Blind Tooling -Most books are further ornamented by having the heated tools stamped on some part of them without any gold; this, of course, only leaves the pattern indented in the leather, and is technically termed" blind tooling." Generally, a

tool is worked" blind" on each side of the gilded fillets. If it be wished that the blind tooling be left "dull" that is to say, free of glair-the latter can be removed with the point of the

finger, wrapped over with a piece of fine cotton and wetted. The pallets used in blind tooling are of the shape shown at Fig. US, with various patterns on the edge.

Some of them are very simple and some very elaborate. At Fig. 119 we give several patterns of pallets. The finishing-press (with the volume screwed up) is turned again, so that the head of the book is to the right hand of the operator, and the pallet heated and worked across on each side of the fillets, so that the completed back presents the appearance of Fig. 120; A being the gold lines, the blind ones being on each side of them.

The book, if a half-bound one, is then taken out and laid on its side on a clean millboard placed on the work-bench, and the two-line fillet (blind) is run along the edges of the sides, both at back and corners, as in Fig. 121.

The finishing of the half-bound book is now completed, if it is only to be plainly bound.

The back is polished with the polisher to render it more glossy and level. There are two forms of this tool, as shown at Fig. 122. A is the more usual form, and the only one suited to the sides of whole-bound books; but B is more useful to apply to the sides of the boards. In either case, the implement is heated on the stove, rubbed clean and bright on a piece of leather, and, the book being held in the left hand, with the head or tail against the workman's abdomen, the polisher, held in the right, is passed swiftly, with a slight, equable pressure, a few times up and down the back of the book.

Very frequently half-calf books are "varnished" over the leather. This is partly in order to give a better gloss than the burnishing will produce, and partly as a preservative for the leather. Bookbinders' varnish can be procured of any of the dealers in bookbinders' materials whom we have enumerated. The French is the best. It is well to give a good price for varnish in preference to using inferior qualities; thereby certainty of a good result is obtained, and the best will go farther, and so be found the cheapest. It can be applied with a bit of sponge.

< Plain Finishing Part 3