Gilding of figures and letters on paper and for the embellishment of manuscripts, is performed with shell gold tempered with gum water; or the characters may be drawn with a milky solution of gum amma-nacum made in water, and gold leaf applied upon them when almost dry; they may again be sufficiently moistened for receiving the gold by breathing on them. Letters raised from the surface, if paper or parchment in the manner of embossed work, such as are seen on ancient manuscripts, may be formed either by friction on a proper body with a solid piece of gold, or by leaf gold.

The former method is practised by tempering pulverizers' crystal with strong gum water, and with this paste forming the letters; when they are dry they are rubbed with a piece of solid gold as in polishing, and the letters will appear as if gilt with burnished gold. The letters are formed with an embossed figure, either of the separate letters or of whole words cut in steel, and each letter of these stamps when they are used, is oiled evenly with a feather. Then fill these concave letters with the above paste, and strike the stamps in a perpendicular direction on the paper or vellum laid on sheets of soft paper.

When the embossed letters are formed with leaf gold, the following or a similar composition must be used: Thicken beaten whites of eggs with as much vermillion as is necessary to give them the consistence of paste; use the stamps as before, and when the letters are dry moisten them by a small pencil with strong gum water, and when this is almost dry cover the letters with leaf gold, pressing it close to every part ot them with cotton wool; when dry, burnish.

Gold For Illuminating

Procure a book of leaf gold, take out the leaves gently and grind them in a mortar with a piece of honey about the size of a hazel-nut, until it is thoroughly intermixed with the gold, then add a little water and re-work it; put the whole into a phial and shake it well. Let it remain an hour or two, and the gold will deposit at the bottom of the phial.

Pour off the liquor, and add weak prepared gum in its stead; sufficient to make it flow freely from the pen or camel's-hair pencil. When required for use, shake it occasionally.