Page:A tour through the northern counties of England, and the borders of Scotland - Volume II.djvu/235

 cool, and cut into the necessary forms; sawed and worked in the same manner as wood, being to the full as hard as that substance. The article of furniture being formed, it is then given to wo- men and girls, who varnish it with black lacquer twelve different times, being dried in ovens after every varnishing. This is the most unwholsome and disagreeable part of the process. From hence it is carried to another party of ladies, who polish it with sand and water, to take off every roughness, and give it one uniform smooth surface. The fine polishers then take it, who give it the beautiful brilliancy of its appearance, with rotten stone, and rubbing of the flat hand. The painters next receive it, of whom there are two sets ; one employed in delineating the little fancy patterns, the other in the more beautiful and difficult line of landscape and figure painting. That part of the patterns which is to receive the gold, is first traced over in red paint, which having stood for some hours to dry, the leaf is put on. Part of this adhering to the painted parts, the remainder of the leaf is rubbed off, and the whole is then lackered over to secure the gilding. Buttons also are manufactured here of the same materials as the trays, being cut into a circular shape, they are placed into a machine, where the hank is ingeniously put in and fastened.

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