Encyclopedia of Practical Receipts and Processes

How to silver a mirror, brew ginger beer, kill moths, make fireworks, tan a hide, bronze iron, cure a ham and clean a straw hat: William B. Dick's numbered encyclopedia answered the questions a nineteenth-century household actually had.

HomeGilding, Silvering, Etc › Matting, or Dead Gold

Matting, or Dead Gold

Those parts of the work which look dull from not being burnished, are now to be matted, that is, are to be made to look like dead gold; for if left in its natural state it will have a shining appearance, which must be thus rectified. Grind some vermilion, or yellow ochre, very fine, and mix a very small portion either with the parchment size or with the white of an ing oil, and mix with it a little oil of turpenegg, and with a very soft brush lay it even tine when used. When the work is to be and smooth on the parts intended to look gilded, first give it a coat of parchment size; dull; if well done, it will add greatly to the then apply the above size where requisite, beauty of the work. The work must be well either in patterns or letters, and let it remain, cleared of superfinous gold, by means of a soft till, by touching it with the finger, it feels brush (a hat brush answers the purpose well), previous to burnishing or matting.

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