A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921.

ORDER VIII.—WORKERS IN PRECIOUS METALS AND ELECTRO PLATE

Sub-order 1.—Workers in Precious Metals and Electro Plate

299.—Other Workers

backer ; roller's assistant: assists roller (298) q.v. at back of rolling mill; lifts and handles heavy bars and sheets.
boiler: see cleaner.
cleaner ; boiler, potasher, washer-out: cleans out, in vitriol, stampers' and silversmiths' work; swills articles in a solution of potash preparatory to plating them, and dries them in sawdust, after heating.
gilder's assistant: assists gilder (282) q.v.; duties similar to those of plater's assistant.
plater's assistant, plating assistant, electro-plating assistant: attaches pieces of wire to articles to be plated, and hangs them in electrolytic bath; assists plater (282) q.v. generally.
potasher: see cleaner.
roller's assistant: see backer.
scourer: holds articles to be cleaned, after pickling process, against a power-driven scouring brush made of brass wire; may increase scouring action by dipping article into solution of caustic potash; may sometimes perform operation by hand, using hand brushes; cf. cleaner.
set mounter's assistant: helps generally at set mounter's bench (288); keeps solder pots hot; performs simple mounting operations, in process of learning trade.
sticker-on: cements metal rims, etc., on glass articles, with plaster of Paris or other cement.
vat hand: (i) assists plater (282) q.v. in process of dipping metal articles, to coat them with silver, etc.;; (ii) general term for any worker employed in process of electro-plating, e.g., cleaner, scourer, potasher, dipper.
washer, gold (electrolysis): washes and cleans plated articles, by hand, with brushes and clean water, after dipping process.
washer-out: see cleaner.
wirer and dryer-out: a plater's assistant q.v. who threads small articles to be plated on wire for plater (282) q.v. to hang from electrode in plating vat; after articles are plated and washed, dries them in vessels containing boxwood sawdust.

From: A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921,
Ministry of Labour, 1927. Digitised by Peter Christian, August, 2016. This text is in the Public Domain.