COLOURING THE EDGES.
The edges of every book must be in keeping with the binding. A half
roan book should not have an expensive edge, neither a whole bound
morocco book a sprinkled edge. Still, no rule has been laid down
in this particular, and taste should regulate this as it must in
other branches. The taste of the public is so changeable that it is
impossible to lay down any rule, and I leave my reader to his own
discretion.
Here are various ways in which the edges may be coloured.
_Sprinkled Edges._—Most shops have a colour always ready, usually a
reddish brown, which they use for the whole of their sprinkled edge
books. The colour can be purchased at any oil shop. A mixture of
burnt umber and red ochre is generally used. The two powders must be
well mixed together in a mortar with paste, a few drops of sweet oil,
and water. The colour may be tested by sprinkling some on a piece of
white paper, allowing it to dry, and then burnishing it. If the colour
powders or rubs, it is either too thick, or has not enough paste in it.
If the former, some water must be added; if the latter, more paste:
and it will perhaps be better if the whole is passed through a cloth
to rid it of any coarse particles. The books may be sprinkled so as
to resemble a kind of marble by using two or three different colours.
For instance, the book is put in the lying press and a little sand
is strewn upon the edge in small mounds. Then with a green colour a
moderate |68| sprinkle is given. After allowing it to dry, more sand
is put on in various places, a dark sprinkle of brown is put on, and
the whole allowed to dry. When the sand is shaken off, the edge will be
white where the first sand was dropped, green where the second, and the
rest brown.
A colour of two shades may be made by using sand, then a moderately
dark brown sprinkled, then more sand, and lastly a deeper shade of same
colour.
[Illustration: Sprinkling Brush and Sieve.]
There are a few of the “_Old Binders_” who still use what is called the
“finger brush,” a small brush about the size of a shaving brush, made
of stiff bristles cut squarely. They dip it into the colour, and then
by drawing the finger across it jerk the colour over the edge. Another
method is to use a larger brush, which being dipped in the colour is
beaten on a stick or press-pin until the desired amount of sprinkle is
obtained. But the best plan is to use a nail brush and a common wire
cinder sifter. Dip the brush in the colour and rub it in a circular
direction over the cinder sifter. This mode has the satisfactory result
of doing the work quicker, finer, and more uniformly. The head, foredge
and tail must be of exactly the same shade, and one end must not have
more sprinkle on it than the other, and a set of books should have
their edges precisely alike in tone and colour.
_Colours for Sprinkling._—To give an account of how the various colours
are made that were formerly used would be only waste of time, as so
many dyes and colours that |69| answer all purposes may be purchased
ready for instant use. I may with safety recommend Judson’s dyes
diluted with water.
_Plain Colouring._—The colour having been well ground is to be mixed
with paste and a little oil, or what is perhaps better, glaire and
oil. Then with a sponge or with a brush colour the whole of the edge.
In colouring the foredge the book should be drawn back so as to form a
slope of the edge, so that when the book is opened a certain amount of
colour will still be seen. It is often necessary to give the edges two
coats of colour, but the first must be quite dry before the second is
applied.
A very good effect may be produced by first colouring the edge yellow,
and when dry, after throwing on rice, seeds, pieces of thread, fern
leaves, or anything else according to fancy, then sprinkling with some
other dark colour. For this class of work body sprinkling colour should
always be used. It may be varied in many different ways.
_Marbled Edges._—The edges of marbled books should in almost every
instance correspond with their marbled ends.
In London very few binders marble their own work, but send it out of
the house to the _Marblers_, who do nothing else but make marbled edges
and paper. One cannot do better than send one’s books to be marbled; it
will cost only a few pence, which will be well spent in avoiding the
trouble and dirt that marbling occasions; nevertheless I will endeavour
to explain; it is, however, a process that may seem very easy, but is
very difficult to execute properly.
The requisites are a long square wooden or zinc trough about 2 inches
deep to hold the size for the colours to float on; the dimensions to
be regulated by the work to be done. About 16 to 20 inches long and 6
to 8 inches wide will probably be large enough. Various colours are
used, such as lake, rose, vermilion, king’s yellow, yellow ochre, |70|
Prussian blue, indigo, some green, flake white, and lamp black. The
brushes for the various colours should be of moderate size, and each
pot of colour must have its own brush. Small stone jars are convenient
for the colours, and a slab of marble and muller to grind them must
be provided. The combs may be made with pieces of brass wire about
two inches long, inserted into a piece of wood; several of these will
be required with the teeth at different distances, according to the
width of the pattern required to be produced. Several different sized
burnishers, flat and round, will be required for giving a gloss to the
work.
[Illustration: Marbling Trough.]
The first process in marbling is the preparation of the size on which
the colours are to be floated. This is a solution of _gum tragacanth_,
or as it is commonly called, gum dragon. If the gum is placed over
night in the quantity of water necessary it will generally be found
dissolved by the morning. The quantity of gum necessary to give proper
consistency to the size is simply to be learned by experience, and
cannot be described; and the solution must always be filtered through
muslin or a linen cloth before use.
