FINISHING:

Gold Tooling

"Striking" the tool: 

If the "blinding-in" has been done carefully, it will be found that the edges of each impression are quite firm and act as a guide for the tools, so that in a very short time the oper­ator works as much by the "feel" of the leather as by his eyesight.

After all that part of the pattern to which gold has been applied has been worked over with the tools, the surplus gold should be removed with prepared rubber or with an oiled rag. After this has been done, the pattern should be rubbed over very thoroughly with a pad of fresh, loose, absorbent cotton. This penetrates into the depressions enough to remove all the ragged edges of gold which may still be present. It will then be seen whether the operation has been a success or not. It may ke that some portion of it has been slightly burned, or at least the tool has been some­what too hot to give a bright impression, which is shown by the frosted appearance which gold has under such circumstances. Other spots may show that the tool was not hot enough, in which case the gold will not stick and may disappear partly or completely when the rubber is used. The whole surface should be re-glaired and retooled, and this should be repeated until it is satisfactory. If the design here and there is scorched, or if, after several attempts, the work is not satisfactory, it should be washed out entirely with vinegar; sponge it out first and clean out the depressions more carefully, say with the pointed end of a soft wooden match, wet in vinegar. After washing out, it may be glaired again while still moist, but should be left until next day to dry out, and then before tooling glaired again with very thin glaire.

If, however, the finishing already done seems to be satisfactory, it should be glaired again carefully. While the glaire is drying another small portion which has already been glaired-in and is dry should be now tooled in the same manner.

Tooling a second small portion of the design in this way takes up some time, so that the part first worked (and which has been glaired-in again) is now dry enough to be retooled. As a rule, it is unnecessary to do the tooling more than twice, but leather is of such different degrees of firmness and quality that it is sometimes necessary to go over the same spot three or four times.



In this connection it may be said that the beauty of the work done by the French binders is due not so much to the quality of the materials used as to the fact that almost all their work is gone over time after time, until the tooling is absolutely "solid."

I advise the beginner not to cover too great a surface at a time, but to work very slowly in small sections, and to complete each section before beginning a new one. Tooling a large surface and leaving it in an imperfect and unfinished condition results in one's losing interest in the work and not finishing it in proper manner. "Make haste slowly" is of more importance in this branch of procedure than anywhere else.) When the tooling of any one day is finished it should he thoroughly sponged with a pledget of absorbent cotton soaked in benzine. This is particularly necessary in leathers of delicate shades in order to remove the stains of the oil. This washing with benzine has no effect on the tooling itself (providing it is properly done).