There is a tremendous amount of info accessible through the forum search function. You'll often find your question (and maybe some you didn't know to ask) has been answered to some degree in the past. A few answers to your specific questions about order of operations can be found in the post below: ...

I'm not sure how abrasive Blanc de Meudon is (looks like it's calcium carbonate), but you might try the Pierre d'Argent cleaner. It's gentler on the paint edges and works with a tiny amount of moisture. Be sure to clean off the slightly oily residue it leaves behind before moving on.

I've been digging through the old forum pages and came across a thread about fire engine scrolls and Ken Soderbeck. I thought I'd post a link here to the Fire Gold site which has lots of great reference images, links to restorers, and some history on the subject.

http://www.firegold.com/index.html

Excellent info, the jeweler's hand vice looks like a good solution. For precision work I've had decent success with a pair of locking surgical forceps with snapped down razor blades, 1/4" or less.

I've been researching a durable adhesive for smalt and have found lots of conflicting information. Some recommend Smith's Cream, however it's been pointed out to me that Smith's is more of a paint extender suitable for blending/mixing, and that it is likely to fail outdoors. Hold Fast glue is recomm...

There have been several threads about this topic. If you haven't already, try the forum search feature with your keywords. Here is a link to one that consolidates a few into a single thread. https://handletteringforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3838&start=0&hilit=water+gild+bubbles To...

I got one for a project covering a lot of square footage on glass. In my initial tests, I've found it to be slower than a regular tip mostly because I haven't figured out a way to hold onto everything at once. As Andrew said, it's not a magic device, though it does help lay full sheets in an orderly...