The art of gold tooling or "finishing" on a leather bound book is widely regarded as the most demanding aspect of the craft of bookbinding.

Indeed in the heyday of the bookbinding trade there was a separate 6 year apprenticeship and there was strict demarcation between the "forwarders", who did all the other aspects of binding, and the "finishers" who concentrated solely on the decorative gold work.  The finishers, who were paid considerably more than forwarders, often considered themselves a cut above, dressed smartly in collar & tie, and guarded their methods jealously!

In his own work, Andrew employs very traditional gilding methods using albumen glaire adhesive and genuine gold leaf.  Successful gold tooling requires careful preparation of the materials and environment,  together with great skill and concentration in use of the finishing tools themselves.

The short video here gives an idea of the process.