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Ormolu

Ormolu was a popular material used in 18th-century France. It was often used to decorate furniture, clocks, lighting and other decorative metal objects with a gilded finish. Ormolu was also used to create intricate sculptures and jewelry.

The first step in the ormolu process is to prepare the base metal. This involves cleaning the metal with an abrasive material and then polishing it with a cloth. Once the metal is clean and polished, an application of ground gold powder mixed with mercury was applied to a base metal, usually copper or bronze. The gold powder was fused by heating the metal until the mercury evaporated leaving only gold on the surface. The metal is then cooled and polished, and burnished to create the desired finish. Antique mercury gilt ormolu has a thicker more luxurious appearance than thin modern electroplating.

The final step in the ormolu process is to add details such as engravings, filigree, and other decorative elements. This is done by hand or with a machine. Once the details are complete, the ormolu is ready to be used in furniture, clocks, and other decorative pieces. Ormolu was a popular technique in 18th-century France and was used to create beautiful and luxurious pieces of decorative art.

NB This process is no longer practiced due to the toxicity of vapourised mercury!

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