Here's Luke putting gold leaf on the sized back. The little books have 25 sheets of gold. You pick up a sheet with a "gilder's tip" brush, and gently lay it, overlapping with the previous sheet. Later we come back and tap down the sheets with a different brush called a mop, fill in any gaps, and knock off the overlap excess bits of gold.

The excess gold is picked up and saved in boxes or jars. This is called the "skewings". We use it to fill in, especially in crevices. that's me, holding a jar of gold skewings. Those harnesses we wear weigh about ten pounds - after awhile they make grooves in your shoulders!!