Important: Safety Warning
This page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
In addition, this page directs the use of hazardous substances — such as benzine, gasoline, lye, or strong acids — for household tasks. These materials are highly flammable, corrosive, or poisonous, and the practices described have caused fires, burns, and poisonings.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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To Finish Gilding
It is now only necessary to touch the parts in the hollows with a composition made by grinding vermilion, gamboge, and red lead, very fine, with oil of turpentine, and applying it carefully with a small brush in the parts required, and inserting suitable bits of gold leaf with a camel's-hair brush. Sometimes the finishing is done by means of shell-gold, which is the best method; it should be diluted with gumarabic, and applied with a small brush.