this or, if he wishes to attempt the work himself, consult
any of the books published on binding.

RESTORING THE GILDING.[22] It is sometimes necessary to brighten, patch
and partially replace the gilt ornaments of a precious book. In cleaning a
book, as I have described above, with soap-jelly or starch paste, the gold
is not affected if the operation is carried out according to directions;
on the contrary, one lifts from the gold the deposit of dirt which deadens
its brilliancy. But if it has been, at some points, destroyed by the
breaks in the leather, it is necessary, in order to restore the gold, to
refinish the leather at the broken point. Here a considerable difficulty
presents itself, and it is necessary to find a filler which will serve as
a base. Gutta-percha will not answer at such points, except for cold
gilding, as the application of a warm gilding iron would liquefy it. The
only satisfactory solution is to inlay with leather.

I have sometimes succeeded in restoring missing spots of gilding by the
simple employment of gilt paint, laid with a fine brush upon the properly
prepared patch, imitating carefully each missing part of the
ornamentation. This kind of joining, however, lacks brilliance and
solidity; wiping with a damp sponge is sufficient to effect it; but it may
be given a little more permanency by a coat of binders' varnish.

I can suggest a less imperfect method of procedure. Where there are thin
lines or figures such as circles to join, the amateur can do this with
home-made tools. Such tools may be made of small brass wire, some straight
edges and others curved like gouges.[23] He should also have small dots of
various sizes, circular or oval in profile. With these simple elements,
most line designs may be patched. The ground properly prepared, the warm
iron tool to be used is applied upon fragments of gold-leaf. The iron
should be a little hotter than boiling water; otherwise it will not fix
the gold in place. If too hot, it will burn the leather. Gilders test the
heat of an iron by touching it with a wet finger, and are able to tell, by
the sizzle and amount of vapor given off, whether the degree of heat is
right. A more simple method, for the amateur, is to try the iron on a
fragment of leather.[24] The excess of gold not pressed in by the iron may
be wiped off with a fragment of woolen cloth.

If it is necessary to restore a complicated ornament upon an ancient and
very precious binding, sp