For finishing bindings, real gold leaf orange tint is used almost exclusively the cheaper green gold being used only for sample cases and school books. Alloyed metal and aluminum (this is now commonly used instead of the quickly oxidizing silver) are used almost solely in the manufacture of papers deluxe and for placards.

Pure gold leaf is always laid on the sized cover after the surface to be blocked has been lightly gone over with a ball of oiled cotton wool, or a slightly greased rag. This must never be done to such a degree as to cause grease spots. Calf must not be thus treated with grease, but if the gold is not likely to stick at certain places, the first impression may be picked out with a brush slightly oiled so as to make the leaf adhere. Dark polished calf will, however, stand a little oil.

Fine leathers are first stamped and the impression is gone over with a brush, then the gold is laid on and again impressed. The gold is lifted from the cushion with a gilder's tip or a pad of cotton wool and transferred to the cover. The gilder's tips consist of square pieces of cardboard a little smaller than the piece of gold to be used, to the under side of which is pasted a piece of cloth. A handle of cardboard or a button is pasted on top for convenience of holding.

Draw this tip lightly over the hair, press it on the gold, which will lightly adhere to it, and then transfer the gold to the surface to be stamped, where it is pressed down with cotton wool, which should be surgical wool, as that kind is free from knots. Many prefer a tuft of cotton wool rolled into a handy size, this is likewise drawn over the hair, and the rest clone as before.

When gilding powder is used, the gold must not be laid on with the pad. The gold must be placed on the powder by hand only, a task calling for considerable adroitness. The gold is taken up with the gold knife, aided by a moistened finger tip taking a corner, passed over the surface with the knife, brought to the required position with the hanging corner, and now the knife is taken away flat sideways. The gold must lie quite even on the powdered surface. Any subsequent shifting of the gold is entirely out of the question, because the layer of powder would be disturbed and might not hold in places.
To know exactly what degree of heat should be applied requires special study, and the pity is that fixed rules cannot be given one day a black morocco goat-skin may stand a great heat, whilst 'on another day the saJ1.1e heat applied to similar stuff might burn it up. Cloth is always the same, calf leather papers, skytogen, &c., are much more difficult. On the whole, the following rules may be observed:

Cloth ... white of egg (or glair)... medium heat
Sheep-skin... " ... slight heat
Goat-skin ... " ... medium heat
Morocco... " ... medium heat
Silk... white gilding powder... short hot pressure
Surface
papers and cardboards... yellow “ “ short medium pressure

Calf ... glair hot (light leathers somewhat less heat)

Varnished paper …. ….. ….. little heat
The latter contains sufficient adhesive matter in the color without using any other size, even for alloyed gold, but the covers must, however, be slightly moist. For this purpose they are left overnight in a damp cellar or placed between slightly damped boards.

< Working with Blocking Press Part 5