I am in the process of garnering more tools and materials that would have been used “in period.” Master RanthulfR makes such tools and they are all very well researched from period documents and studies on extant period pieces. To visit his web based store you can go to:
http://www.randyasplund.com/pages/store.html
If you just want to peruse his website and drool over his work you can find it at:
I called first and talked with RanthulfR about the various tools he had and what would be a good for doing the kinds of things I have in mind to do. He was most helpful and gracious and very knowledgeable.
So my list of supplies I hope to be getting in next week are:
Gilder’s pads. Padded suede on hardwwod base 6″ square x 1.5″h
Awl for pricking and scribing. Iron tip in painted wood handle. Green colored of course.
Celtic wax tablet styli. Cast Bronze. Use these with your waxed tablet or to draw blind underdrawings for illumination
Granite slab 12×12″ with a 4″ diameter marble muller is ideal for grinding pigments to the finest powder with a fraction of the effort and time needed with a mortar & pestle.
Pedestal Cresset Lamp – Use with olive, canola or linseed oil. Safe- oils only burn when hot, so are slow to light and not prone to spreading flame if bumped. Looks great in the home with a tea candle.
The Pedestal Cresset Lamp I hope to use to make lamp black ink. Though I may need to purchase some ox gall as well. The last time I made lamp black ink, I needed ox gall as a suffocant. Writes wonderfully of course and will be good to have for a fun little project I have in mind.
All in all not cheap but each item isn’t expensive unto themselves. Though I am now out of any mad money I may have had.
scribescribbling 
I love my slab grinding set up! Makes doing gilding so much easier if you slab grind your gesso before using it! I have some 4″ square marble tiles and a glass gob grinder from Guild Mirandola, they work great!