the covering of any thing with silver. It is usual to silver metals, wood, paper, &c. which is performed either with fire, oil, or fire. Metal-gilders silver by the fire; painter gilders all the other ways. See GILDING.

To silver copper or brads. 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 glazed earth; then evaporate away the aquafortis over a chafing dish of coals. 3. Put five or six times its quantity 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.