7. Apply a piece of cotton, slightly oiled, to the gold leaf which will instantly stick. It can then be transferred to the book, where the sweet oil will hold it securely.
8. Test the type for heat. A little practice will soon teach the novice when the type is hot enough. The object of heating the type is to make the gold combine with the glaire in such a way as to cause the gold to adhere. It is better to have the type too cold rather than too hot. If it is too cold, the gold will not stick and the work must be done over again; if too hot, it burns the leather or cloth and the damage is irremediable. For cloth work the type can be used hotter than for leather.
9. Apply type to the book, pressing down firmly. The pressure makes an indentation. If the materials are of the right quality, the work carefully done and the type of the right degree of heat, the gold will be firmly embedded.
10. With the specially prepared rubber remove the waste gold. When the rubber has absorbed all the gold that it is capable of taking up, it may be sent to a dealer who will refine it and give credit for the gold which it contains. About one-third of the original cost of the gold should be obtained from the sale of the waste.
Whenever books are bound in light colored cloths on which gold does not readily show use a black ink specially made for this purpose. It is much easier to use than gold, since the ink is evenly spread on a smooth, hard surface and the type is used cold. No glaire is necessary.
CHAPTER XI
MAGAZINE BINDERS
One of the vexing questions which properly comes under the head of binding is that of magazine binders used on current periodicals in reading rooms. The binding of current numbers for circulation is described on page 190. It must be admitted that no binder on the market is perfectly satisfactory. Some hold the periodicals satisfactorily but are hard to adjust. Others are easy to adjust but the magazines slip out easily, or can with ease be surreptitiously removed. Some have keys which become lost or will not work; some are clumsy; and some have projections which scratch tables. All are hard to hold in the hands. On an average a new binder is put on the market each year with the assurance of the maker that all faults have been eliminated. A trial soon convinces the librarian that it is no better than others and that the perfect binder does not exist.