How to apply gold leaf?

Hi
We have been asked to make a very intricate scroll pattern bed head with gold leaf on it. Bed head is well underway and gold leaf ordered, but we are not sure how to apply it to metal. Has anyone used goldleaf to accentuate a pattern? Would you mind giving a bief description of how to do it?
Many thanks
Michelle and Andy


Adrian Wood's picture

Have you ordered the gilding

Have you ordered the gilding size?Is it loose leaf or transfer leaf? there are, as far as i know, 2 types a 1 hour size and a twenty four hour size. The one hour size does what is says on the tin, apply the size in areas that you can comfortably apply the gold onto before the size goes too dry. It usually starts to go tacky enough after about 45 mins in normal workshop conditions , but you will have to experiment. You are supposed to use the hairs on the backs of your hand to judge whether the size is just the right tackiness to apply the gold.(most blacksmiths have no hairs due to hands getting close to the fires!!!!) Too wet and the size will break the gold leaf, The company i used sent me a leaflet on how to apply all types of gold leaf, give your supplier a buzz and see if they will send you one. By the way i am no expert on gilding, i have done a bit and it seems to have been successful (i just followed the instuctions from the leaflet)Hope this has been of some help post some pics of the finished piece.
Adrian
Ps if you paint the area you are gilding with a matt red paint before you apply the gold size it will make the gold alot richer.


Nic East's picture

Gilding Iron and Steel

If this work is going to be out in the weather, exposed to rain, sun, ice and wear from abrasion, you will need the best rustproofing that is available. Then comes the optional red undercoat, which is traditional. After applying the size and burnishing the gold to your satisfaction, you will need to seal it with a perfectly transparent weather proof finish. Good luck!

Nic East, Jim Thorpe, PA USA
Creativity begins with a novel thought.


topps35's picture

gold leaf

Thanks Nic
Its indoors and we are looking forward to experimenting
Michelle and Andy


Richard Shuman's picture

gold leaf apps

Hi,
I have been doing gold leaf for many years now and some of my customers have high end wooden boats.(mahogany)the varnish used is Epaphanis,not sure on spelling.It has an amber look to it because of the UV protection in it, but makes for a very rich look.Some of these boats have up to 20 coats and are polished to a mirror finish.
There is also a 24 hour oil based size,It's the glue used to adhere the gold,and can some times take 30 hour or more to set up for the gold.
If you email me ,I can send some pic and more info.

have fun Richard


Richard Shuman's picture

More gold

Oh one more thing for now,
Art Essentials in New York has a good selection of leaf.
Richard


topps35's picture

gold leaf

Hi Adrian
Thanks for that, its loose leaf, and we have ordeed the quick drying size. looking forward to experimenting, thanks for the tip on the red undercoat. The headboard is a really fussy scrroll pattern thats not really to our taste but we hope to make a good job of it, were doing samples with colour etc at the moment, will post a picture with gold and all.
Many thanks
Michelle and Andy


Adrian Wood's picture

No problem at all, i have

No problem at all, i have only ever used loose leaf once, and there is a real skill to cutting it into quarters and applying it! It does give the better finish than the transfer leaf though. Anyway looking forward to the pictures.
Adrian


Rich Waugh's picture

Michelle and Andy, In

Michelle and Andy,

In another life I did a lot of gilding in the course of doing sign work. Surface gilding, as you are doing, is fairly straightforward.

One note about gold leaf - all gold leaf is not created equal. There are different types and grades of leaf: loose leaf, as the name implies, is loose in a book, interleaved with paper; patent (transfer) leaf is lightly adhered to the papers in the book and is used for smooth surface work; loose leaf comes in both surface grade and glass grade, the glass grade being thinner and better; there are also the many different types of imitation leaf, mostly made of aluminum, and these are cheap crap for temporary or hobby work only.

The surface to be gilded must be clean and free of all contaminants, of course. If steel, it should be completely painted and thoroughly cured before attempting the gilding. If there is any doubt about the paint being totally dry and cured, test a small area to see if the leaf will stick to it. If it does, then you need to coat the entire surface and the surrounding area to prevent the leaf from sticking where you don't want it to. Traditionally, this is done by rubbing the surface with a raw, cut potato. The starches present in the potato juice will dry on the surface and act as a resist to the leaf, but won't interfere with the sizing.

Sizing does indeed come in more than one grade. The quick size is basically a varnish and the slow size is more like linseed oil. Quick size is ready in anywhere form one to two hours depending on weather, and oil size is ready anywhere from twelve to thirty-six hours. The oil size is preferred wherever possible due to the higher burnish you can attain with it and better life. For interior work, quick size may be fine, as long as it will allow you sufficient "open" time to get the job done. If it dries too hard you'll have to re-size and this can affect areas already gilded. I prefer oil size due to the much longer open time. With either size, if it is difficult to see where the size has or has not been applied, you can add a few drops of white or light yellow lettering enamel to the size. If yhou've uksed the potato starch resist method, you'll be able to see the sized areas very clearly against the cloudy matte surface of the dried starch.

To tell when the sizing is ready to gild, lightly drag the back of your knuckle across it. It should "squeak" but not feel sticky. If it feels sticky, it is still too wet and will creep through the leaf "drowning" it, as we say.

