When your sign is prepared as smooth as possible, go over it with a sizing made by the white of an egg dissolved in about four times its weight of cold wafer; adding a small quantity of fuller's earth; this is to prevent the gold sticking to any part but the letters. When dry, set out the letters and commence writing, laying on the size as thinly as possible, with a sable pencil. Let it stand until you can barely feel a slight stickiness, then go to work with your gold leaf knife and cushion, and gild the letters. Take a leaf up on the point of your knife, after giving it a slight puff into the back part of your cushion, and spread it on the front part of the cushion as straight as possible, giving it another slight puff with your mouth to flatten it out. Now cut it into the proper size, cutting with the heel of your knife forwards. Now rub the tip lightly on your hair; take up the gold on the point, and place it neatly on the letters; when they are all covered get some very fine cotton wool, and gently rub the gold until it is smooth and bright. Then wash the sign with clean water to take off the egg size.

Compound Colors

Light gray is made by mixing white lead with lamp-black, using more or less of each material, as you wish to obtain a lighter or darker shade. Buff is made from yellow ochre and white lead.

Silver Or Pearl Gray

Mix white lead, indigo. and a very slight portion of black, regulating the quantities you wish to obtain. Flaxen gray is obtained by a mixture of white lead and Prussian blue, with a small quantity of lake.

Brick Color

Yellow ochre and red lead, with a little white.

Oak Wood Color

Three-fourths white lead and one-fourth part limber and yellow ochre, proportions of the last two ingredients being determined by the desired tints.

Walnut-Tree Color

Two-thirds white lead, and one-third red ochre, yellow ochre, and umber mixed according to the shade sought. If veining is required, use different shades of the same mixture, and for the deepest places, black.

Jonquil

Yellow, pink and white lead. This color is only proper for distemper.

Lemon Yellow

Realgar and orpiment. The same color can be obtained by mixing yellow-pink with Naples yellow; but it is then only fit for distemper.

Orange Color

Red lead and yellow ochre.

Violet Color

Vermilion, or red lead, mixed with black or blue, and a small portion of white. Vermilion is far preferable to red lead in mixing this color.

Purple

Dark-red mixed with violet color.

Carnation

Lake and white.

Gold Color

Massicot, or Naples yellow, with a small quantity of realgar, and a very little Spanish white. Olive color may be obtained by black and a little blue, mixed with yellow. Yellow-pink, with a little verdigris and lamp-black; also ochre and a small quantity of white will produce an olive color. For distemper, indigo and yellow-pink mixed with white lead or Spanish white must be used. If veined it must be done with umber.

Lead Color

Indigo and white.

Chestnut Color

Red ochre and black, for a dark chestnut. To make it lighter, employ a mixture of yellow ochre.

Light Timber Color

Spruce ochre, white, and a little umber.

Flesh Color

Lake, white lead, and a little vermilion.

Light Willow Green

White mixed with verdigris.

Grass Green

Yellow-pink mixed with verdigris.

Stone Color

White, with a little spruce ochre.

Dark Lead Color

Black and white, with a little indigo.

Fawn Color

White lead, stone ochre, with a little vermilion.

Chocolate Color

Lamp-black and Spanish brown. On account of the fatness of lamp-black, mix some litharge and red lead.

Portland Stone Color

Umber, yellow ochre, and white lead.