The Progress of the Marbling Art Part 10

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 part.i.tion 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.

For the production of nonpareil marble, the comb is employed, made in the following way; take two strips of heavy pasteboard, 12 inches long and 2-1/2 inches wide, divide one of these exactly where the needles are to be inserted, draw grooves so that the needles can be laid in; glue the part in which the needles are to be laid, insert the needles in the grooves as aforesaid, and, after drying, the second strip of pasteboard, is glued upon the first.

The needles best adapted to comb making for use in comb marbling are fine pearl needles of steel; they are preferable to the common pins because they do not bend and do not offer any resistance to the size while drawing the colors, and also because they cut the colors easily without forming furrows.

The comb is so prepared that the pasteboard protrudes slightly at both ends, by this the movement of the comb is defined by the rim of the trough. It is advisable to prepare about three such combs with the needles separated from each other about 3/32, 3/16 and 1/4 inch respectively.

THE PEAc.o.c.k COMB.

The peac.o.c.k comb consists of two common combs having strong needles separated from one another by 1/2 inch. These two combs are put together by means of a pasteboard frame in such a way that they can be moved 1/4 inch to the side.

Moved sideways the needles of one comb move to the centre between the needles of the other comb, they cover each other as soon as both combs are moved 1/4 inch in the opposite direction.

THE BRUSH.

To distribute the colors equally for drawn edges it is necessary to divide the color around on the size as explained in the chapter on nonpareil marble. This is almost impossible if a common brush is employed as the drops cannot be voluntarily directed by it, I have had, therefore, brushes made with bent bristles which make the distribution of the drops easier.

THE BROOM-CORN WHISK.

This whisk is made of soft broom-corn about 1 to 2 inches thick. The upper end is tightly bound with string or wire so that about 5 inches of straw protrude. These whisks are used in producing marble-edges.

THE BRISTLE BRUSH.

A bristle brush 3 inches long and from 2 to 2-1/2 inches thick is bound by a well waxed packing-thread about 1-1/4 inches from the top so that the bristles are open for a length of 1-3/4 inches. This brush is very well adapted for distributing the drops.

In marbling large lots of books, large broom-corn whisks are profitably used for throwing on the body color or sprinkling water. Being possessed of the above mentioned utensils which only are expensive at first, nothing is further necessary for the production of beautiful edges.

THE BOOK CLAMP.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The clamp is used to hold several books together which are to be immersed at the same time into the marbling trough. They are of iron entirely, are eccentrical in their movement and make a very quick handling and an easier holding of the books possible.

APPARATUS FOR THROWING ON COLORS.

For the purpose of producing nonpareil marble an equal distribution of color is desirable.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

It consists of four small color receptacles and apparatus from which protrude needles equi-distant from each other in the form of a rake.

The throwing of marble-colors at equal distances and in equally large drops on the size is made possible by it in a very certain and easy way and is even a good help to the inexperienced marbler in the production of even and exemplary edges. For the production of comb-marble on a large scale this apparatus is especially profitable as by using it much time is saved.

Table I. TRYING OF COLORS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Trying of Colors for Nonpareil Marble.

Black 3 to 4-1/2 inches in diameter. Blue, yellow and red in rings within each other.

_See Page 105._]

Table II. TRYING OF COLORS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Size too consistent.

Result of drawing the colors with a stylus.

_See Page 104._]

Table III. THROWING ON OF COLORS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ribbon-like Throwing on of Colors.

[First color] for Nonpareil Marble.

_See Page 105._]

Table IV. THROWING ON OF COLORS.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Throwing on of the other colors for Nonpareil Marble.

[Ribbon-like in two stripes.]

_See Page 106._]