Part 5

To produce it the colors are thrown on in the following order, black, claret red (two parts carmine lake and one part of black well mixed,) pink (ten parts of white and one part of scarlet red) gall-water which forms the white veins, and, finally, the body color, which consists of one part of black, three parts of sprinkling-water and an addition of green according to what shade of green is desired.

GENERAL REMARKS UPON DRAWN MARBLES.

GENERAL REMARKS UPON DRAWN MARBLES.

All marbles that are drawn by the stylus or knitting-needle are, in their treatment, more or less similar to the comb-marble, therefore the way to produce them is similar to that described in the former article upon comb-marbles.

To produce a pretty coloring, it is unavoidable, to use those four colors which I have named in the former article on comb-marble.

If it is desired, to use more colors than the four named, greater perfection in marbling is essential and it takes a perfect practical marbler to achieve beautiful products with eight colors, but practice and a zealous heart will even overcome these difficulties. The lustre of the colors is due to their combination, according to their power of spreading out and to their harmony.

Wall-paper will frequently show what beautiful and fine effects can be produced by three, or at the most four colors.

If the colors are separated by white, they develop a greater lustre, while black employed in the same way is productive of a more sombre effect.

The separation of colors by white and black is most decidedly more profitable and effective, than a marble in which the different variegated colors immediately touch each other. It is therefore advisable always to take black as the ground-color, white will be produced without adding any coloring matter whatever by the drawing of the colors with the stylus.

Black is the ground-color, upon which all the rest, blue, yellow, red are thrown; it is understood, that they must expand in the proper proportion, to produce a clear marble.

The lustre of the colors is mainly a result of white and black, which form, as it were, a frame about the other colors by their own durability.

The other colors, which we may add to the four nonpareil colors, are, different shades of red and yellow. A bottle is filled to one half its height with carmine-lake, then black is added until a very deep purple is obtained; another color is a powerful orange, which, if not on hand, can be produced by mixing red and yellow. To produce a beautiful combination use the following colors, black, light blue, orange, light yellow, purple and finally scarlet red, (a color which I have recently introduced under the name of safflower carmine) this combination of colors gives a surprisingly beautiful result. To produce the nonpareil (or comb) marble with eight colors, two more mixed colors are used, one of which serves as a shade to light blue, while the other enhances the lustre of the lighter colors. To this end, pour a little dark-blue into a glass bottle and mix it with the same quantity of green, obtaining a dark bluish-green. As a second color mix green and white until the color is pale green. To produce a desirable effect with these eight colors we must observe the following order, black, light blue, dark bluish-green, orange, light yellow, purple, pale green and scarlet-red.

In this wise numberless variations and combinations can be obtained, but it should always be taken care, that the primary colors only receive shading tones of secondary or tertiary colors. The mode of throwing the colors on the size is always the same as I described it for nonpareil marbles namely; form a ribbon of black from 4 to 5 inches in width in the prescribed way and throw the other colors into the black and at both rims of it but so that they are situated within the black. The same colors which are on one rim must also be thrown upon the other rim in the most uniform way possible. The marble therefore, before it is drawn is similar to a ribbon which has in its centre the black stripe about 2 inches wide, and on each side, a border of different colors 1 to 1-1/4 inches wide.

The more colors are used for the drawn marble, the less of each color except black should be thrown on the size. Although the colors have been adapted to each other in regard to their power of expansion before using them, it is indispensable in producing these marbles with such a large number of colors to assist the expansion of one color or the other by a few drops of ox-gall.

It is necessary to see, that the second color should not too greatly be displaced by the third, the third by the fourth, etc., because the color, which is mostly displaced would not appear in the marble at all.

In producing peacock marbles, I obtained most excellent results even without primary colors. They were not so bright and lustrous in their general color effect, but their most subdued tones were most pleasing to the eye.

To one of these marbles I used the colors in the following order; black, medium olive green, dark bluish-green, bronze or ochre yellow, dark blue and bright chrome yellow, (to obtain the olive, use the following mixture; 3 parts light orange, 1/2 part dark blue; bluish-green as described above; ochre yellow, 2 parts light chrome yellow, 1 part brown; blackish-blue, 2 parts dark-blue, 1 part black; light chrome yellow, 2 parts light orange, 2 parts white.)

Beautiful bouquet marbles are obtained from the following colors; blackish-green, 2 parts black, 1 part green; yellowish-green, 2 parts yellow, 1 part green; light-brown, dark bluish-green as above, scarlet-red and light ochre yellow. In this way many combinations of color can be obtained, and it is left to the judgment of the marbler to select colors and make the mixtures. Having succeeded in producing beautiful marbles with few colors, it will be easy for anyone to produce others with more colors.

MARBLED EDGES.

MARBLED EDGES.

