- insufficient breathing on, or
- too absorbent nature or condition of, size.
- a. Damp weather.
- b. Insufficient time allowed for drying.
- c. Too much sticky matter in size.
Both paper and parchment when much wet with size are apt to cockle. Generally it is not possible, or desirable (see p. [174]), to guard against this by first stretching the material, but the size may be used with less water, so that it will dry sooner. In cases where there is a gold background it may often be divided into small parts (to be sized at different times) by the pattern (see p. [191]). For large unbroken patches of gold several thin coats may be put on, one after the other.
Some sizes have a tendency to crack: this is difficult to guard against. But, if the cracks are very minute—such as may be seen in many instances in the best early MSS.—they do not constitute a serious blemish.
Burnished gold is often damaged by careless handling or insufficient protection.
GOLD WRITING
The page (having been ruled as for ordinary writing) is thoroughly pounced all over.
The pen has an extra long slit, and the size is made a little more fluid than usual to allow of its flowing freely and making true pen-strokes (p. [63]).
The desk is lowered (fig. [46], b), or flat, so that the size may flow freely.