THE GILDER.

A Gilder’s Workshop.

When once the house is built and the work of bricklayer, carpenter, plumber, painter, glazier, and mason is finished, it is necessary to set about those decorations which accompany the furnishing; and one of the first of the trades needed for this purpose is that of the Gilder, who has to do not only with cornices, mouldings and other ornaments, butalso with the frames of pictures and looking-glasses that adorn the walls and chimney-pieces.

These frames, however, have first to be made by the joiner, and then receive the work of the carver, or the ornament maker. The joiner does little more than put the plain groundwork of the frame together; but the duty of the carver is of a very artistic description; and to be a good carver in wood requires an education and a taste very nearly equal to that of the sculptor, with whom the artists in wood formerly held a high rank.

Most of the ornaments now used for frames, however, are less expensive than those formerly produced by the carver who added a fresh value to the painting or the looking-glass by exercising his skill upon the costly settings in which they appeared. Composition ornaments are now in general demand for all but the most expensive frames, and as this composition—which is formed of glue, water, linseed oil, resin, and whiting—is pressed into moulds when it is of about the consistence of dough, it is evident that the mould maker has partially taken the carver’s place. A new substance, however, has to a great extent superseded the old composition, and this ispapier-mâché, or the pulp of paper (literally, mashed or beaten paper), which, from its lightness, its greater strength and durability, and the thinness to which ornaments made of it can be reduced, is preferable for all large decorations.

Whatever may be the size or pattern of the frame, however, we will suppose that the ornament maker received it from the joiner, who puts it together after it has been covered with coatings of hot size and whiting; the size being made from parchment cuttings or kid leather parings boiled to a sort of jelly. The nail or screw holes are thenfilled up with putty by the help of the putty knife, and the surface of the frame smoothed with pieces of pumice stone. The ornament maker next fixes on the decorations and hands it to the Gilder, whose first business is to wash the ornaments carefully in order to remove any oil that may have remained on their surface from the inside of the cast.

Size. Whiting. Putty Knife. Badger Tool. Duster. Gold Leaf Knife. Cushion. Tip.

The principal tools required by the Gilder are, first: thecushion, which is a flat board covered with several layers of woollen or flannel and afterwards with a piece of leather, which is stretched tightly over it and nailed downto the edges, thus forming a firm but soft and elastic bed. A rim of parchment carried round one end of the cushion serves to hold the gold leaf. Second: agold leaf knife—which is a straight smooth-edged instrument, not very sharp, but carefully pointed at the end. Third: thetip—a tool generally made of two pieces of card or very thin board glued together and holding between them a row of camel’s hairs. It is also necessary to have abadger tooland aduster; the first for removing the loose edges and flying scraps of gold leaf, after the gilding is completed, and the latter for brushing away dust from the frame.

Miniature Burnisher. Burnisher. No. 1. Burnisher. No. 2. Burnisher. No. 3. Chisel. Putter-down. Gold Leaf Box.

Theburnishersare pieces of smooth stone (flint or agate) set in handles, and are used for rubbing some parts of the gold, when it is set on the frame, until it attains a brilliant polish and smoothness of surface: the bright gold portions of a frame being known asburnish, and the dull parts or “dead gold” asmatt.

Achiselandknifeare necessary for removing any inequalities or overflowings of size from the edge of the frame; thefeather dusteris used to dust the new gilding before it is sent home; thesize potis the vessel in which the size is melted, and thepanreceives it before it is laid on. Theputter-downis a large soft brush used for pressing down the gold into the ornaments, and removing the ragged edges of the gold-leaf from those parts of the frame where it is most difficult to place it smoothly.

Feather Duster. Size Pot. Pan. Gold Book.

Thegold boxis of course a receptacle for the gold leaf, and as the leaf is sent from the gold beaters in sheets placed between leaves of paper sewn together like a volume, this is naturally called thegold book.

Having received his frame, then, the Gilder first gives it two or three coatings of “thin white,” which is the name by which the size and whiting is known in the trade. If any part of the frame is to be burnished, it afterwards receives a coat or two of rather thicker size.

When these are dry, strong warm size is laid on with a brush; this is calledclear cole, and produces a smooth glossy surface, which prevents theoil gold sizefrom sinking through. Oil gold size is the next coating given to the frame, and it is made of ochre and boiled linseed oil, ground up together into a smooth creamy liquid, which is thinned with more boiled linseed oil, and put on very carefully with a soft brush. In a few hours, after the oil gold size is put on, it is sufficiently dry to receive the gold leaf; the surface being then slightly sticky, so that it will hold it firmly and without its own surface being disturbed.

Pipkin. Rule. Gold Size Pot.

The Gilder now commences the most important part of his work by taking the cushion on his left hand, with his thumb through a loop which is attached to the bottom of the leather; between the fingers of the same hand he places the tools that he will have to use,—namely, the tip, the gold knife, and the camel-hair pencil. He then takes a gold book and carefully blows out a leaf at a time on to the cushion, until he has eight or ten leaves all heaped together within the rim of parchment which holds them from flyingaway. This is a very delicate operation, since if he should blow too hard the leaves would be carried all over the room. He next separates one of the leaves from the rest with his knife, and without cutting or tearing it lays it down smoothly upon the front part of the cushion, partly by a gentle use of the knife itself, and partly by skilfully blowing upon it. Then taking the tip in his right-hand he carefully presses it on the leaf, to which it adheres, and by this means transfers it to that part of the frame where he is at work. Where the ornaments are very deep, the same part is gilt three or four times over, and the gold is sometimes pressed in with a wad of cotton.

Skewing Brush. Small Pencil.

After the whole surface is carefullyskewed, or gone over with the brush which removes the ragged edges and still further presses the gold into the ornaments, the frame is well dusted with another soft brush, and then sized with clear size, after which the work is complete.

Supposing however that any part of the frame is to be of burnished gilt, the clear cole and the oil gold size must not be suffered to touch that portion,—burnish gold size, a substance made of grease, clay, black lead, red chalk, and bullock’s blood, is used instead of the oil gold size. Several coats of this are laid on the part to be burnished, each being allowed to dry, and perfectly smoothed, before the other is applied. The surface is then washed with a sponge and clean water, another coating of gold size is laid on, the gold leaf is applied, and the burnishing tools used to impart the required lustre.

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