(SEE SPECIMEN PLATES.)

Many of my colleagues are of the opinion, that marbled edges are inferior to drawn edges, but this is a great mistake, and here we are able to show in what directions the marbling art is able to develop to its full glory.

The field for marbled edges is so large and prolific in the variations of shade, that there are really no limits to its capabilities.

While making experiments in this field, by accident I came across some edges without having an idea of the effect of the combination which so astonished me by its beauty.

It would be endeavoring too greatly to describe the method of producing all effective marbled-edges which came to my knowledge in my many years' experience, I therefore name but a few which will certainly invite imitation and study.

Marble is the design of an edge of a book, which has a ground or back color and over which a net of veins of different colors is stretched.

For the production of marbled edges, the following preparation of size is advisable and in general use: boil 7 quarts of water and 3-1/5 ounces of carrageen moss, after boiling add 1 quart of cold water, in which one ounce of common soda has been dissolved, allow it to stand for 12 hours, and filter it through a linen cloth when it will be ready for use.

The preparation of colors is effected as with drawn marbles on a small surface of size, but it is necessary, that the colors for marbled edges expand more than the others. As first color, black is generally used, which is thrown on by a brush in the same way as in making nonpareil marble, but the other colors must be thrown on by a broom-corn whisk and the more colors are used, the smaller must be the drops of the colors which are thrown on the size, and it is further essential that they should be evenly divided around. Then use gall-water which consists of 10 parts water and 1 part gall and serves to arrange the different colors so that one color can be concentrated in one point, secondly, it has the effect of forming a white network of veins, which enhances the effect of the other colors, and finally, the ground color comes into play, putting the whole carpet of colors into motion. This color is nothing but a common nonpareil color and is used either by itself or in a mixture with other colors.

In preparing the ground or body color, enough of gall is added so as to slightly force the other colors into veins. An equal part of sprinkling-water is added to it, to give it the energetical power of spreading out essential to the formation of a beautifully veined net. The body-color is thrown on by a medium sized bristle brush, which must be tied near the end for this purpose. This brush is to be equally moistened with the body color, the best would be to moisten it by the aid of a common brush. When this is done throw the color by beating the bristle brush on a small board upon the carpet of colors. By this process larger or smaller specks of the body-color are formed.

THE DARK-RED MARBLE.

The marbled edges are always named from the body-color, as the latter always occupies the largest space on the edge. For dark-red marble the following colors are used: black, light pink (10 parts white, 1 part safflower-carmine), light-grey (10 parts white, 1 part black), gall-water and, finally, the ground color.

The latter is composed of 2 parts carmine-lake, 1 part black and 3 parts sprinkling-water.

THE PLAIN-GRAY MARBLE.

This kind of marbling is the most profitable of the veined marbles because it can be produced very rapidly.

For this purpose prepare the black color with gall in such a way, that a drop will spread out on the size to a spot of about 5-1/2 inches in diameter, then add an equal quantity of sprinkling water, dip a large broom-corn whisk or a bristle-brush into the color and throw it by beating on a board upon the size which has been cleaned off by a strip of paper. The color appears on the size a gray color with white veins, from which the edge can be taken.

THE BLUE MARBLE.

To produce this use the following colors; black, orange or citron yellow, Indian red with a little black and Oriental blue, finally adding gall water and the body color. This ground color consists of 1 part Indigo and 1 part sprinkling water.

THE BROWN MARBLE.

This marble is one of the most common, but if the colors are well selected as given in the following paragraph it will give a fine effect.

Black first, Havana brown second, chamois third, gall water, and, as ground color, humin-brown with a little carmine lake and one part sprinkling water.

THE GRAY MARBLE.

To produce this the following colors are necessary, black, dark purple, light bluish green, gall-water and a mixture of black with sprinkling water, by which the ground shade, gray, is obtained. A lighter or darker gray is obtained by adding more or less sprinkling water to the ground color.

THE OLIVE-GRAY MARBLE.

This marble has a very beautiful effect although in producing it but three colors are used. It belongs to the so called large-veined marbles and forms an olive grayish ground with a fine net of veins of black, dark-brown and white. It is produced in the following way; first black is put on with the brush, then brown is squirted on by the aid of a broom-corn whisk and then gall water and finally the body color is added. The body color consists of 2 parts black, 1 part green and the necessary sprinkling-water. If the shade of the body color is too deep, some pure water is added. For producing large veined marbles, the brush must be well filled with color, so that in throwing on of the color quite large drops will fall.

THE BLACK MARBLE.

It was formerly an unknown thing to produce a black marble over which a net of light-colored veins was stretched. My investigations have resulted in my becoming able to produce this brilliant and effective marble.

