The Progress of the Marbling Art Part 14

The repairing of gilt-edges should be avoided as much as possible.

Should it become, nevertheless, unavoidable, then moisten the spots to be repaired with the solution of alb.u.men described above, lay on gold leaf, allow the spots which you wish to repair to become dry, rub off and burnish as usual.

In place of alb.u.men solution, sulphuric ether can be used for repairing.

The latter has the advantage of causing the spots so repaired to become dry immediately, but it causes a lighter spot to appear in the gilt-edge. Alcohol, lightly applied, can also be used for this purpose and with more security. The gilding of the hollow edge is produced in the same way as that of the level edge. In sc.r.a.ping, curved sc.r.a.pers are used. To lay on the gold use the frame. Transfer the gold leaf from the gold cus.h.i.+on to the strings of the frame, then carefully bring these strings closer to each other, so that the gold leaf is no longer straight, but somewhat hanging down. Then transfer it to the sized edge.

To burnish give the hand press an oblique position, making the front of the press lay lower than the rear so that one half of the hollow edge has a more horizontal position, and burnish it with a flat burnisher in the same manner as the level edge. This being done, the remainder of the hollow edge is likewise treated at the same time, giving the press a different position. Only after the edge has been burnished on both sides with a flat burnisher, is the round burnisher (tooth) used to finish the hollow edge on its length.

Gilding on a colored, especially a red edge is very effective. These gilt-edges with an underlying red-edge are of English origin and are used generally for Bibles and prayer books. The fore edge of such books is colored in an oblique position of the edge, and they therefore have not a golden, but a red effect, when opened.

The production of such edges demands a certain experience, if the coloring of the fore-edge shall have a correct effect, and the leaves of the book are to be as little as possible impregnated by the color.

This color must be mixed like any other edge colors with gum-arabic, starch paste or the white of an egg.

All etching substances, such as spirits of ammonia, must be avoided as they often cause the color to soak too deeply into the paper.

In manipulating the fore edge, open the book slightly, fasten the edge in this oblique position and then lightly apply the color.

When this has thoroughly dried, open the edge towards the other side and continue with the same procedure.

The different leaves are thus not only colored at the edges proper, but the color has also been slightly imparted to the upper and lower sides of the leaves at the same time, and for this reason the edge of the book, after it is gilded, appears reddish when the book is opened out.

The upper and lower edges must be treated as all other colored edges.

In producing the gilt-edge in the way above mentioned, rubbing off with paste and grounding with bole must of course not be employed.

The production of edges with metal leaf or aluminium, is under the same rules as for gilt edges.

To produce silver edges, a sizing material of a solution of gelatine (one half of a gelatine cake to one cup of water) is used as a surrogate to the alb.u.men. This can also be employed in the laying on of aluminium.

For base metal leaf care should be taken that a soft, thin article is used, the one of a light hue is more pliable on account of the larger quant.i.ty of tin contained in it than is in the darker copper one.

The more pliable French aluminium is preferable to the brittle German article.

If gilt-edges are to be produced upon unsized paper, the edges must be sized with a solution of gelatine.

Colored Edges with Front and End Gilding.

COLORED EDGES WITH FRONT AND END GILDING.

The effect of edges gilt front and back with marbling between is beautiful. This edge is especially applicable to books of large size.

The plain red-edge (carmine) and every marbled edge can be used in this connection.

Antique marbles are greatly adapted to this kind of book-edge decoration.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The production of these edges does not offer any especial technical difficulties. The book block must be treated as a hollow edge and must be sc.r.a.ped and then decorated with antique marbling or red color.

This having been done, insert the book into the hand-press and mark correctly how far the gilding is to be done.

To put on the gold, a solution of alb.u.men is applied to the spots to be gilded and then a good and substantial gold leaf is laid on. As soon as the edge is dry, burnish as any other gilt-edge.

A fine chased pearl line at the meeting of the two edges, will greatly enhance the effect of this beautiful edge.

The Punched or Chased Gilt-Edge.

THE PUNCHED OR CHASED GILT-EDGE.

The procedure by which the effect of the gilt-edge is enhanced and enlivened by chasing is very old, in fact nearly as old as the gilt-edge itself. It has been driven out of the market as many another thing by over production and has finally become obsolete. In recent times it has been taken up again on account of the progress in the industrial arts and is now very highly esteemed. The design for such a decoration of gilt-edges should always be prepared by an artist and should always conform strictly to the decorations of the cover.

Technically, the production of such edges is not difficult. Some talent for drawing and a sure hand are necessary, but the artist is repaid for his labor by the interest he derives from the execution of such kind of work.

There are two ways of producing them.

The first makes the ornament appear bright, while the ground remains dull, in the other the dull ornament appears on the s.h.i.+ning ground surface.

The first is the more effective and the more easily produced.

The gilt-edge is here to be treated like every other plain gilt-edge, to produce dull ground, burnish with a piece of paper between the book edge and the burnisher.

CHASED EDGES.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fd. Tondorf Cliche,--Property of OTTO SPAMER.]

CHASED EDGES.

Transfer the design on thin tissue paper, lay the paper carefully upon the edge of the book placed in the press so that design and edge tally perfectly, and fasten the paper by pasting it on the gilding boards.