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Chased or Chasing copper or silver

Chasing

After the design is drawn or transferred on to the metal, the edges of the metal should be turned under with a pair of pliers, and then placed on top of the pitch and warmed with the flame of the blowpipe or Bunsen burner. The heated metal will slowly sink into the pitch. Care must be taken that the metal is not too hot, as it is likely to sink in too far. When the metal is cold, start to chase the outline with the tracers. Be careful to hold the tool in the position shown in Fig. 134, with the fourth and third fingers resting on the metal, the second and first fingers and the thumb holding the tool. Do not hold the tool perfectly straight, but tilt the top slightly away from the direction in which you want to move.

The first attempt at tracing may be a failure, but after an hour's practice control will be acquired. The right-hand side of Fig. 128

Chased copper - student attempt

shows a student's first attempt at tracing. Fig. 131,

a silver prize cup, shows the extent to which simple tracing can be carried.

The left-hand side of Fig. 128 shows the next step, which is beating down the background with the planisher chasing tools. This is sometimes done instead of beating up the design from the back. An application of this method is shown in Fig. 129,

Copper plate. Chased & beaten down.

a chased copper plate. But in the case of the blotter, Fig. 130,

Chased & beaten down blotter.

both methods were used. After the planishing of the background, the metal was removed from the pitch by warming it slightly and lifting it out with a piece of wire. It was then annealed and the design beaten up from the back on a soft piece of wood, set back in the pitch, and modeled to form with the small planishers. if the design is beaten up very high, it will be necessary to fill the high places with pitch before setting back in the pitch pan, as the air is likely to become enclosed in the high places and the metal will sink when an attempt is made to chase it.
The chasing on the flower jar, Fig. 126, Seamed flower jar

is also a student's first attempt at chasing. Figs. 132

Flower jar traced & snarled.

and 133

Chased flower jar with background beaten down.

show the earlier steps on the same piece. To raise the design on pieces like this it is necessary to use the "snarling iron.

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