A roll is a tool for producing a continuous design in tooling, both blind and gold. It consists of a brass wheel, mounted on a brass shank set into a wooden handle. The rim of the wheel is impressed with a continuous pattern.
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/ \ \
/ \ |
| _ | | brass wheel with pattern
| <o\ | | on rim, approximately
| \ \ | | 5 cm / 2 inches in diameter
\ \ \ |
\_____/\ \ /
| | \
| | |
| | |
| | | brass shaft
| | | approximately
| | | 10 cm / 4 inches long
| | | 10 mm / 1/2 inch in diameter
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
/____\ /
| | \
| | |
| | | wooden handle
| | | approximately
| | | 30 cm / 12 inches long
| | | 25 mm / 1 inch in diameter
| | |
| | V
As with any tooling, tooling using a roll is done by heating it up and impressing the design in (usually) leather. A roll is generally used on the cover of fine binding, though true bookbinding snobs prefer designs made up of individual handle ornaments.
Obviously, a roll creates a continuous design. However, barring an infinite surface, the pattern has to end. Simply ceasing to roll the wheel doesn't work, because the last section of the design will be lighter than the rest of the line. There are two ways to end an ornamental line created by a roll.
- A matching pallet
If you have a pallet of the same design as your roll, you can stop the wheel short of the terminal point of the line. By matching up the design on your pallet, you can finish it neatly. This is hard.
- Overstamping
For this procedure, you simply stop the wheel when the light final impression is where you want the line to end. Then take a ornament, preferably a denser one than the pattern on the roll, and stamp it over the light final impression. This technique is also used to cover the joins between two roll patterns at the corners of designs.