Section 43

How to (lain glafs of divers colours,
I w ill not pal's by a thing worth the relation , which happened by chance , while we were making thefe experiments. The flower of Tinne taketh away the peripicuity of Cryftal gla!s,and maketh it of divers colours : for being fprinklcd upon Crytiaiglaffes that are polifhed with a wheele, and fet to the fire, it doth varioufly colour them, and maketh them cloudy ; fo that one part will look like a ftone , and another like an Opaleof divers colours. But you muft often take it out from the fire, and order it rightly, till it be according to your defire. I have before told you how to make flour of Tinne for the purpofe. I will adde fomewhat more , indeed nofecret, nor very neceffary, but that nothing may be omitted by us in this work, w*.
How to make a Jacinth beautiful enough, and not much unlike a true one. Put lead into a hard earthen pot, and fet it on the fire in a glafs-makers fornace , there let it remain for fome days, till the lead be vitrified , and it will be of the colour of a Jacinth.
To counterfeit an Emerald. You may do this almoft in the fame manner ; and it will refemble the colour oft pleafant green corn. Diflblve filver with ftrong water f then calling into the water iome plates of Gopper , as I told you, it will cleave to them. Gather it together, and dry it, and fet it into a glafs-makers fornace in an earthen pot , within a few days it will become an Emerald. To do the fame with other metals, I will leave to the trial of others j it is enough for me to have found out and difcovered the way.
To counterfeit Carbuncles.
This we do with Orpin, and ufe it in fome ornaments , for they are brittle , and of a moft flagrant colour , have much of the fcarlet blufh , and caft forth red fparkles. Take four ounces of Orpin, and grinde it fmall : then put it into a glafs veffel, whofe bottom you muft fortifie againft the force of the fire with mortar made with ttraw, and flop the mouth of it gently. The fire being kindled, the fmokc flieth up , and thethinneftpartof the material will rifetothetop : and you will fecit flick to the fides of the glafs, and the neck : it will grow bigger by degrees , and new parts ftill flying up, will make it grow thicker ; and like boyling water gather into bubbles, which at laft will encreafe fo big , that they will fall down : Some will ftick in the neck of the glafs , all of a moft flagrant colour, but brittle and fmail. Break the glafs, and take off with a (harp point of a knife, thofe red congealed bubbles which ftick to the glafs, and ufe them. If you would make one great one of thofe little bubbles ; lay a great many little ones upon a piece of glafs, and melt them, and they will run into one : a moft pleafant fight to fee.
Chap. VIII. Of making [malt or EnnamcJ.
AFter Gems we will endevour to make Smalt or Ennamel. It is a work almoft of the fame nature, and of the fame mixture and colours ; this onely difference h between them , that in Gems the glafs is tranfparent , in this it is more deni'e and
folid.
Of counterfeiting precious Stones. 187
folid. In antient times they made their Checker or Mofaique work of it : and Gold- fmiths do ufe ic in colouring and enammeling gold. It is Tinne that gives it a body and folidity.
To make white Enammel,
Take tvvo ounces of Lead afhes, four of Tinne ; and make it into a body, with double the quantity of glais : role it into round balls , and fet it on a gentle fire all night: take heed it flick not to the fides of the pot, but ftir it about with an iron fpattle,and when it is melted, incrcafe the fire, and the bufinefs is done.
To make black,Smalt,
To 4 pound of glafs, you muft adde a drachm of Manganefs, for fo it will be of the co- lour of a Lyon :then adde a drachm of Zaphara,and the mixture will turn black : make often tryal , if it be of a dark purple or violet- colour : for the Tin that giveth it the body, will make it blacker.
To make Smalt of a deep yellow.
You may put to every pound of Cryftal a little Crocus Mirtis, and three ounces of Jalloline, as they call it, which engravers ufe: at lafl,Lead and Tin. But if you defire
To make Smalt of a paler yellow, Inflcad of Jalloline, adde Jaletto, and you will have your defire,,
To make green Smalt,
Adde burned Copper, and fo it will be of a deeper colour : but if you defire it a paler, adde the flakes of Copper, which flic off, while the fmith hamtnereth it. be- ing red hot.
To make red Smalt, Adde the ruft of iron, very finely beaten : but when you would make
Smalt dark^on one fide, and tranfparent on the other, Make your Paxils of earth, and double as much glafs ; fee it a whole night in the fire of reverberation , and lec ic melt in a convenient vefiel, ftirring it with an iron rod : fo you (hall perceive both tranfparenc and opacous parts in the fame little Orb. So
•T 0 make Smalt of the colour of an Amethift. It is done with nothing but Manganefs : and if you would have it of a deeper co- lour, adde more of the body, that is, of the flower of Lead and Tin.
