Page 70 - My FlipBook

54 THE TREATMENT OF TEETH
more softly and easily if not so highly annealed,
(particularly if in the pellet form) and as something
less than full annealing is often desirable in order
to secure ease of working and ready adaptability to
cavity walls, many operators find it useful to anneal
each piece of gold by passing it over or through the
flame just before placing it in the cavity, and by
this means to vary the cohesiveness as desired.
Others, again, will anneal all the gold necessary
Strips of
for an operation before commencing it.
thin tape are almost impossible to anneal evenly
in the naked flame unless the following procedure
is adopted, which is very satisfactory —After fold-
:
ing the sheet of gold, cut it into oblong pieces about
half an inch wide, and one or two inches long • take
hold of one end of this broad, flat piece of gold with
foil carriers, and hold it over the flame until it be-
comes just red hot, then transfer the foil carriers to
the other end, and re-anneal it by this means the part
;
that was originally held by the point of the carriers,
and which would consequently be imperfectly heated,
is fully annealed, and if anything like reasonable
care is taken, the gold is not in any way over-an-
nealed at any part. A great amount of gold may
be annealed in this way before the operation is com-
menced, and will hold its cohesive properties for a
considerable time. If, however, the surface of the