silver tooling (techniques) (Q1235)

A form of metal-foil tooling in which heated metal tools cast or cut with a decorative motif are pressed onto silver leaf over a thermoplastic adhesive such as egg glaire which leaves the motif in silver impressed into the surface usually of the covering material of a book. A binding so decorated may be described as silver-tooled. Unlike gold, silver oxidizes rapidly in humid conditions with the result that most historic silver tooling now has a dull grey or black colour.