ative areas of the electrodes do not really much matter. I
have used an anode of four times the area of the cathode. The
solution is preferably heated to a temperature of about 50 deg. C, and a
strong current is sent through it, say twenty amperes to the square
foot of anode. The electrodes must be suspended below the surface of
the solution by means of platinum wires. If the gold plates are only
partly immersed, they dissolve much more rapidly where they cut the
surface, possibly on account of the effect of convection currents,
though so far as the writer is aware no proper explanation has yet
been given.

After a time gold begins to be deposited on the cathode in a powdery
form, for which reason it is a good plan to begin by wrapping the
latter in filter paper. The process has gone on for a sufficient time
when a clean bit of platinum foil immersed in the place of the cathode
becomes properly gilt at a current density of about ten amperes per
square foot.

The powdery gold deposited on the cathode while preparing the solution
can be scraped off and melted for further use, or the whole cathode
may now be used as an anode. The platinum foil testing cathode may
also be "stripped" by making it an anode, and is for this reason
preferable to German silver or copper, which would contaminate the
solution while the "stripping" process was in progress.

For general purposes a current density of say ten to fifteen amperes
per square foot may be used, but this may be considerably varied, so
long as the upper limit is not greatly overpassed. During
gold-plating there is a considerable advantage in keeping the
electrodes moving or the solution stirred.

After immersing the cleaned and scratch-brushed articles, depositing
may go on for about three minutes, after which they are removed from
the bath and examined, in order to detect any want of uniformity in
the deposit.

The articles should be entirely immersed; if this is not done,
irregularity is apt to appear at the surface. Platinum wires employed
as suspenders, and coated along with the articles to be gilt, may also
be cleaned without loss by making them anodes. If, on examination,
all is found to be going on well, reimmerse the cathodes, and continue
plating till they appear of a dull yellowish brown (this will occur in
about four minutes), then remove them, rinse and scratch-brush them,
and replace them in the bath.

When a second coat appears to be getting r