A SILVER WORLD.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 758, 5 March 1910, Page 4

A SILVER WORLD.

DISPLAYED IN WELLINGTON. HOW PLATED GOODS ARE MADE. Silver-plated goods play a striking part in one essential side of life—the realm of tho beautiful.. They radiate from the shop windows, the musical instrument warehouses, the sideboard, tho dressingtable, and tlio dining-table—everywhere is tho gleaui of soft-shcened silver, always bright, always good to look upon. There is a refinement about silver goods, so familiarly laiown, so difficult to explain, and with silver goods silverplate is included, for with the perfection of the plating process the solid silver article is not so much in use or favour. If there is one English firm more than another whom one instinctively associates with this branch of manufacture, or which deserves more to be coupled with the advancement and improvement in the process of silver, electro-plating, and tho expansion of the trade in plated goods, it is that of Messrs. Walker and Hall, of Sheffield. The original members of this firm were tho pioneers of tho industry, for it was Mr. Geo. Walker, in conjunction with Mr. Wright, of Attercliffc, who was the roil inventor of electro-plating, and from that day to this the firm has never lost its place in the van of progress so far as. tho n)anufacture of electro-plated goods is concerned. "W. and II." stares at you from every dining table, sideboard, and boudoir in every English-speaking country in the world, and the name is the synonym for quality and finish in every country coloured red on the map. "The Light of tho World." It was in talking over the beauty of the goods displayed in Messrs. Walker and Hall's showroom in Featherston Street that tlio idea struck our representative how little was generally known of the actual process of electro-plating. That it was a plating or facing of silver is pretty generally known, . but _as to the manner iri which that plating is applied the public know about as much as they do about how the Pyramids were built. Yet how interesting a process it

is! Nickel has' been found to be the best metal to use as a basis for plated goods. It is a tougher metal than silver, it wears white throughout, and, being a "blood relative" by chemical affinity to silver, it has virtues that make it tho ideal metal for plated goods. Prior to plating tho nickel is cut up, and shaped into whatever articles are required, and is then handed over to bo stamped, or, as is the case with better-class goods, to tho hand-chasers, who are in many instances high-class artists. After the pattern is worked out, and the article is tooled to a fine finish, it is cleansed with acids to restore its virgin whiteness, and is then ready for. the plating process. • Itis thon placed in vats, sometimes -three or four feet in cubical dimension filled with wine-coloured liquid, which is really cyanide ,of silver in combination with other chemicals. Affinity of Metals. Along one side of the vat is suspended a plate of sterling silver, and the article to bo plated is suspended ill tho liquor by a hook, so that it can bo raised at pleasure for inspection. An electric wire is led into tho vat, and the liquid itself completes the circuit, so that, under tho inliuenco of electricity, the' metals find their affinity—i.e., the silver gradually leaves tho shoot, and attaches itself to tho metallic surface of the article. It then becomes merely a matter of time in respect to the class of plating needed, for of necessity tho longer tho article is suspended -in the silver-impregnated liquid,' tho .thicker becomes the plating over the article.

The discovory of this action of metals under electricity—was, '\of course, tho starting point in practical electro-plating, but as in most applications of scientific discoveries to the arts an immense nuinbor of practical obstacles had to be surAt first it was found that silver, though it was deposited on. the baser metal, did not form a sufficiently durable It betrayed a tendency to peel'off again in flakes, and tho means of inducing it to chemically attach itself to the surface of the motal had 1 to bo gradually, perfected.,' There hayo, of course, always been secrets in the' trade, and it is not so many years ago sinoo the secret of bright-plating ~ was discovered. In tlio ordinary proccss tho silver surface is dead white, and haf. to be elaborately polished and burnished before the goods are fit for tho market. But it is now found possible to deposit the silver with a bright surface, which saves . labour in burnishing. This process, at ono time was a close secret, but is now considered a pretty open one. Absolute reliance is not placed on the length of time an article may be suspended in the. silver solution, as* where chemical and electrical action '■ are involved, variation might ta'ko place that might not be .noticed. To. make assurance doubly sure the articles are carefully weighed before they are suspended in the vats, and as carefully weighed when they are taken out, so that tho quantity of silver which' they are coated with is known to a grain. The prooess is much tho same in regard to gold-plating, except that cyanide of gold becomes the liquor medium instead of silver. Gold, however, is a much more finely divisible metal than silver, and adapts itself with great facility to tho very thin washing that is given to the interior of presentation cups and tea and coffee, services.

A : Firm With a History. [ '.As the best of evidence as to the beautiful work that is. turned out by Messrs. Walker and Hall, the public is invited to visit the showroom of tho firm on the first floor of Kennedy's Building, 157 Featherston Street. The display is an oye-opener. "While it includes soino exquisite examples, of up-to-date plate (as for examples, the beautifully-wrought' reliefs of celebrated pictures), it impresses the visitor trith tho great resources which the firm must have at its disposal to to permit of its turning its attention ,to the manufacture 01 articles so many and varied. "W. and H."—the brand is familiar enough—have been established now for nearly 70 years. The late Mr. Geo. "Walker was originally a working cutler, who allied himself to a Mr. Wright, of Attercliffe, but finding this arrangement unsatisfactory he entered into partnership with the late Mr. Henry Walker, which coalition proved to be ideal, for the firm prospered exceedingly, and year by year saw the business grow and grow, until it reached its present enormous dimensions, with works covering acres of ground, and employing upwards of 2000 people.

The Man on Top. Such a business demands brains, and the head of the firm is Colonel Sir John Edward Bingham, Bart, VJ).J.P.j who, apart from the personal interest ho takes in the management of the firm's affairs, has distinguished himself in many other spheres of action. Sir Jolm, who is the Hon. Colonel of the West Biding Divisional R.E., and commanded the Ist West Yorks R.E. (Volunteers) for seventeen years, was born on July 27, 1839. He was Master Cutler of Sheffield in 1883-4, and as head of the firm of Walker and Hall, instituted a system of old age pensions among liis employees free of-any contribution. The firm also gives bonuses for good work and regular attendance. Among the many offices which ho lias held are those of President of tho U. Hallam Conservative Association; inaugurate and president of tlje Sheffield and Eotherham Crimean and Indian Veterans' Kelief Association; for twelve years vice-chairman of the National Fair Trade League; founder and life president of the Sheffield Society for tho Enoouragoment of Bravery; commercial representative for England at, tho Brussels Exhibition, 1897; president of the United Service League, the Sheffield Rifle Club, and of tho Northern Council of Churclies Association. So keen is ho on soldiering that ho has fitted up a rifle range within tho works, so that his vast army of employees may become efficient rifle-shots. Such a man enthuses all with whom he comes in touch, and enthusiasm is the dominant noto among tho employees of the big firm. Display in Wellington. Walker and Hall have established themselves solidly in AVclliugton. One only has to visit their warehouse and showroom at 157 Eeatherston Street to be thoroughly convinced of the suporb quality and impressive range of their manufactures. Tho publio arq freely invited— toa goods mo Nailing a v/ekanw.