Laying & The angle of the pen with the parchment is less
Burnishing for a wider form (b, fig. 98).

Gold

anßlc of pen (fi-) Ojißie ofpen 7

tor narrow Гсптп for vende form t d

of

for narrow form

Fig. 98.

As a general rule the size should stand pretty
high when wet; it shrinks in drying, and, if it forms
too thin a coat, it will neither hold the gold-leaf fast
nor burnish well. While the size is still wet it is
easy to raise it to any height desired by running more
size into the form in the manner described above. It
is well, however, not to raise the size too high, as
burnished gold too much raised looks out of place
on a page and has a heavy and vulgar appearance
(p. 150). Very high raising also does not dry so well,
and when dry it is more liable to chip.

The work of laying the size should be carried
out as quickly as possible. If one part of the form
is left any appreciable time before the remaining
parts are sized, the first part will begin to settle
and dry, and the different layings will not blend or
lie evenly. Though the size is thick and awkward
to use at first, a little skill will coax it quickly and
evenly out of the pen, and it will all blend and dry
with an even surface.

When it is sized, put the work away to dry in a
116

Laying &
Burnishing
Gold

LAYING THE GOLD-LEAF

Note.—In illuminated MSS., the simplest and best
method to follow is to lay andfinish the gold before apply¬
ing the colours (the gold may be laid last of all if there
should be a special risk of injury—pp. 136—7).

The process of gold-laying must be carried out
steadily and quickly; all the necessary tools, &c.,
should be ready to hand (see p. 111).

The Gold-Leaf.—This is sold in books of twenty-
five leaves. The ordinary leaf, about 2Ì inches
square, consisting of gold and alloy, is said to be
beaten out to less than inch in thickness. As

gold sticks readily to gold, especially when very thin
and liable to wrinkle and fold over, or to paper, red

1 The dryness of east wind or frost makes gold-laying and
burnishing very difficult (see p. 129).

117

drawer or safe place where it cannot be smudged or
get dusty.

Drying the Size.—The time that the size is
allowed to dry varies very much with the weather
and the temperature; damp weather may make a
longer time necessary, and dry1 weather or heat will
shorten the time. The thickness of the raising affects
the time very much ; a very thin coat will dry in an
hour or two, while an extra thick coat may take
several days. Size not dry enough is too sticky to
burnish ; if too dry, it is so absorbent that it sucks up
all the moisture which is breathed on it. To ensure
the gold-leaf’s sticking thoroughly, it is safer on the
whole to gild the size while it is still slightly damp,
and delay the burnishing till it is drier.

The time to allow and the right condition of the
size for gilding can only be accurately judged by
experience.1