Vern, That could be the case, although I would offer the observation that the gold/mercury amalgam tends to go where it wants to which could be all over the blade. On older brass hilts it�s not as noticeable, but is present as a greater degree of thickness in some locations than others. A closeup image showing how the fire gilt spread out from the engraved areas. Where the amalgam was originally painted on before it was placed in a furnace to burn off (vaporize) the mercury. Also note the places where it is thicker than others in the image (and the arrows showing some of the locations where it spread out).
PS: We used to play with mercury when I was a kid. But knowing what I know now, I don�t go near it without protection from contact with the skin, much less in a closed environment. IMHO electroplating after masking is much safer. But to each his own as everyone has their own preferences. Regards, FP
