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.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Britannia Metal
A tableware alloy, with some resemblance of silver. Articles made from this alloy were formerly made by stamping with dies, but this has been superseded by the more efficient method of spinning. One mixture for this metal is: brass 4, tin 4; after fusing add bismuth 4, antimony 4--this composition to be added at discretion to melted tin. Another is to make up a hardening compound of copper 2, tin 1. This is made separate and used with other ingredients as follows:
BRITANNIA METAL.
Tin. Hardening. Copper. Antimony. Best quality . . . . . 150 . . . . . 3 10 Good quality . . . . . 140 . . . . . 3 9 Metal for casting . . . . . 210 . . . . . 4 12 Metal for spinning . . . . . 100 4 . . . . . 4 Metal for registers . . . . . 100 8 . . . . . 8 Metal for spouts. . . . . 140 . . . . . 3 6 Metal for spoons. . . . . 100 5 . . . . . 10 Metal for handles. . . . . 140 . . . . . 2 6 Metal for pillars, lamps . . . . . 300 . . . . . 4 15 See ALLOYS; TIN; ANTIMONY; COPPER; SPINNING METALS; WHITE ALLOYS.