Practical Bookbinding

g, &c., the Edge

quickly become soiled. As a matter of fact, the binder always uses a covering of gold or colour for this

ps of colour to fall like a fine rain. For this work the book is screwed up in the press (which is laid flat) by means of the press-jack. As a sprinkling colour, nut-wood stain thinned with water is used, or indigo, carmine, Prussian blue, mahogany brown, green cinnabar, all well diluted with water, with the

ing a coarser kind of sprinkling. Similarly rice, barley, even starch or drops of wax are used. All these edges are out of date an

bling an edge-marbling roller

e by means of which smooth coloured edges can be rolled over. These edges are passable only when carefully and skilfully executed; as a rule they look

e coloured edge is

and also other colours that cover well, indigo, carmine, and Prussian blue-are ground to a fine powder

must be a preparation

water. After about five minutes the colour may be laid on. Hog's-hair brushes are used for this. Re

oint of a stick, a bluntly pointed cork, or even the finger-tip, figures may be traced in the colour when laid on, and then the figures may be brought out better

es, and the paste colour must not be laid on

gold tooling and afford considerable sco

e allowing greatest variety of treatment is

h of our work, thanks to the careful experiments and excellent demons

, and a colour containing more gall forcing off the one first applied. Besides, the colours may be drawn about with a pencil or stick without th

es of consistency, and the atmosphere both in and ou

, and placed on the fire, great care being taken to catch it just at boiling point or it will all boil over. At the right moment take the saucepan from the fire and strain the contents through a hair sieve, what remains being thrown

quite

also be used as a body, but Halfer's colo

s about 15 cm. in width, 50 cm. in length, and 3 cm. in depth, and has a sloping partitio

s kept for each colour, and also a ho

part tied not exceeding 1 cm. The bristles of the brush are tied back so as to form loops and held awhile in boiling water

ed only for laying on the first colour. For some edges a wide brush is used, so that the whole

ious widths; these are easily made by glueing pins with their heads at fixed distances between two strips of mill-board: the result is a tool resemblin

Marbling

pt all the styles at once, but should be content to learn one before proceeding t

our is shaken into each bowl and its brush placed with it, and one or two drops of

e bottom of the gall bladder is pierced so that the bladder empties its contents into the bottle. After finding the weight of the gall, add to the weight of the gall a

he order in which they are to be used, beginning

ue; r-red; ye

he colour on the surface; but if a cloudy connection can be traced from the surface to the bottom then the body has already become sour and in most cases unfit for use. If the colour does not retain its smooth outlines and becomes jagged, it also shows that the body is too old. If, however, the drop extends as desired and shows none of the faults above mentioned, a drop of blue colour is let fall in the centre of the first, which drives out the first drop in the form

n width and a little longer than the trough is wide. The edge of the strip is placed slantingly at the end of the tank in the surface

nd out amongst them. If too much colour follows the stick, the bod

following manner: Along the middle of the trough the darkest colour is sprinkle

stion for spr

the right and the other on the left of the centre colour. Into each drop of

ewise with the comb. Neither stick nor comb should be dipped more than about 2 mm.

he best width and sufficient for most cases. If the comb is drawn back agai

further varied if figures are traced i

-Comb m

estion for c

and eye marbling can be produced. The double comb is drawn over the length of the trough, at the same time moving the

gh the finished comb marble design, and if the double comb is used immed

ns, but these are better applied to paper, as trimmed edges are mo

uet or peaco

-Eye ma

ush is taken with the hand and dipped, shaken out a little, and then lightly knocked on the left hand so as to sprinkle the colour. The drops will fall in a dense shower, and, owing to their extra impetus, will drive together the preceding ones, and yet they will form the principal colour in the design. If it is desired to have veins of white in the design, a few drops of gall should be added to a little water in a bowl and used as any other colour; the same appl

lack, red, and light brown, or white, are all sprinkled on with a brush, length (not cross) wise drawn through, and then grey with a few d

d; black, blue. The first colour is laid on in rings with a brush and must be strong enough to spread over two-thirds the width of the trough; the second colour is sprinkled over with a little birch broom in drops that spread out to the size of a half-crown. Lastly, the so-called sprinkl

ker shade of red is to be taken, as the light carmine lake colour

it on a stone or metal slab. In all cases the marbling is done-both with papers and books-by dipping from one corner to the other diagonally opposite, but never deeper than just sufficient to take off the layer of colour. To prevent the colour from getting between the leaves, the edges are held between z

s are washed over. The moisture must have thoroughly soaked in,

This occurs in from 20 to 30 minutes, according to the temperature. Marbling can onl

The body must be skimmed each time before sprinkling the colour

as appeared under the title: [4]Fortschritte der Marm

pment of the A

und. In every case the book must be placed in the press within boards. These boards are narrow strips, about 1/2 cm. thick

from wood of very open grain, and firs and oaks must not be used. The boards are to be somewhat longer than the edge about to be treated, so that the edge m

the others; the book is so placed in the press, and here again the book and boards must be exactly level with the press cheeks.

