Production method glossary

Production method glossary

The Production method field is a suggested-term field in the Description section of an Item record. This article provides definitions for all terms listed in the Production method field:

METHOD
DESCRIPTION
ALLOY
To add one metal or element to another to obtain a substance with a desired property
AMBROTYPE
Thin collodian negative on glass with black backing of paper, cloth or paint to make look positive; usually in a velvet-lined presentation case
APPLIQUÉ 
Decorate or trim one material by sewing or fixing onto another
BAKE
Cook or harden by dry heat, as in an oven
BASKETRY 
Containers made of a mesh of plant fibres using a technique similar to weaving
BATIK
Fabric-printing method in which wax is used to stop parts of the fabric being dyed 
BEADING
Small, usually spherical beads of glass, wood or plastic sewn to fabric
BEATEN 
Shaped or made thin by hammering
BEVEL 
To cut an oblique face on a piece of timber, or the like
BLACKING
A preparation for producing a black coating, as in shoes
BLIND-TOOLING
Decorative technique used in leatherwork, especially in bookbinding; the design or lettering stamped, embossed or otherwise impressed on the surface of the leather and left blind, i.e., without the addition of gold leaf or colouring
BLOW 
To shape glass and ornaments by forcing air or gas through the material when still molten
BOUND 
In bonds; with, or as if with, a rope; secured within a cover or binding, i.e., a book
BRAID 
Decorate with an ornamental trim or border
BURNISH
Make shiny or smooth by friction; polish
CARVE 
To cut or chip to form a shape; decorate by cutting or chipping
CHALK 
To draw or make something with chalk; mark, rub, or whiten with, or as if with, chalk
CHASE 
Ornament metal by engraving or embossing; to form or finish a screw thread with a chaser
CHROME-PLATING
To plate with chromium, usually by electro-plating
CLOISONNÉ 
Design made by an outline of flattened wire filled in with coloured enamel; also made by Cloisonne
DAGUERREOTYPE 
Photograph taken using silver-plated (rarely solid silver) or copper-sheet plate, usually found in velvet-lined leather case; introduced in 1839 and popular for around 20 years
DOVETAIL 
Two pieces of wood joined at right angles by means of wedge-shaped tenons and mortices, carved out of each piece
DRAW 
Depict or sketch in lines, with a pencil or pen
DRAWN THREADWORK

Some threads drawn out from a panel of linen, the rest grouped and whipped together to form geometrical and other patterns
DYE 
To colour or stain something, such as fabric or hair, with the application of a dye
EBONISE 
To stain or otherwise finish in imitation of ebony
ELECTRO-PLATING
To plate an object by electrolysis
EMBOSS 
To mould or carve a decoration or design on a surface, so that it is raised above the surface in low relief
EMBROIDER 
To do decorative needlework upon cloth or similar
ENAMEL
To inlay, coat or otherwise decorate with enamel
ENGRAVE 
To inscribe a design or writing onto a block, plate, or other surface by carving, etching, or other process
ETCH 

To wear away the surface of a metal, glass or similar with an acid; to cut or corrode a design on a metal or other printing plate by acid, on parts not covered by wax or acid-resistant coating
FABRICATE
To make, build or construct
FACET
To cut faces, such as in a gemstone
FILE
To shape or smooth a surface with a file
FILIGREE 
Openwork decorations of slender threads and usually tiny balls of gold or silver
FIRE
To bake a ceramic in a kiln to harden the clay and fix the glaze
FLAKE
To peel or cause to peel off in flakes; to cover or become covered with flakes
FORGE 
To shape (metal) by heating and hammering
FRAME 
To enclose a picture, window, door, etc
FROSTING
To cover with icing, as in a cake; a surface roughened, as if to cover with frost and preventing transparency
GALVANISE 
To cover iron or steel with a protective zinc coating by dipping into molten zinc or by electro-deposition
GILD 
To cover with, or as with, gold
GLAZE 
To fit or cover with glass; to cover with a vitreous solution to make impervious to liquid and smooth to touch; to cover (a painting) with a layer of semitransparent colour to modify tones; to make glossy or shiny; a smooth lustrous finish or a fabric produced by various chemicals
GOLD-PLATING
To coat other metal with gold, usually by electro-plating
GOLD-TOOLING
A decorative technique used in leatherwork, especially bookbinding; the design or lettering is stamped, embossed or otherwise impressed on the surface and gold leaf applied with heated tools
GOUACHE
Also known as ‘body colour’; a painting technique using opaque watercolour in which the pigments are bound with glue and the lighter tones contain white
GROUND
A surface finished, thickness reduced or edge sharpened by grinding, such as with a stone axe
HANDMADE 
Made by hand, not machine, usually with great care and craftsmanship
 HANDWRITTEN
 Written by hand
HEWN 
Something struck, especially wood, with cutting blows, as with an axe; to carve from a substance or sever from a larger portion
 HOCHSCHNITT
 Engraving glass in cameo (rather than intaglio), so that the decoration is in relief
HONE 
To sharpen or polish with or as if with a hone (stone)
INLAY
To decorate an object, especially furniture, or a surface, by inserting pieces of wood, ivory or another material into prepared slots in the surface 
INTAGLIO
Incised relief carving, the opposite of cameo, especially on gems, hard stones or glass; also an old printing method
JAPAN
Lacquered with japan or any similar varnish
KNIT
To make a garment or textile by looping and entwining wool by hand, using long, eyeless needles
KNOT

