and applying it to the article to be gilded,

A fitch pencil is used for the same purpose as the last, in taking up very small bits of gold-leaf. A ball of cotton is necessary for pressing down the leaf, after it is laid on. A large camel's-hair brush is used for dusting the work, and clearing away the superfluous gold.

Oil Gilding.

Prime the work with boiled linseed-oil and white-lead; and when that is dry, do it over with a thin coat of gold size, made of stone ochre ground in fat oil. When that is so dry as to feel clammy to the fingers, or to be, as the gilders call it, tacky, it is fit for gilding. Having spread your leaves upon the cushion, cut them into slips of the proper width for covering the work. Then breathe upon your tip, which, by moistening it, will cause it to take up the leaves from the cushion. Having apapplied them by the tip on the proper parts of the work, press them down by the ball of cotton. Observe to repair, by putting small pieces of gold on any parts which you have omitted to cover. When all the work is sufficiently covered, let it dry, and clean it off with the brush.

This sort of gilding is the easiest, least expensive, and stands the weather best, and may be cleaned with a little water at any time; but wants. the lustre of burnished gilding.

Burnished Gilding.

This is the sort of gilding generally used for picture-frames, looking-glasses, &c.

The wood intended to be gilt in this manner should first be well sized, and then done over with seven or eight coats of size and whiting, so as to cover it with a body of considerable thickness. Having got a sufficient quantity of whiting upon the work, it must be carefully cleaned off, taking care to free all the cavities and hollows from the whiting that may have choked them up, and by proper moulds and tools restoring the sharpness of the mouldings intended to be shown.

It is then to receive a coat of size, which is made by boiling armeniac bole with parchment size. This must also remain till it is sufficiently dry for the gold. It must not be quite dry; therefore it would not be prudent to lay on more at a time, than can be gilt before it becomes too dry.

The work being thus prepared, place it a little declining from you, and having a cup of clean water ready and some hair pencils, moisten a part of the work, and then apply the gold by the tip to the moistened part. The gold will immediately adhere close to the work: proceed to wet the next part, and apply the gold as before, repeating this operation till the whole is completed; taking care not to let any drops of water come upon any part of the gold already laid on. Care should therefore be taken, that no part be missed in going over it at first, as it is not so easily mended as the oil gilding.

The work being thus gilt, it is suffered to remain about twenty-four hours; when the parts that are

designed to be burnished are polished with a dog's tooth, or, what is better, with an agate burnisher. The gilding must not be quite dry when it is burnished; there is a state proper for the purpose, which is only to be known by experience.

Japanners' Gilding.

The gilding of japanned work consists in drawing with a hair pencil, in gold size, the intended ornaments, and afterwards applying gold leaf or gold powder.

The gold size may be prepared in the following manner: take of linseed-oil, and of gum animi, four ounces. Set the oil to boil in a proper vessel, and then add the gum animi gradually in powder, stirring each quantity about in the oil, till it appear to be dissolved, and then putting in another, till the whole be mixed with the oil. Let the mixture continue to boil, till, on taking a small quantity out, it appear of a thicker consistence than tar, and then strain the whole through a coarse cloth, and keep it for use; but it must, when applied, be mixed with vermilion and oil of turpentine.

Having laid on the gold size, and suffered it to dry, the gold leaf is applied in the usual way, or if it is not wanted to shine so much, gold powder is applied, which is made by grinding gold leaf upon a stone with honey, and afterwards washing the honey away with water. If the gilding is to be varnished over, Dutch gold may be used, or aurum musivum may be used instead of real gold powder.

To write on Paper with Letters of Gold.

Put some gum arabic into common writing ink, and write with it in the usual way. When the writing is dry, breathe on it; the warmth and moisture softens the gum, and will cause it to fasten on the gold leaf, which may be laid on in the usual way, and the superfluous part brushed off. Or instead of this, any japanners' size may be used.

To lay Gold upon White Earthen-Ware, or Glass.

Procure some japanners' gold size, and with it draw your design upon the vessel to be gilt, moistening the gold size, as you find necessary, with oil of turpentine. Set your work in a clean place to dry, for about an hour, and then place it so near the fire that you could but just bear the heat of it with your hand for a few seconds. Let it remain there till it feels quite tacky or clammy, then, having procured a cushion, and some leaf gold, cut it into slips of the proper size, and lay it on with a little cotton wool. When the gold is all on, put the ware into an oven to be baked for two or three hours.

Glasses, &c. may also be gilt by drawing the figures with shell gold mixed with gum arabic and a little borax. Then apply sufficient heat to it; and, lastly, burnish it.

Gilding on Glass or Porcelain, by Burning-in.

Dissolve gold in aqua regia, and evaporate the acid by heat; a gold powder will be obtained; or

precipitate the gold from the solution by pieces of copper. Lay this gold on with a strong solution of borax and gum water, and it will be ready for burning-in.

Gilding Metals.

One method of applying gold upon metals is by first cleaning the metal to be gilt; then gold leaf is laid on it, which, by means of rubbing with a polished blood stone, and a certain degree of heat, are made to adhere. In this manner silver leaf is fixed and burnished upon brass, in the making of what is called French plate; and sometimes also gold leaf is burnished upon copper and iron.

Gilding by Amalgamation is by previously forming the gold into a paste, or amalgam, with mercury.

In order to obtain an amalgam of gold and mercury, the gold is first to be reduced into thin plates or grains, which are heated red-hot, and thrown into mercury previously heated, till it begins to smoke. Upon stirring the mercury with an iron rod, the gold totally disappears. The proportion of mercury to gold is generally as six or eight to one.

The method of gilding by amalgamation is chiefly used for gilding copper, or an alloy of copper with a small portion of zinc, which more readily receives the amalgam, and is also preferable, on account of its colour, which more resem. bles that of gold than the colour of copper.

When the metal to be gilt is wrought or chased, it ought to be previously covered with quick-silver before the amalgam is applied, that this may be