Notes by Conduitt on the technique of drawing gold and silver lace

The method of drawing wire for gold & silver laces &c

First refine it, than run it into square bars then cut out all hollow porous parts, then neal it i.e. make it red hot in a forge, then 3 or 4 men round it by, heating it with hammers on an anvill whilst it is red hot the doing of wch requires great skill & dexterity, then they make gild it some times by putting leaf gold round it some times 3 leaves, then they make it red hot in the forge, & stone it i.e. that is rub it all round hard with pe{illeg}bbles or marble or any stone that will not take off the gold, the stoning it red hot incorporates the gold with the silver, then they <2v> throu cast plates of iron with holes in it of several sizes, those plates are only made in France & only by one man there & it is death to export them but however more are brought hither for sale then are wanted, no body here can temper the iron so as to give it that hardness — silver lengthens a third every hole they draw it throu, gold does not, it is much more difficult to draw silver in sum̄er than in winter, they heat the gold & silver every 4th or 5th hole they draw it thro — This is done by the refiners, the silver wire drawers draw it afterwards in the same manner throu lesser holes —

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The Method of drawing wire for gold & silver laces —