Before applying the bole the surface must be dusted. The bole is applied with a soft brush that is either made from camel, squirrel or sable hair. After the bole has been applied leave the frame for a day to harden. Any imperfections in the bole can then be rubbed off with 1000 grit wet and dry paper or a similar sandpaper. When the surface is perfect it is gone over vigorously with a bristle brush to polish it ready to gild.
Some gilders polish the bole with agate burnishers as an alternative to using the bristle brush.
The surface is then ready to gild. The most common form of gilding the picture framer encounters is schlaging. Schlaging is the name given to the application of an imitation gold leaf called schlagmetal or Dutch metal. In this section you will learn how to identify and apply the various different types of gilding. Water gilding can only be done with fine gold leaf.