TABLEWARE, SILVER-PLATED. The manu facture of silver-plated tableware originated in England. and the centre of its manufacture was at Sheffield and Birmingham. The industry now flourishes in Germany and also in the United States. where the Rogers Brothers were the first to apply the process of electroplating with silver to table utensils. This they did in 1846. and in 1851 a company was formed in Hartford, Conn., for the manufacture of electroplated ware. At the eldse of the century the silver-plgted and britannia ware industry had spread into seven States, in which were located about 50 factories. however, still led, about one-half the total number of factories being in that State, with an annual product valued at $9.538.307.
Before the introduction of eleetro-plating, all ware was plated by the application of a thin sheet of silver to the object. Bits of solder were placed here and there between the plating and the body material, and, on subjecting the object to moderate but continued heat, the solder was melted and firmly united the metals. hr this process it was always difficult to finish the sharp edges so they had the appearance of a continu ous silver surface. The art of fashioning ma terials by stamping them out with dies (see Dies ADM DIE-SlicioNG) has greatly facilitated and cheapened the manufacture of plated ware. In the modern factory three methods are employed for shaping the body material before the plating is applied—spinning, stamping, and casting, and special parts are sometimes hammered into shape. (See ReeoussE.) The body material used in a standard factory is the composite metal called German silver, which consists of 53 per cent. cop per. per cent. rine, and per cent. of nickel. Stamping is the method usually em ployed when a large number of objects after the same pattern arc to be made. When only one or a few pieces are to be made according to a given design, they are usually spun. In this process the object is shaped over a rapidly revolving wooden mold, known as a chuck, frequent annealing be ing required to keep the metal flexible. Spinning requires considerable manual dexterity, while stamping is a purely mechanical process. But
the preliminary making of the wooden mold is much easier and cheaper than that of the metal die. Of course only objects which are somewhat spherical in shape can be spun, and the flat metal which is thus molded into shape is stamped out of the sheet. Often the chucks are sectional and hinged, so that they can be removed from the finished object, when this object is narrower at the top than at other portions; but oftener a dish, whether stamped or spun, is fashioned in several sections, which are soldered together be fore plating. Ornamental borders and similar decorations are stamped separately and soldered on. The final preparation for plating is to re move all rongheesses and scratches from each article and render it perfectly smooth, which is done by sand-finishing.
In applying the process of electro-plating (q.v.) to produce silver-plated ware, the objects are first washed in caustic soda and then in a strong solution of nitric, sulphuric, and hydro chloric acids. The trade terms `single,' triple,' and 'quadruple,' which are commonly applied to plated ware to denote its quality, are somewhat misleading, for the heaviness of the plate usually depends upon the length of time during which the object remains in the electric bath. and not on the number of times the dip is repeated. The ware is carefully weighed before and after• im mersion and is allowed to remain in the bath un til the desired number of pennyweights of silver have been added to its weight, an operation which, in thoroughly good ware. requires several hours, although the vessel is quite as attractive in appearance after a bath of a few minutes. It is sometimes stated that danger of poison is in curred in using certain forms of cheaply made plated ware, but in all but the poorest qualify the silver is subjected to so many cleansing processes after it is plated that not a vestige of the deadly poison. cyanide of potassium, in which it has been i iiii messed can remain upon its sur face. Standard ware, after it is plated, is fin ished by a succession of processes of hand polish ing and burnishing.