The colors used are scarlet-red, bluish-green and gall water, the latter representing the white, this network of veins comes out excellently from the dark ground-tone. The scarlet-red color is first taken and must spread out in a like way, as the black in the other two marbles. Then follows bluish-green and gall-water and finally the body color is added. The latter makes a special preparation necessary. Take 3/5 of an ounce of ivory-black add 1/6 of an ounce of a thick solution of gum, grind the whole mixture with a mixture of shellac-ammonia which has been diluted with a little water. If the color is ground perfectly fine it is diluted with the solution of shellac-ammonia and is ready for use. Should it not be powerful enough to force the colors into veins, a few more drops of gall must be added. This body color is likewise thrown on by the aid of the large bristle brush as all other body colors.

As beautiful as this kind of marbling may be, there is a disadvantage in its use as the body color must always be newly prepared, because on the second day after standing it curdles, and cannot be used any more.

THE BLUISH-GRAY MARBLE.

By mixing the colors very beautiful effects may be obtained. One of these fine marbles is the bluish-gray. To prepare it the following mode is used; claret red (2 parts carmine-lake and 1 part black) and as body color, Oriental blue mixed with black and sprinkling-water.

GRAY MARBLE WITH A NET OF COLORED VEINS.

To produce this the following colors are used; black, yellow, cinnabar-red or Indian-red, Oriental blue and gall water and finally the gray body color.

The colors are put on in the following way; first black with the brush into a ribbon-like form, then yellow is squirted on in small drops by means of a broom-corn whisk, then follow red, blue and gall water which are treated like yellow, and finally, the body color is squirted on by the aid of a whisk or the large brush. The latter forces the colors by its great spreading power into beautiful veins, after which the edge can be taken off. The body color consists of 1 part black and 2 parts sprinkling water.

THE GRAYISH GREEN MARBLE.

This is one of the most beautiful specimens of marble and according to the shading of the body color most beautiful effects can be produced by it. The following colors are used to produce it; black, carmine-red (1 part carmine lake and 1/2 part black), gray (1 part black and 10 parts white), finally gall-water and the body color.

The mode of producing it is the same as described before. The body color consists of 1 part black, 2 parts of sprinkling water and as much green as is necessary to produce the desired shade.

Before adding sprinkling water to the body color, black, only so much gall is added that it will but slightly push the different colors thrown on.

HAIR MARBLE.

THE HAIR MARBLE.

(SEE SPECIMEN PLATES.)

These marbles are in great use and are much liked on account of their rapid and easy production, especially when many books are to be marbled; they appear very elegant on account of their fineness.

For hair marbles but one or two colors are employed which are diluted with water to 1/3 their volume. Add enough of gall to the first color so that in throwing the same on the size it will spread sufficiently to form a ribbon from 5 to 6 inches wide. Take a whisk and throw on the second color in drops that are not too large and as nearly as possible, equally distributed, then, with the bristle-brush, or sieve and brush throw sprinkling water on the colors. In this way hair veins are formed, showing more or less ground according to the quantity of sprinkling water thrown on.

The size is produced for all hair-marbles alike. In the morning boil 3-1/5 ounces of carrageen moss in 7 quarts of water and after the boiling add 1 quart of cold water, stir the whole mixture several times and allow it to stand during the day until it is fully cooled off. In the evening the size must be again diluted by another quart of water and it is then filtered through a piece of linen and left to stand over night. The next day it is ready for use. This holds good during the summer months as the temperature of the air will just make the size useful for this purpose. During the winter months the size must be allowed to stand for 36 hours before use.

BLACK HAIR MARBLE.

To produce this variety of marble there is a screen or sieve necessary as well as a wide brush having stiff bristles. By adding gall from time to time, the black is made so expansive that a single drop will be spread out to a spot of about 8 inches in diameter. Dip the brush into sprinkling water, shake the brush well so that the superfluous water is thrown out, hold the sieve above the size and move the brush quickly and lightly over it. In this way the hair marble is finished and may be taken off.

RED HAIR MARBLE.

For this to be produced the best color is Indian or mineral red since all other chemical coloring substances which are bound to bodies will usually run, on strong compression, into hair veins. Only the excellent lakes of Munich will withstand this treatment, but the fineness of the veins leaves much to be desired, whereas Indian red answers every purpose.

BLUE HAIR MARBLE.

The mode of producing it is the same as applied in producing black hair-marble, but, instead of black, Indigo is used. Indigo is the only one among blue coloring matters that admits of the necessary expansion for the production of hair veins without running off or gathering into small lumps.

RED AND BLACK HAIR MARBLE.

For the production of this marble, black and Indian red are taken. The black is first thrown upon the size as in black hair-vein marble, the red is then treated by adding gall until a drop thrown upon the black will spread to about 2 inches in diameter. The trial is made with a brush, but for the purpose of producing the marble a whisk is taken, by means of which the red is thrown upon the black in very small drops and close to each other.

