THE BRAZIER.

Th« Brazier makes kettles, pans, candlesticks, and other kitchen utensils, of brass, which is not a simple metal, but compounded
of copper add zinc, in certain proportions : if the proportion of copper be greater, the compound is pinchbeck. Copper alloyed with tin, makes bronze, bell-metal, &c.

Brass is capable ot being wroughtt with very great facility, and is applied to a variety of purposes of the arts. It is of a beautiful yellow-colour, more approaching to that of gold, and not so apt to tarnish or rust, as copper, It is more ductile than either that metal or iron; and hence, peculiarly fitted to be made into wire. As brass is, in general, used for mathematical and astronomical instruments, where the greatest precision is required, its expansion has been very accurately determined.

This compound metal was known at a very early period. It was first discovered from the circumstance of copper ore and zinc earth, or calamine, sometimes called cadmia by the ancients, being found in one mine, and yielding, when melted, not pure copper, but a metal of a yellow colour ; and, from its resemblance to gold, the mines which contained this ore, were held in the highest estimation. This earth, which must have been calamine, is mentioned both by Aristotle, Strabo, and Pliny. Its use has been handed
down through every century, and is still retained, in the manufacture of brass. This discovery was no sooner effected, than the,
ancient method of procuring this metal, was abandoned. Pure copper was first extracted from the ore, and then converted into brass, by the addition of calamine; but as the art of making brass with lapis calamiriaris, was not well understood by the ancients, but cost them much trouble, it was esteemed next to silver, and was reckoned little inferior to that metal, as we learn from Procopius.

In modern times, considerable improvements have been made in the manufacture of this metal, and some secrecy is observed by those who have the reputation of the finest article.

The use of brass seems, to have been very prevalent amongst the ancients. Most of the arms and instruments found in Herculaneum, Pompeia, &c. whether culinary, mechanical, or agricultural, were made of brass. It may be observed, however, that most of the genuine relics of this kind, approach nearer to bronze, than to our modern brass, and appear to be composed of various mixtures of brass, with tin and other metals.

In the shops we often find that the same people deal in brass, copper, and tin-ware; and not unfrequently the furnishing ironmonger sells almost every article made in brass and copper, particularly large country-towns. In such cases, the brazier neither makes nor is supposed to make all the different articles in his shop ; it is sufficient for his own puposes, as well as for the advantageoif his customers that he should be so much of a working brazier, as to be a competent judge of the workmanship of all the goods in in which he deals. If he is a master in a large way, he employs a great number of hands in tbe diffcrent branches of his trade, and his profits are of course in proportion to the magnitude of bis capital.

Some of the articles manufactured by the working brazier, are beat out with the hammer and united in their several parts by
solder; others are cast : those which ate cast belong to the business of the founder, except the polishing and finishing. Which require tlte art of the brazier.

The working brazier has need of strength, and if he would excel in his business, he should possess ingenuity to finish the work with
taste.

The founder is employed in casting a thousand different articles in brass ; for which purpose he has models of the work designed ;
to these he fits the mould in which he casts his metal. He rarely designs any thing himself, and his chief skill lies in melting the brass,
and running it into the mould evenly. There are various kinds of founders ; some who cast for braziers only, others who cast the different smaller articles for coachmakers, saddlers, &c. and some cast the brass cannon to carry on the dreadful art of war.

The founder requires a strong constitution, to undergo the heat of immense furnaces; he may earn thirty shillings per week : but it frequently happensiy that he spends a large portion of it in porter.

Copper is dug oat of the earth, or found united in many spring, containing sulphuric acid. The richest copper mines in theknown
world are in the Isle of Anglesea. The mountain from which the ore is dug is called Parys. This ore is a sulphate of copper, and in order to reduce it into the metallic state, it is heaped up in large masses against a wall, a fire id kindled under the heap, and it burns
far many days, slowly, but strongly: holes are made in the wall, which lead to a kind of room, where the sulphur which escapes from the ore is cdllected and with which the common roll brimstone of the shops is made. There have been dug from the Parys mine thirty thousand tons of ore in a year.

There are two springs at Sterngrundt, in Upper Hungary so richly impregnated with coppet and sulphuric acid, that iron thrown
into these is dissolved by the acid, and the copper falls to the bottom in its metallic form. Near these springs, pits are dug, and filled
with water : old iron is then thrown info tbem, which, in about a fortnight, or three weeks is taken out, and the copper scraped off. By this process, a hundred pounds of iron will produce from eighty to ninety pounds of copper. The same method is adopted at some springs in the county of Wicklow, in Ireland, and here twenty pounds of iron will yield sixteen of copper, which fetches a high price.

The coppersmith makes furnaces, boilers, and all manner of large vessels for brewers, distillers, and others. His work is very laborious, and the business is the most noisy of all mechanical employments. The wages of the journeyman are equal to the powers of body required in the operation.

Copper is used in a variety of the arts : but vessels made of it for culinary purposes are highly prejudicial : for acid, and fatty substances, when left in them any time, combine with the copper, and form verdigris, which is an absolute poison, and when taken in the smallest quantities, it is very prejudicial to the constitution.

To prevent these pernicious effects, most copper vessels are well tinned on their insides. This operation is thus effected : the surface is well cleaned by rubbing it with sal-ammoniac, or an acid ; the tin, or a composition of tin and lead, is then melted in the vessel and rubbed well about it with old rags doubled up.