Bidar
or BIDDERY, a town in British India, in a district of the same name; 72 miles N. W. of Haidarabad. It is noted for a metal ware manufactured there and known as Biddery ware. The ware is made from an alloy of copper, 8 parts; lead, 4; and tin, 1. To 3 ounces of this alloy 16 ounces of zinc are added, when the alloy is melted for use. It is colored by dipping into a solution of salammoniac, saltpeter, common salt, and sulphate of copper. This colors it, and the color forms a ground for the silver and gold inlaying. Chisels and engravers are employed, and, after the inlaying is complete, the ware is polished and stained. Many articles of Indian manufacture, remarkable for elegance of form and gracefully engraved patterns, are made of it.