Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Guilding \Guild"ing\, n.
   1. The art or practice of overlaying or covering with gold
      leaf; also, a thin coating or wash of gold, or of that
      which resembles gold.

   2. Gold in leaf, powder, or liquid, for application to any
      surface.

   3. Any superficial coating or appearance, as opposed to what
      is solid and genuine.

   {Gilding metal}, a tough kind of sheet brass from which
      cartridge shells are made.

Source : WordNet®

gilding metal
     n : a brass that is rich in copper; used to make articles that
         were to be gilded