ctory bindings were decorated with its aid.
The ease with which it can be used has led in modern times to its
abuse, and I hardly know of a single instance of a modern binding on
which rolls have been used for the decoration with satisfactory
results. The gain in time and trouble is at the expense of freedom and
life in the design; and for extra binding it is better to build up a
pattern out of small tools of simple design, which can be arranged in
endless variety, than to use rolls.

Tools for hand-tooling must not be too large, or it will be impossible
to obtain clear impressions. One inch square for blind tools, or
three-quarters of an inch for gold tools, is about the maximum size
for use with any certainty and comfort. Tools much larger than this
have to be worked with the aid of a press, and are called blocks.

FINISHING

The first thing the finisher does to a book is to go over the back
with a polisher and smooth out any irregularities.

Two forms of polisher are shown at fig. 82. The lower one is suitable
for polishing backs and inside margins, and the upper for sides.
Polishers must be used warm, but not too hot, or the leather may be
scorched, and they must be kept moving on the leather. Before using
they should be rubbed bright on a piece of the finest emery paper, and
polished on a piece of leather. New polishers often have sharp edges
that would mark the leather. These must be rubbed down with files and
emery-paper.

Leathers with a prominent grained surface, such as morocco, seal or
pig skin, may either have the grain rough or crushed flat. If there is
to be much finishing, the grain had better be crushed, but for large
books that are to have only a small amount of finishing, the grain is
best left unflattened.

[Illustration: FIG. 82.]

If the grain of the leather is to be "crushed," it may be done at this
stage. To do this, one board at a time is damped with a sponge and put
in the standing-press, with a pressing plate on the grained side, and
a pad of blotting-paper, or some such yielding substance, on the other
(see fig. 83). The press is then screwed up tight, and the board left
for a short time. For some leathers this operation is best done after
the binding has been finished and varnished, in which case, of course,
the boards cannot be damped before pressing. No flexibly sewn book
should be subject to great pressure after it has been covered, or the
leat