BLUISH-BROWN HAIR MARBLE.

To produce this marble Indigo and Vandyke brown are taken. The Indigo is put on first then the Vandyke brown is thrown on by a whisk, and finally, the carpet of colors is forced into forming veins by sprinkling water, which is applied by aid of the brush and sieve.

Rules in regard to the Marbling Table.

RULES IN REGARD TO THE MARBLING TABLE.

The table upon which marbling is to be executed must be firm and immovable. On it the utensils necessary to marbling are placed. The trough, colors, gall in a closed bottle with stopper pierced by a tube, a vessel with water, the comb, the size skimmer are all to be within easy reach. They should be placed about in the following order; in front, nearest to the workman and to the right, the trough, the receptacle for the waste color and board for skimming off the size to the left, beyond the trough the vessels in which the colors and gall are kept, behind the first vessels containing the colors the dish containing water, and alongside this the bottle containing gall and next to it the comb and stylus. On the left side of the trough there must be a sufficiently large space for the books to be marbled.

PRECAUTIONS.

Before closing the article on marbling, I will add a few words to the precautions to be observed while marbling. Before all else, see that the air in the room, where the marbling is to be done, is free of dust, as the falling dust, especially in drawn marbles will form many white spots, which spoil the effect of the marbling.

Cleanliness should always be observed, as the beauty of the marbles and their rapid production depend on it. Protect the size from dust by a lid, which you place on the vessel, and have a large soft sponge ready to remove the superfluous size after each immersion of the book, by which a rapid drying is obtained and the moisture is prohibited from impregnating the book.

SUPPLEMENTARY REMARKS.

A NEW EXPANDING MEDIUM.

I must mention here a newly discovered medium which has been found essential in the formation of beautiful veins in plain marble; take 1/10 quart of shellac orange, add 1/8 quart spirits of ammonia, allow the whole to boil for 5 minutes stirring repeatedly (by which a uniform solution of shellac in ammonia is obtained), take it from the fire and dilute the solution with about 2 quarts of water. Throw the fluid by means of the brush on the size and then throw on the body-color, _see plain gray marble_. In this way beautiful white veins will appear, which is explained by the fact, that the surface of the size is covered with an expanding medium, which can be forced together by the body-color, but is strong enough to hinder the union of the latter.

MARBLING OF GILT EDGES.

MARBLING OF GILT EDGES.

If gilt, silver or aluminium edges are to be marbled, burnish slightly and moisten by a soft brush with a solution of powdered alum in hot water which is of the consistency of a thin pap.

The marbling of the gilt-edge is then executed in the usual way before the coating of alum is entirely dry.

After the marbling is done, water is poured over the edge until it is entirely clean.

When the edge is completely dried it is rubbed over with a waxed rag and is then burnished in the usual way. For marbling the usual marbling colors are applicable, but it should here be added, that very dry edges will not take the marbling colors readily.

MARBLING ON A LARGE SCALE.

For the purpose of marbling on a large scale especial arrangements have to be made, and it is wonderful how elegant and practical are the marbling rooms of large establishments. For instance the tables and floors are of stone and cement, or of wood covered with zinc plates, and the troughs and receptacles to take off the fluids which have been employed are to be found in universal use. Even large iron cranes are erected to hold the books together and lift them off, and to transport them to the revolving drying apparatus, which can be heated.

These arrangements are in keeping with the extent of the business and can here only be lightly passed upon.

THE UTENSILS.

THE UTENSILS.

THE MARBLING TROUGH.

The marbling trough is a long flat oblong box of about 20 inches in length, 10 inches wide, and 1-1/4 inches deep inside, and should be painted within with white oil-paint so that the size appears light making the colors more readily discernible.

This trough must have inserted on one side a sloping partition of sheet zinc so that the waste of color may be skimmed over it by aid of paper slips or a piece of wooden board without running it over the top.

In addition to the trough containing the marbling size, a second smaller trough or basin of 10 inches width, and 1-1/4 inches depth is necessary for the reception of the waste of color. This is to be placed, while marbling, immediately to the left of the first trough.

SIZE SKIMMER.

This is a piece of wooden board about 2 inches high, about 1/4 inch thick and of the exact width of the trough. At both ends the board is slightly wider than the trough, protruding, and while the larger part of the board moves over the surface of the size, the projecting ends act as guides by sliding over the rim of the trough. In this way the board is always kept in a like position and serves to remove the air bubbles and films and also the color waste.

Recently, strips of blotting paper 1 inch wide have been frequently and successfully used for the removal of waste of color. They are applied in the same manner as the board.

THE STYLUS

of wood or bone, is used for the drawing of the colors in producing nonpareil marbles. This was described in the chapter on nonpareil edges.

THE COMB.