Gold Leaf Printing.
Gold leaf printing requires much more care than bronze printing, but if properly managed will be found to be a great improvement. Ink should be made of chrome yellow, mixed with Venice turpentine, virgin wax and varnish. Cut the gold leaf into slips a shade wider than the lines it is to cover, ink the form in the usual way, and pull a sheet; then lay on the gold leaf with no great harm. Some colors will not keep at all, and others deposit at the bottom of the can almost all their solid ingredients. It is not easy to alter this, but colza oil will at least prevent the surface skinning over.
To Prevent Colored Inks from Becoming Hard.
Red and some other colored inks are often found to become so hard in a few weeks after the can has been opened that the knife can scarcely be got into them, and they cannot be got to work at all. Oil, varnish and turpentine are of no use in such a case; the remedy is paraffine oil mixed well up with the old ink. Many prefer paraffine oil rather than boiled oil or turps for thinning down both black and colored inks.
To Keep Colored Inks from Skinning.
Colored inks can be kept from “skinning” by pouring a little oil or water on the top and closing the can tightly.
How to Remove Colored Inks.
Benzine is a powerful chemical preparation which may be used to remove colored inks when lye and turpentine fail. It should, however, not be used after dark, as it is very inflammable, and it should be kept out of doors if possible.