rangement of flat

t 3 mm. has been ground. The edge thus gets a turned edge, with which the book is scraped. If it should cease to "take," the old edge is rubbed down with a steel and a new one made by a few firm strong rubbings. The edge should be wetted a little to prevent its heating. Flat edges are

orwards. The press must be made immovable. Scraping is continued until all places have been gone over and the whole is perfectly smooth and even. When this is accomplished, the edges are thinly coated with p

to the trade ready prepared under the name "Poliment." Some time before using, it should be scraped into a suitable vessel and mixed with glair. The latter is pre

e gold is laid on. There are various methods of doing this. The

d over the wool a pad of blotting-paper. The gold knife is a thin, pliant, two-edged knife without a sharp edge, in fact it is better to blunt the fore-edge from time to time by rubbing it on a polished steel. If the knife is too sharp it will cut the leather cushion. Taking the gold from the book will not be found a very easy task. The top leaf covering the gold is turned back, the book with the uncovered leaf of gold laid on the cushion, and the book slowly lifted up. Th

d, or else the so-called orange gold, which is somewh

der than the book and into as many strips as would

strip so that it slightly overlaps the other until the whole length is covered with gold. If the gold should be injured in any way, the press must be tilted so as to allow a little glair to run under the gold to the spot and then a larger piece is laid over the faulty place. When it is seen that all parts are completely covered, the press-jack is put aside, the press is taken by the screws between the beams and raised high overhead so that the gilded part is turned downwards. One end is carefully lowered until the glair has run to one side and dripped off. As soon as the greater part of the moisture has been removed, the press is either placed upright with the edge to the wall and head downwards or it is laid across

wever, the whole process has gone on satisfactorily, the edge is gone over with a linen rag and a little beeswax. It is not at all better to use a silk rag instead of linen, for it happens too easily that tiny threads stick to the gold unnoticed and are afterwards rubbed into the edge. After going over the edge with the waxed rag, the bare edges may take a greater pressure in burnishing, and if no flaws are now perceptible there need be no hesitation in burnishing with very strong pressure. The burnisher must be held quite level, the lon

ts the gold, which rubs off under the burnisher

rnished, the waxed cloth must be

the edges had not yet been gone over with the waxed rag, it would be sufficient to breathe on the place, lay on the gold, and burnish under paper. This need only stand a few minutes, as it quickly evapo

gold is cut to a little more than half width, and only the under side to a little beyond the middle is glaired, which in this case must be done very freely. The strips of gold-leaf are laid on as before. When one side has been covered with gold, the press is turned and the other ha

o the centre of the round and then the other. Only thin books are burnished along the edges with a round

ish, but this may be due to our being more accustomed to its use. In selecting burnishers

e outer boards-these protect the book from injury. The boards (the short sides of cross-boards are often used instead) are laid exactly in the groove at the back, but the outer boards are set back so that they are exact

e that no glair runs on to the fore-edge when applying it or when draining it off. It is convenient to place the press crosswise on the table so that the fore-edge stands at its lower side; the glair then drains off the whole length of the edge more evenly and drains more towards the fore-

edge arrange

cked up and laid on. Round edges may be similarly covered by means of a couple of threads or horse-hairs stretched on a frame. The threads can be shifted to the short sides of the frame; they are adjusted to the width of the edge, allowing for the rounding, and are

is not quite so safe as laying on with a gi

or laying on at one time. Select a piece of stiff and not too thin paper, cut into strips about the width of the strips of the gold-leaf, draw one side of the pa

oughly prepared; in particular, they are not scraped, but rubbed down with sand-paper. Blood serum is used instead

ne solution: one tablet of ge

nd painted. This work comes within the sphere of t

be burnished in the same way as gilt edge

ted round a thin cord. After drying, pieces the exact size of the back of the book are cut off. The back of the book at the head is glued with a not

Headband

pads, each edge having a different colour. This band is cut along the middle for use; for the rest, it is cut into pieces according to the width of the book and then glued on to the back. Better

k can only be learned by practice, although its execution is

tough, thin pasteboard may be pasted to further strengthen. These strips are cut a little less than the height of the squares and

ht over from below, and is stitched from above to below close to the head, with the hanging needle through the first sheet under the kettle stitch outwards. Bring the same thread once more up over the strip, let the needle hang in the hollow of the fore-edge, taking in its stead the other thread which takes up the first, bringing it out underneath the vellum strip. By this, the first thread is firmly drawn as a chain stitch into the headband now beginning. The second thread is now brought upwards but need not again be taken through the sheet; it is taken back under the vellum strip o

Headband

third thread of another colour in the centre of the headband. Any

e. It is cut long enough to allow of its projecting a little at the head and pasted there, and at the same tim