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by Joseph W. Zaehnsdorf
3rd Edition Published in London 1897
A Gilt edge is the most elegant of all modes of ornamenting
edges, and this branch of bookbinding has from time to time been
so greatly extended, that at the present day there are many
ways in which a book may have the edges gilt, but some
methods are not pursued, either from ignorance on the binder’s
part, or with a view to save expense.
First we have the “plain gilt,” then “gilt in the round”’ then again
some colour under the cold, for instance, “gilt on red,” or
whatever the colour may be, red being mostly used, especially for
religious books. Some edges are “tooled,” and some have a gilt
edge with landscape or scene appropriate to the book painted on
the edge, only to be seen when the book is opened. “Marbling
under gilt” may also be used with good effect; but still better
“marbling on gilt.”
The room where gilt edge work is done should be neither dirty
nor draughty, and the necessary materials are:-
covering a piece of wood, about 12 inches by 6, with a piece of white calf, the rough side outwards, and padding it with
blotting paper and cloth. The pieces underneath should be cut a little smaller than the upper one, so that it will form a
bevel at the edge, but quite flat on the top. The calf to be neatly nailed all round the edge. If the pile of the leather is
too rough, it can be reduced with a piece of pumice stone, by rubbing the stone on the calf with a circular motion.
2nd. Gold Knife – This should be a long knife of thin steel, the blade about one to one and a half inch wide.
3rd. Burnishers – Theses are made of agate tone, and can be purchased of any size. A flat one, and two or three
round ones, will be found sufficient. They should have a very high polish.
4th. Glaire Water or Size – The whit of an egg and a tea-cup full of water are well beaten together, until the albumen
is perfectly dissolved. It must then be allowed to stand for some hours to settle, after which it should be strained
through a piece of linen which has been washed; old linen is therefore preferred to new.
5th. Scrapers - Pieces of steel with the edge or burr made to turn up by rubbing the edge flat over a bodkin or other
steel instrument, so that when applied to the edge a thin shaving of paper is taken off. The beauty of gilding depends
greatly on proper and even scraping.
6th. The Gold Leaf – This is bought in books, the price according to quality; most of the cheap gold comes from
Germany. I recommend the use of the best gold that can be had; it being in the end the cheapest, as cheap gold turns
black by the action of the atmosphere in course of time.
The method of preparing the gold is by making an alloy: gold with silver or copper. It is drawn out into a wire of about
six inches in length, and by being passed again between steel rollers is made into a ribbon. This ribbon is then cut into
squares and placed between vellum leaves, about four or five inches square, and beaten with a hammer somewhat like
our beating hammer, until the gold has expanded to the size of the bellum. The gold is again cut up into squares of
about one inch, and again interleaved; but gold-beaters’ skin is now used instead of vellum; and so by continual
beating and cutting up, the proper thickness is arrived at.
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