After this is done smooth
your piece of cotton out. form-
ing a nice, smooth surface that
w^ill rub over the gold leaf
without scratching, rubbing
first up and down, then the
other way, making sure you
have rubbed it enough, and is
almost free from wrinkles and
rough places, being careful not
to rub through. By looking
through to the light, you can
see every move you have made
with your cotton in burnishing.

After you have burnished
your gold (as described above)
you will then “patch” up the
holes and broken places, that
can be easily seen by looking
through to the light. Start in
the left hand corner of the job,
same as “first gild,” taking a
few letters in top line, and flow
another coat of “size” on them.
being ready always with your
gold and “gilder’s tip,” and
proceed as beft^re. onlv using
small pieces of gold leaf instead
of larger ones in “first gilding.”

Smaller pieces of gold for
patching are made by opening
book until about half inch of
gold shows, cutting it ofif from
left to right with the front fin-
ger nail, then cutting it cross-