The covers of books bound in plain uncolored calf or sheepskin are sometimes sprinkled in order to relieve the monotony of a plain unornamented surface. But the custom is not so common now as it was fifty or more years ago. Very pretty effects can, however, be produced in this way. The materials and the methods employed are the same as adopted for sprinkling book edges.

Sprinkling on panels, as illustrated by Fig. 71 (see opposite page), is a style of ornamentation that may be made very effective. By calling the work a kind of stenciling, the manner of doing it is explained. Such panels, borders, or other patterns are afterwards blind tooled by the finisher.

The marbling of the covers of leather bound books is produced by the application of solutions of pearl ash and green copperas. The book is supported open as for sprinkling. The operator dips into clean water a coarse brush or a bundle of feathers tied together, and throws some large drops of water on the book. As the covers are extended in a slanting position, these drops of water run down and form irregular rivulets. A smaller brush is then dipped into a strong solution of pearl ash (potash), with which the cover of the book is lightly sprinkled, and lastly a solution of green copperas is added with a still smaller brush. All this is done so quickly that the drops of water trickling down carry with them some of each of these solu­tions and stain the leather a rich brown (pearlash) and black (copperas). The cover is then well sponged with clean water.

Tree marbling is formed on calf bound books in much the same manner as ordinary sprinkling, except that the boards are bent outwards to allow the water and colors to run to the centre and produce what seem to be the branches of trees. The name is also given to such processes as endeavor to imitate the grain of wood. As the success of the processes often depends on the quickness with which they are executed, it is important that the colors, sponges, brushes, etc., are easy of access.

For this work the books are bound with what is termed fair calf, this being leather which has not been dyed. First the books must be carefully washed with paste water containing a little salts of tartar and then left to dry. Some workers also coat them with glare, but this, whilst allowing the colors to flow freely, has a tendency to prevent them striking in where wanted. When thoroughly dry the volume is placed between marbling rods, the sides .of the book hanging over with the leaves between the rods as shown in Fig. 72.

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