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 which requires great skill & dexterity, then they gild it 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 pebbles 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 summer than in winter, they heat the gold & silver every 4th or 5th hole they draw it thro — This is done by the refiners, the 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 —