The colours must be ground on the marble slab with a little water, as
fine as possible; move the colour from time to time into the centre
of the marble with a palette knife, and as the water evaporates add a
little more. About one oz. of colour will suffice to grind at once, and
it will take about two hours to do it properly.
Having everything at hand and ready, with the size in |71| the trough,
and water near, the top of the size is to be carefully taken off with a
piece of wood the exact width of the trough, and the colour being well
mixed with water and a few drops of _ox gall_, a little is taken in the
brush, and a _few very fine_ spots are thrown on.
If the colour does not spread out, but rather sinks down, a few more
drops of gall must be carefully added and well mixed up. The top of the
size must be taken off as before described, and the colour again thrown
on.
If it does not then spread out, the ground or size is of too thick
consistency, and some clean water must be added, and the whole well
mixed.
If the colour again thrown on spreads out, but looks rather greyish or
spotty, then the colour is too thick, and a little water must be added,
but very carefully, lest it be made too thin. If the colour still
assumes a greyish appearance when thrown on, then the fault lies in the
grinding, and it must be dried and again ground.
When the colour, on being thrown on, spreads out in very large spots,
the ground or size is too thin and a little thicker size should be
added. Now, if the consistency or the amount of gum water be noticed,
by always using the same quantity the marbler cannot fail to be right.
If the colours appear all right on the trough, and when taken off on a
slip of paper adhere to it, the size and colours are in perfect working
order.
The top of the size must always be taken off with the piece of wood
before commencing work, so that it be kept clean, and the colours must
always be well shaken out of the brush into the pot before sprinkling,
so that the spots may not be too large. The marbler must always be
guided by the pattern he wishes to produce, and by a little thought he
will get over many difficulties that appear of greater magnitude than
they really are.
_Spot Marble._—The size is first to be sprinkled with a |72| dark
colour, and this is always termed the “ground colour,” then the other
colours; bearing in mind that the colour that has the most gall will
spread or push the others away, and this colour should in spot marbling
be put on last.
With very little variation all the other kinds of marbling are done;
but in every case where there are more books or sheets of paper to be
done of the same pattern than the trough will take at once, the same
order of colours must be kept, and the same proportion of each, or one
book will be of one colour and the second entirely different.
_Comb or Nonpareil Marble._—The colours are to be thrown on as before,
but as fine as possible. Then if a piece of wood or wire be drawn
backwards and forwards across the trough, the colours, through the
disturbance of the size, will follow the motion of the stick. A comb
is then to be drawn the whole length of the trough in a contrary
direction. The wire in the comb will draw the colour, and thus will be
produced what is termed comb or nonpareil marble.
The size or width of the teeth of the comb will vary the size of the
marble.
_Spanish Marble._—The ground colour is to be thrown on rather heavily,
the others lighter, and the wavy appearance is caused by gently drawing
the paper in jerks over the marble, thus causing the colour to form
small ripples.
A few drops of turpentine put in the colours will give them a different
effect, viz.,—causing the small white spots that appear on the _shell
marble_.
There are various patterns, each being known by name: old Dutch,
nonpareil, antique, curl, Spanish, shell. An apprentice would do well
to go to some respectable shop and ask for a sheet or two of the
various kinds mentioned, and as each pattern is given to him, write the
name on the back, and always keep it as a pattern for future use and
reference. |73|
_Edges_ are marbled, after making the desired pattern on the trough by
holding the book firmly, pressing the edge on the colour and lifting it
up sharply. The foredge must be made flat by knocking the book on its
back, but the marbler had better tie his book between a pair of backing
boards, so that it may not slip, especially with large books. Care
must be taken with books that have many plates, or if the paper is at
all of a spongy nature or unsized. If a little cold water be thrown on
the edges it will cause the colours to set better. In marbling writing
paper, a sponge with a little alum water should be used to take off the
gloss or shine from the edge, occasioned by the cutting knife, and to
assist the marbling colour to take better.
Paper is marbled in the same way by holding it at two corners; then
gently putting it on the colour and pressing it evenly, but gently all
over, so that the colour may take on every part. It must be lifted
carefully, as the least shake by disturbing the size will spoil the
regularity of the pattern. Paper should be damped over night and left
with a weight on the top. When the paper has been marbled and is dry, a
rag with a little bee’s wax or soap should be rubbed over it, so that
the burnisher may not stick, and may give a finer gloss; this applies
also to the edges in burnishing. Marble paper manufacturers burnish
the paper with a piece of polished flint or glass fixed in a long pole
working in a socket at the top, the other end resting on a table which
is slightly hollowed, so that the segment of the circle which the flint
takes is exactly that of the hollow table. The paper is laid on the
hollow table, and the burnisher is worked backwards and forwards until
the desired gloss is attained. By the best and latest method, the paper
is passed between highly polished cylinders. It is more expensive, on
account of the cost of the machinery, but insures superior effect.
