III. A method that may be found more convenient for heavy forms, is to hold the pen across the form to be gilded (which has previously been marked on the parchment) with its nib resting on the further outline (a, fig. [97]). The nib being moved along that line, by contact with the parchment restrains the size from passing beyond it, while allowing it to flow out freely behind and below (a, 2). The opposite side is similarly treated, and, if the form be narrow, the size as it flows out blends with that already laid (b). The ends of the form are finished in like manner (c). [p150]
The angle of the pen with the parchment is less for a wider form (b, 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. [184]). 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 [p151] drawer or safe place where it cannot be smudged or get dusty.
Drying the Size.—The average time allowed is twenty-four hours, but it varies with the weather and the temperature; damp weather may make a longer time necessary, and dry 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.