Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 79, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 April 1910 — How Paper ls Marbled. [ARTICLE]

How Paper ls Marbled.

The process of manufacturing anything is interesting, but some articles derive a special interest from the peculiar method followed in their production, as, for instance, the wavy, “marbled paper” so largely used in book binding. To marble paper a shallow bath of gum tragacanth, or goat's horn, is prepared, and upon this the workman sprinkles from a flat brush the colors required for the desired pattern. When the whole surface Is covered with splotches of color, the workman takes a huge comb, which he draws with a wavy motion the length of the tub. An expert marbler can so arrange bis colors as to copy any pattern. Next the man takes a sheet of paper and lays It deftly upon the surface of the bath, allowing it to remain for a moment When the sheet is lifted the entire film of color comes with it, and it is necessary to resprinkle and recomb the bath for the next sheet. In marbling the edges of the leaves of a book, the body of the book, without the covers, Is so held that the edges may be quickly dipped into the bath. In this case, of course, one prepared bath will serve to* a number of volumes, as each volume removes but a small area of the colors.