John Goss

    John began his five year apprenticeship with Sangorski & Sutcliffe in 1967 and has served with the company (now part of Shepherds bindery) ever since.  He trained with Stanley Bray, the nephew of George Sutcliffe and continued his career as a gold finisher in Poland St  until the S&S workshops were bought by Aspreys and amalgamated with Zaehnsdorfs in 1988.  John continued as a gold finisher in what was known as SSZ, becoming head of the department, until that company was sold to Shepherds in 1998.  He will have completed 43 years as a gold finisher in November of this year, and is probably unrivalled in the world for his technical expertise in this field.  John’s ability as a finisher, his discipline and dedication are beyond compare .

    The Course

    On this course you will be taught how to prepare and letter the spine of a leather book in gold leaf using both hand letters and type holders.  On the second day, John will demonstrate simple decorative tooling in blind and gold leaf.   The majority of your time will involve one-to-one tuition and practice in getting the temperature of the tools and the pressure by which you apply them right, and building confidence in their placement.

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