SILVERING, the covering of any thing with sil-
ver. It is usual to silver metals, wood, paper, &c.
which is performed either with fire, oil, or size. Metal-
gilders silver by the fire; painter gilders all the other
ways. See GILDING.
To silver copper or brass. 1. Cleanse the metal with
aquafortis, by washing it lightly, and immediately
throwing it into pure water; or by heating it red hot,
and scouring it with salt and tartar, and pure water,
with a small wire brush. 2. Dissolve some silver in
aquafortis, in a broad-bottomed glass vessel, or of gla-
zed earth; then evaporate away the aquafortis over a
chaffing dish of coals. 3. Put five or six times its quan-
tity of water, or as much as will be necessary to dissolve
it perfectly, on the remaining dry calx; evaporate this
water with the like heat; then put more fresh water,
and evaporate again; and, if need be, the third time,
making the fire towards the latter end so strong as to
leave the calx perfectly dry, which, if your silver is
good, will be of a pure white. 4. Take of this calx,
common salt, crystals of tartar, of each a like quantity
or bulk, and mixing well the whole composition, put
the metal into pure water, and take of the said powder
with your wet fingers, and rub it well on, till you find
every little cavity of the metal sufficiently silvered over.
5. If you would have it richly done, you must rub on
more of the powder; and, in the last place, wash the
silvered metal in pure water, and rub it hard with a dry
cloth.
SILVERING of Glasses. See FOLIATING of Looking-
glasses.