To tie or fasten a knot
LACQUER
Decorative objects coated with lacquer, often inlaid
LAMINATE 
To make material in sheet form by bonding together two or more thin sheets; to cover or overlay with laminae 
 LAPPING
 The process for covering exposed copper in Sheffield plate, usually along rims and edges
LASH
To bind or secure with rope, string or similar
LUTING
To join separate pieces of clay together with liquid slip, such as when applying clay decoration to a vessel
MACHINE 
To shape, cut or remove excess material using a machine tool
MAGNETISE
To make a substance or object magnetic
MARBLING
To colour sheets of paper or edges of books through their contact with patterns of colour floating on water
MASS PRODUCE
To make identical products by machine in very large numbers
METALLIC 
Of, concerned with or consisting of metal
MINT
To make coins by stamping metal
 MOTION PICTURE FILM
 Film strip, with or without sound, bearing a sequence of images which give the illusion of movement when run through a projector
MOULD 
To shape or form, as with a mould
NATURAL PROCESS
Produced by nature
NEGATIVE
Developed photographic image in which the lights and shades are reversed (i.e., in negative), usually then transferred to positive through printing
OIL
To lubricate, smear or polish with oil or an oily substance
OPAQUE
To reduce transparency so light is not transmitted
PAINT 
The act of producing or modifying an item using paint
PHOTOGRAPH
Recording of an image on a sensitised surface by the chemical action of light or radiation; see also print
PLAIT 
To intertwine strands or strips in a braid
PLATE
To coat with a layer of metal
POLISH
To make or become smooth or shiny by rubbing, especially with wax or an abrasive
PRESS
To make objects from soft material by pressing with a mould; to squeeze or compress to alter in shape
PRINT
To reproduce text or pictures, often in large numbers, by applying inks to paper or other materials; to mark or indent a surface by pressing something onto it; to produce a photographic print from a negative, using light and chemicals
PULP
To reduce a material to pulp
PUNCH 
To pierce, cut, stamp, shape or drive with a punch
QUILT
To stitch together two pieces of fabric with a padding or lining between them
RAISING
An ancient craftsman’s process of making a hollow vessel from a sheet of fairly soft metal by hammering it into shape on a wooden block
RECORD
The act or process of recording, especially a sound recording but also documenting through transcription
SCULPT 
To carve, cast, or fashion a material in three dimensions, e.g., the art of making figures or designs in relief
SEW 
To join or decorate pieces of fabric or other material by means of needle and thread
SILVER
To coat with silver or a silvery substance, as in silvering a spoon
SILVER-PLATE
To coat a metal or object with silver through electro-plating
SKIN
To strip of the skin
SMOKE 
To darken glass or similar material by exposure to smoke
SOLDER 
To join or mend with solder; joining metal surfaces by melting an alloy so that it forms a thin layer between the surfaces
SPIN
Form or manufacture by spinning, e.g., spun glass, spun gold
STAIN
A solution of liquid used to penetrate a material’s surface, especially wood, to colour the surface without fully covering its surface texture or grain
STAMP
To impress or mark a device or sign on something
STENCIL 
To mark a surface with a stencil
STEREOTYPE
A pair of photographic prints designed to be viewed in tandem, side by side, to produce an effect of depth; usually used for scenic views and taken with a camera with two lenses
STIPPLE-ENGRAVE
To decorate glass with incised dots of varying density, giving an appearance of light and shade
STUD 
To ornament or make with studs
TAN 
To change to brown through exposure to ultraviolet rays; to convert a skin or hide into leather by treating it with a tanning agent
TAXIDERMY
The art of preparing, stuffing and mounting animal skins so that they have a life-like appearance
THROW
To shape material on a potter’s wheel
TIE-DYE
To dye textiles with patterns produced by tying sections of cloth together so they don’t absorb the dye
TIN 
To plate, coat or treat with tin
TINT
To colour or tinge with colour
TINTYPE 
Photograph, usually portrait, produced in the second half of the 19th century by the collodian process directly on japanned iron; it contains no tin, but is grey or tinny in appearance
TOOL
To decorate a book cover with a bookbinder’s tool
TRANSPARENCY
Lantern slide or other positive image designed to be viewed by looking through it; the colour film for making modern transparencies was introduced in 1935
TURN
To shape or cut a thread in an object by rotating it on a lathe against a cutting tool
TYPE
To write copy using a keyboard
UPHOLSTER
To fit with padding, springs, webbing and covering, e.g., chair, sofa, car seat
VARNISH
To cover with varnish (resinous matter dissolved in volatile liquid) or varnish-like substance
VENEER
To face a material with a thin layer of wood or another material; to conceal something under a pleasing surface
VIDEOTAPE/RECORDING
Recording designed for television playback on which sound and images have been registered electronically
WALTER 
To produce a wavy, lustrous finish on fabrics, especially silk
WAX 
To coat or polish with wax
WEAVE
To  construct something by interlacing elements, especially fabric produced by yarn woven on a loom
WELD
To join pieces of metal or plastic by softening with heat and hammering, or by fusion
construct something by interlacing elements, especially fabric produced by yarn woven on a loom 
WOOD-GRAINING
To apply a pattern to a wood surface that looks like wood grain



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