Sheffield plate

Sheffield plate, in metalwork, articles made of copper coated with silver by fusion. The technique was discovered about 1742 by Thomas Boulsover, a Sheffield (Yorkshire, Eng.) cutler, who noted that the combination of fused silver and copper retained all the ductility possessed by both metals and acted as one in response to manipulation. Sheffield plate was produced as follows. An ingot of copper, slightly alloyed with zinc and lead, was covered on both top and...