To make Smalt of skje- colour. It may be erTcfted with Zaphara , by adding fomcwhat more of the body.
To make fpeckjed Smalt, which being full of fmall f pecks, Gull feem to be compounded cf a great many lice* very pleafant to behold. The opacous Smalt being made, pour it upon marble, and then prefently fprinkle feme Crocus upon it , or drop feme pale colour in fpecks, all over it, and you flaall have your defire.
To make Smalt of two colours, caft Smalt firft of one colour upon a marble, as before j and prefently after, fome of another colour upon that : then with an iron rod prefs themclofc, and joynthetn together.
To make the beft kind of Smalt, fuch as Goldftniths ufe ; to every pot allow two roles of Sal Soda, and fome fand, of which glafs is made, and it will be much more perfect.
Dd Chap«
i8(J Natural Mag ick. Scw^ 6.
Chap. IX. To make Smalt of a clear r oft-colour,
THe moft skilful glafs-makers do labour very much, in colouring Smalt of a rofe- colour j which is commonly called Roflldcre : feeing that in former times they did ic moft beautifully and artificially. I will fee down what both I my felf have done in it., and what I have received from other friends : I have performed the beft I could, to fhew others an opportune way of making better. The manner is this : caft ten pounds of Cryftal in a pot, and when you know ic to be well melted, addc a pound of the beft red lead,by half at a time,ftirring it with an iron rod as faft as youcanj for the weight of ic will make it fink to the bottom : when it is well mixed, take ic out of the poi with iron inftruments fit for the purpofe,aad caft it into water:do this thricetchen mix with it five ounces of Tin calcined,and Cinnabaris of a moft bright colour $ and fo ftirring them about for three hours, let them ftand a while. When this is done, adde moreover three ounces of vitrified Tin , and beat chem together without any inter- miffion, and you will fee a moft lively rofe-colour in the ghfs, which you may ufe in enamelling Gold.
To make Glafs of Tin,
Set a pound of Tinne in a ftrong earthen pot,into the fire : let it heat and melt ; then remove it with iron tongs into the hotteft flames of theglafs-makers foraace , for three or four days. Afterwards, the pot being taken out, and cold ; break ir, and in the top you will find glafs of a faffron colour, not clear: but the longer it ft an d- eth in r he fire, the perfefter it will grow ; neither have I known better in this kind, of thofc many that I have tryed. It muft be reduced into fine powder : for the which not onely a morter and mills will be requifite, but alfo a Porphyrian ftonc. If k be too florid , you may make it of a more faint colour, by adding glafs to it.
Another way to make it. This is onely for friends: Take niie parts of burnt Tinne, feven of Lead i two of Cinnabaris ; of Spanifh-foder and Tartar, one part and a half ; of the Blood- ftone one part, of Painters red a fourth part. And do with it, as in the former.
Chap. X.
Of leaves of Metal to be fut finder Gems,
THere are certain leaves of Metal laid under Gems, which being perfpicuous, are thereby made paler or deeper, as you will : for if you would have them of a fain- ter colour, you muft put under them leaves of a more clear brightnefs : if of a deeper, leaves of a darker hue. Moreover, Gems being rranfparent, are feen quite through, and difcover the bottom of the ring j which taketh much of their beauty off. This is an invention of later times, who by terminating the tranfparency of ftones, with leave-, of a moft bright andpleafant colour, dofkand makeup, and mend the co- lour of the ftones. I have been very much delighted in this kindof work, and therefore will deliver it particularly. The leaves are to be made either of Copper alone, or of Copper, Gold, and Silver, mixt together. I will fpeak of thofc which are made of Copper aloae : Yoamuft buy at the Brafiers.fhops feme thin plates of Copper , of the thicknefs of ftrong paper, that they may be the eafier made thinner, which you muft cut into pieces of three fingers in length, and two in breadth; fo that a fheet of two pound , will be divided into a hundred and thirty parts : thefe we mnft divide a^aininto two parts , that they may be hammered more eafily : Take f^um' a* d beat them , asArtificers do gold, when they beat it out into tbinne rays. Ler theanvile and hammer be fmooth and poliftied , left the heavy ftroaks fhould make dents in the Copper , and break ir. Difcontinue your work by turns , fo that you may hammer the Copper while ic is hot , and prepared by the fire $ and put it
into
Of counterfeiting precious Stones. 187
