Sprinkled edges usually are adopted for half calf and cloth work. Ordinary red sprinkle may be made of any cheap dark red pigment carefully ground. Armenian bole (a red earth brought from the East) is usually employed, but red ochre or Indian red will do. The Armenian bole is poured in a small heap on the centre of the grinding slab, a depression is made in the centre of the heap, and a lump of thin paste and a few drops of sweet oil are placed therein. The whole is then mixed well together with a palette knife into a rather moist, red paste. The bulk of the mixture is then pushed on one side, a lump about the size of a walnut being placed in the centre of the slab and ground with the muller, working with a circular motion, until all grittiness has vanished and the paste is quite impalpable. When sufficient of the paste has been ground, it is placed in the sprinkle pot, which is a red earthenware jar large enough to contain as much sprinkle as is likely to be needed. Water is then added, and the sprinkle well stirred until the paste is all dissolved. The books to be sprinkled are ranged side by side on a bench and a cord put round them, or, better, they are screwed up in the lying press. The operator then takes up a blushful of sprinkle, squeezes out the surplus on the edge of the pot, and strikes the brush (keeping it over the pot) across a short thick stick, held in the left hand, until the brush is only slightly charged and the spots or drops thrown off are very small and fine. He then in the same way, keeping his hands tolerably high, strikes the brush forcibly against the stick, so as to send down a shower of very small red spots upon the edges of the book beneath. Considerable practice is re­quired for the proper performance of apparently so simple an operation as sprinkling.

Although the method of preparing red sprinkle has been described at length, the amateur will find that almost any dye or stain (such as Judson's dyes), diluted if necessary, can be used. Some binders use ordinary writing ink even. A method of orna­menting book edges that permits of a great variety of treatment is to scatter over the edges, before sprinkling, rice grains and small seeds, or small paper patterns of various shapes. By altering the arrangement of the seeds or patterns and sprinkling with a different colour a variety of effects can be produced. This method is noted on p. 81. The edges of a book should be burnished after sprink­ling, colouring, or marbling.

Another method of sprinkling, but one that is not recommended is this: A small brush like a sixpenny gum brush, dipped in colour, is held tightly between the finger and thumb of the left hand near to the end of the hair. The forefinger of the right hand strikes the projecting hair with a movement similar to that employed when playing a Jew's harp. The brush does not hold much colour owing to the manner in which it is held in the fingers, and the workman in consequence loses time.

One, two, three, or any number of colors may be used to the same edge, and many combinations have a pleasing effect. A great deal depends upon the taste of the workman.

A good substitute for marbling, and one which looks much better than sprinkling, is mottling. This is done with an open holed sponge filled with colour and daubed lightly over the edge, leaving the natural marks of the sponge. The edge may be colored all over first, or it may be mottled on the white edge alone. Red and black makes a good combination. This style of edge is not very suitable for letterpress work, but it looks its best on heavy account books. It is certainly much more beautiful than some of the Dutch marble patterns seen upon this class of work.

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