A great deal of paper is now being made by means of a |74| mechanical
process. It has a very high gloss; it is used on very cheap work.
_Sizing._—Paper should be always sized after being marbled. The size is
made by dissolving one pound of best glue in five gallons of water with
half a pound of best white soap. This is put into a copper over night,
and on a low fire the next morning, keeping it constantly stirred to
prevent burning. When quite dissolved and hot it is passed through a
cloth into a trough, and each sheet passed through the liquor and hung
up to dry; when dry, burnish as above.
But it will be far cheaper to buy the paper, rather than make it at the
cost of more time than will be profitable. The charge for demy size is
at the rate of 20_s._ to 95_s._ per ream, according to the quality and
colour; but to those to whom money is no object, and who would prefer
to make their own marbled paper, I hope the foregoing explanation will
be explicit enough.
The “English Mechanic,” March 17th, 1871, has the following method of
transferring the pattern from ordinary marble paper to the edges of
books:—
“Ring the book up tightly in the press, the edge to be as flat as
possible; cut strips of the best marble paper about one inch longer
than the edge, make a pad of old paper larger than the edge of the
book, and about a quarter inch thick; then get a piece of blotting
paper and a sponge with a little water in; now pour on a plate
sufficient spirits of salts (muriatic acid) to saturate the paper,
which must be placed marble side downwards on the spirit (not dipped in
it); when soaked put it on the edge (which has been previously damped
with a sponge), lay your blot paper on it, then your pad, now rap it
smartly all over, take off the pad and blot, and look if the work is
right, if so, take the book out and shake the marble paper off; when
dry burnish.”
At a lecture delivered at the Society of Arts, January, |75| 1878, by
Mr. Woolnough, a practical marbler, the whole process of marbling was
explained. Mr. Woolnough has since published an enlarged treatise on
marbling,[6] and one that should command the attention of the trade. A
copy of the Society’s journal can be had, describing the process, No.
1,314, vol. XXVI., and will be of great service to any reader, but his
work is more exhaustive.
[6] George Bell and Sons, York Street, Covent Garden.
[Illustration: Leo’s Mechanical Marblers.]
A transfer marble paper may now be had, and from examples sent me the
process seems fairly workable. The following is the method of working
sent by the importers of the paper:—
“Place the book in the press. The book edge which is to be marbled
has to be rubbed with pure spirits of wine; the dry strip of transfer
marble is then to be put on the edge. The white back or reverse side,
whilst being pressed hard against the book edge, is to be moistened
carefully with boiling water, by dabbing a saturated sponge on it;
this dabbing process to be continued so long till the colour will show
through the white back—a proof that it is loosened from the paper. Then
remove the white paper, and let the edge dry slowly. When quite dry
burnish.”
[Illustration: Leo’s Mechanical Marblers.]
Another invention is to marble the edges by means of one or more
rollers. The top roller or rollers holds the colour, which is
distributed on the under rollers; these, in turn, ink the edge on being
passed over it. The books are naturally held in the press whilst this
is being done. |76|
[Illustration: Cut from Book “School of Arts,” 1750.]
From a book, the “School of Arts,” third edition, 1750, which has a
chapter on marbling, the following, with cut, is taken:—
“When thus you have your colours and all things in good order, then
take a pencil, or the end of a feather, and sprinkle or put first your
red colour; then the blue, yellow, green, etc. Begin your red from
No. 1, and go along your trough to No. 2, also the blue from No. 3,
all along to No. 4; the yellow and green put here and there in the
vacant places. Then with a bodkin or a small skewer draw a sort of a
serpentine figure through the colours, beginning from No. 1 to No.
2; when this is done, then take your comb and draw the same straight
along from |77| No. 1 to No. 2. If you have some turnings or snail
work on your paper, then with a bodkin give the colours what turns you
please. (See the plate.)
[Illustration: Leo’s Marbling Set.]
“Thus far you are ready in order to lay on your paper, which must be
moistened the day before, in the same manner as book-printers do their
paper for printing; take a sheet at a time, lay it gently upon your
colours in the trough, press it slightly with your finger down in such
places where you find the paper lies hollow; this done, take hold at
one end of the paper, and draw it up at the other end of the trough;
hang it up to dry on a cord; when dry, glaze it, and it is done.
You may also embellish your paper with streaks of gold, by applying
mussel gold or silver, tempered with gum water, among the rest of the
colours.”
This last paragraph shows that the gold vein which is now in such
demand is really over 150 years old.
Messrs. Leo, of Stuttgart, have put together a complete marbling
apparatus, containing colours, gall, cups, combs, sticks, filter,
brushes, etc., the whole in a box. To a small country bookbinder this
is indispensable.
|78|