into the fire, when it is cold : for if you do otherwife, it will bre*k in pieces ; ^bicri yen mult presently remove frcm the reft ; tor thofe that are broken,will break others. But that they may be the more cafier prepared , when they begin to be extenuated, I makeufeof this invention. There mutt be prepared two plates of iron, of a hand lquare , and the thicknefs of paper.. Double one cf them, that it may receive the other wirhin the folds of it : fo that they may receive the plates of Copper in the middle , and enclole them on all fides , ihac they can neither flip out , nor any dvtl or afhes fall in, to Hick to them. When you have thus encloled tbe Copper plates, put them into the fire , aridheatthcmj then take them cue with irontongs, and making off the afhes, beat them with your hammer tiiiihey are cold , and lb they will become thin and fine rays. Buc while you are beating one, fet others to heat ; and cothis eight times over,uciil you have hammer'd them very thin,and made them fit for yourpurpofe. It will be worch your labor to look often upon them, to fee if any be broken in the working , for they will break their fellows. But becauiethey arewontto grow black in the working, and foul, fothac they oftentimes deceive the eye . therefore it is fit, that you have a pot of water ready, with an equal quan- tity ofTartar, andfaltinit, and let it boil over the fire : Put into it your rays, and ftirre them about continually , till they be boiled white. Then take them out, and wafh them in a pot. of clear water , till they be very clean : then dry them with a linnen cloth, and then heat them , and beat them on the anvile again , as before, until they fpread into rays, as thin as leaf-gold When this work is to be done, the hammer and anvile mult be as fmooth, and polifhed, and bright, as a looking-glafs ; which yen may efrc& in this manner. Firllofall, hold them to the grinde-ficne, wherewith they grinde knives , until they be fmoothed and planed : then rub them with fine land, and Pumice- fione 5 afterwards glaze tlicm with a wheele , andpolifh them with a plate of lead, and powder of emerald: if youuleany other art , you will but lofe your labour. Thus in two days your work will be finifhed, that is, by heating your plates, eight or ten times, and preparing them, and by whiting them four times at leaft : Finally, examine them all, whether they be whole, and of a fuf- ficient thinnefs : fo that if any remain too thick , they may again be brought to the hatrmsr and perfected. But 1 muft advertife you , that the thinner they grow, the lefs time they mult lye in the fire, becaufe they will prefently melt : and fo alio in the water, becaufe the fait will eat into them. At laft, cue them with fhcares into fquaie pieces, that they may be more convenient for ufe.
Chap. XI. Hew leaves of Metals are to be po'tjbed.
THe plates being this thinned and finifhed, we will fall to poiifhing of them. Buc firlt we rand provide tools, wherewith to perform ir. Take a plate of Copper cf a foot in length, and a hand in breadth, moft exquifitely burnifhed,ihat it may be as fmooth as a looking-glafs: bow it either with your hand, era hammer, by little and little, into tbe form of a femicylinder. Then turn a piece of wood, fo that it may be equal, and fit for kin every pare, and be received into the convexity of it, where being faftned with four nails at the corners of the plate, it may remain (iedfaft. Fix this wood upon a little frame, wich two bars of a foot height, raftnedto the ends of it. Now we will begin to burnifh the places ; which mull be thus done: provide chalk made into fine powder, after thij fore • take Tome beaten clay, wrap it in a dean and indifferently fine doth, and put it into a wafhing bowl full of water; flirreic about here and there, in the water, that the frrielt part may be waChed through, and the courier remain in the cloth : then put the new chalk into the cloth again ; ftirre it and drain it till it all pafs through the cloth, and thenfuffer the water to fettle, and ieirce it through a drainer i OEely dialing the water , until no grofs fettlemenc re- gain : Then lay the cloth ever the mown of the veffel, which muft receive it, and tie it flack on: foflrain it, that you may be the mote iure , that noibing but what is very fine tan pafs through i thenpreG ru: the water , and refcrve the chalk, Lay this ^ f) d - day,-
1S8 Na tural Magic k. "Bool^ 6.
clay, thus prepared, upon the Copper, and rub it with a poplar flick, till it fliine like gold : then wath ic with water, over a wide-mouthed pan, that may receive the water. After this, have a bloodstone ready , very well polished, upon a plate of lead, with the dull of Emeraid, it will become moft exqutfitely fmooth : therefore lay your rays of copper upon the copper, and fpread it abroad with the thumb of your left hand ■' then caft on the clay, and pour water on to wa£h it , and then wipe ic off, an d let onely the water remain to fallen then? upon the copper. Then take in- to your hands the ftone , being fattened to a flick ; andpolifh the plates with ic ha- ving a great care that they do not run into wrinkles ; for then they are quite fpoiled : but when they begin to move , pour on fome of the water, and that will fix them again : Continue this, till you have made it all over as bright and fmooth as a look- ing-glafs. A token of their perfect polilhing is , when ro marks of the runnier of thettone, is fcen upon them. Then taking them off from the wood, caft tbcmin- to a pot of water , until the rell are all finifhed ; and then wrap them in a clean lin- nen cloth : dry them, and lay them up in boxes , freefrcm all dutt, and filth : but bend them like a half-pillar, fothac the polilhcd fide may be inward; and tic them fo with a firing.