What\u2019s Dutch about Dutch metal\/Dutch gold?<\/strong><\/h1>\n![\"Dutch](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/05\/Dutch-Gold-Leaf-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Peter Olexa<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\nDutch gold or Dutch metal is brass that has a yellow color that makes it look like gold. It\u2019s a mixture of almost 90 percent copper, with zinc accounting for the rest.<\/p>\n
The nice thing about Dutch gold is that it\u2019s very malleable, and so it can be used in bronzing and imitating gold leaf. It\u2019s obviously much cheaper to use Dutch gold than to use real gold.<\/p>\n
It is usually used as an alternative to gold leaf.<\/p>\n
So, Dutch gold is basically brass. But what\u2018s Dutch about it? Is it a German technique that has a misnomer, like the Dutch angle<\/a>? Or is Dutch used as a pejorative, like in Dutch courage<\/a> or Dutch uncle<\/a>? Or something else?<\/p>\nWhile its origin isn\u2019t entirely easy to find, it appears to be unrelated to the Dutch. It seems to be a misnomer again!<\/p>\n
The earliest references to the fake gold I could find are German. For example, one particular kind of Dutch metal is \u201cHeyden gold\u201d, named after the German company that invented this specific kind of Dutch gold in the 1920s.<\/p>\n
There are more indications for this German origin with its other name\u00a0Schlagmetall<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0\u201cschlag metal\u201d<\/strong> in English. This name derives from its manufacturing process. The copper-zinc alloy was flattened by\u00a0schlagen\u00a0<\/em>(hitting) it. That\u2019s a German word. The Dutch equivalent would be\u00a0slaan\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0hameren<\/em>.<\/p>\nSo Dutch gold, or Dutch metal, isn\u2019t Dutch at all! It appears to be named after the Germans, who call themselves deutsch<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\nIn the Netherlands, Dutch gold is also known as\u00a0klatergoud<\/em><\/strong>. Because it imitates gold, but isn\u2019t real gold, the word\u00a0klatergoud\u00a0<\/em>is sometimes also used to refer to something that\u2019s seen as useless stuff.<\/p>\nHave you used or seen Dutch metal\/gold before? Do you know other such Dutch terms? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Dutch](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/dutch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2021\/05\/Dutch-Gold-Leaf-350x233.jpg\")
Today, we\u2019ll look at a \u201cDutch\u201d-term again – a shiny one! But is it just sheen? What is Dutch gold, or, more aptly, Dutch metal? For more posts in the “Dutch”-terms series, click here. What\u2019s Dutch about Dutch metal\/Dutch gold? Dutch gold or Dutch metal is brass that has a yellow color that makes it…<\/p>\n
<\/a>Photo by Peter Olexa<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n Dutch gold or Dutch metal is brass that has a yellow color that makes it look like gold. It\u2019s a mixture of almost 90 percent copper, with zinc accounting for the rest.<\/p>\n The nice thing about Dutch gold is that it\u2019s very malleable, and so it can be used in bronzing and imitating gold leaf. It\u2019s obviously much cheaper to use Dutch gold than to use real gold.<\/p>\n It is usually used as an alternative to gold leaf.<\/p>\n So, Dutch gold is basically brass. But what\u2018s Dutch about it? Is it a German technique that has a misnomer, like the Dutch angle<\/a>? Or is Dutch used as a pejorative, like in Dutch courage<\/a> or Dutch uncle<\/a>? Or something else?<\/p>\n While its origin isn\u2019t entirely easy to find, it appears to be unrelated to the Dutch. It seems to be a misnomer again!<\/p>\n The earliest references to the fake gold I could find are German. For example, one particular kind of Dutch metal is \u201cHeyden gold\u201d, named after the German company that invented this specific kind of Dutch gold in the 1920s.<\/p>\n There are more indications for this German origin with its other name\u00a0Schlagmetall<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0\u201cschlag metal\u201d<\/strong> in English. This name derives from its manufacturing process. The copper-zinc alloy was flattened by\u00a0schlagen\u00a0<\/em>(hitting) it. That\u2019s a German word. The Dutch equivalent would be\u00a0slaan\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0hameren<\/em>.<\/p>\n So Dutch gold, or Dutch metal, isn\u2019t Dutch at all! It appears to be named after the Germans, who call themselves deutsch<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n In the Netherlands, Dutch gold is also known as\u00a0klatergoud<\/em><\/strong>. Because it imitates gold, but isn\u2019t real gold, the word\u00a0klatergoud\u00a0<\/em>is sometimes also used to refer to something that\u2019s seen as useless stuff.<\/p>\n Have you used or seen Dutch metal\/gold before? Do you know other such Dutch terms? Let me know in the comments below!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, we\u2019ll look at a \u201cDutch\u201d-term again – a shiny one! But is it just sheen? What is Dutch gold, or, more aptly, Dutch metal? For more posts in the “Dutch”-terms series, click here. What\u2019s Dutch about Dutch metal\/Dutch gold? Dutch gold or Dutch metal is brass that has a yellow color that makes it…<\/p>\n