Getting the loose leaf from the book to the surface is a trick that takes a bit of practice. The preferred method is to use a "gilder's tip", which is a fine squirrel hair brush having just one very narrow row of bristles about 3" wide set in cardboard. You fold the interleaf paper back on the leaf, drag a fingernail across the leaf at the fold, cutting it, and then pick it up with the gilder's tip. The tip will pick up the leaf by static electricity, but if you are having trouble, old timers will drag the tip across their bald heads or a cheek if they're not yet bald, thus charging the tip with a microscopic bit of skin oil. Then, the movement from the book to the work is one smooth motion carrying the leaf and "floating" it onto the surface. Obviously, this work must be done where there is no breeze whatsoever - even your breathing can set the leaf flying.

After the leaf is at the surface, you lightly push it into place with a very soft watercolor brush or similar brush, just using the very tips of the bristles. Don't jam it in hard or you'll inevitably bet sizin on the brush tips and contaminate your leaf. I advise against using your gilding tip for this as you will invariably damage or contaminate it. Once the leaf is stuck down this way you can then press it down further with a ball of cotton wool, (as I believe the call it in Britain.)

Once all the leaf is adhered, and well pressed into place, the next step is burnishing. For this, various things are used. Cotton wool, velvet, etc. - anything that is non-abrasive and soft. Buff the leaf gently to work up a good sheen and then examine it closely for any holidays in the leaf. If tiny, like a pinprick, these can be ignored. If larger, they'll need to be re-leafed. Generally, holidays are the result of the sizing having been a bit thin and dried too much or simply not being there at all. So you'll need to re-size the holidays very carefully and re-leaf them. A magnifier headset and a good light really help in this work, as do very high-quality artist's brushes for detail work with sizing.

For the highest brilliance and best life, gold leaf should not be clear-coated. If the work is being placed where it cannot be touched this is fine, but for a bed headboard you'll have to apply a good clear coat to protect it from abrasion. I would probably use urethane-modified automotive acrylic enamel. You should gild a few test pieces to have on hand for the purpose of testing clear coats and the like. Ideally, these test pieces are done at the same times and by the exact same methods as the work piece, so that their reactions will accurately predict that of the actual work. They also end up being handy samples to have on hand for later sales purposes.

For more on gilding by a real authority in the field, find a copy of "Gold Leaf Techniques" by Raymond J. LeBlanc. That was the bible of gold leaf work for decades and may still be, for all I know.

I hope this is useful for you, and if you have any further questions feel free to ask. It has been a couple decades since I last did much gilding, but I think I still remember how.


QuiQue's picture

Rich, what an amazing

Rich, what an amazing explanation! This is the best how-to I've ever seen on the process of gold leafing! The only thing left is to have a step by step video of it. If you weren't so far away, I'd jump on doing a documentary on you doing this.

Hay, maybe next time you come to visit your brother, we can set up a studio shoot and do the documentary?

Thanks for sharing! You keep amazing me with your knowledge.


Rich Waugh's picture

A long and often mis-spent

A long and often mis-spent life, QuiQue. Knowledge and good judgment are the result of experience, and experience is too often the result of poor judgment.(grin)

Sure, next time I come up we could easily do a studio shoot. With a day's time and some advance planning, we might be able to get three or four demos shot.

The other possibility would be for you to come down here and do the video work. More work for you, less work for me. :-)

Rich


topps35's picture

gold leaf

Thankyou Rich, brilliant clear instructions and useful tips and hints to boot! Design is done, and samples are ready fo colouring and cleaning. They want a 4 bar barley twist for the side supports and ive been cleaning theese today. I am astounded at the beauty of polished steel, almost a blue tinted mirror in places, all ive done is buff it so cant really claim credit!! We are playing with the gold over the weekend and after this arn,t anticipating any further questions but may well come back to you. Once again thank you for your input.
Kindest regards
Michelle and Andy


Giusseppe's picture

badger brush

you have already had a perfect explanation ...just wanted to add that Red Bole is the ideal red background and I would recomend a badger brush
G


kreatin's picture

Gilding Question

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. I'm in the process of silver (imitation) leafing an interior door (one of my experimental projects). Had major problems preparing a smooth finish, and after completing the leafing, wasn't totally satisfied with the results. Started over by priming, sanding, and adding a couple of coats of gesso. Now I'm not sure of the next step because after applying oil slow dry size, it disappeared/soaked into the gesso...absolutely no tack. Also, will a double application of size help to prevent holidays?


Mindbender's picture

Preparing Gilding Size

Rich,

Thanx for your wonderful explanation on gilding. I wish to apply gold leaf on repousse work done on copper sheets. I could not get gilding size' as a readily available branded product. I have not tried shops or oulets where jewellers' supplies are sold.

Are there any recipes for preparing size?
Thank you.


Rich Waugh's picture

For surface leafing you can

For surface leafing you can get by with homebrew sizes. Gold sizes are made by the Hastings company and sold through sign supply places only, as far as I know, though some art or craft supply places might carry the stuff. For your work, I think varnish size would work fine, though for the highest burnish on the leaf oil size is still the best.

To make your own size, try using a bit of regular varnish with a few drops of boiled linseed oil added. Do NOT use "spar" varnish, as it is designed to remain flexible and will not be a suitable size; you want a varnish that gets truly hard, but one that does not dry too quickly. One of the urethane varnishes would probably work fine.

If you have a dust-free place to let the size dry, you could just use boiled linseed oil or linseed with a bit of Penetrol added. This will take anywhere from a dozen hours to three days to be ready to gild, if dried in a location with still air at about 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It should be applied very thinly, like all sizes, if you want to get a good high burnish.

No matter what you end up using, reist the urge to lay the gold too early! The size should be at the hardest (dryest) tack that will take leaf. The softer the size, the more it "drowns" the leaf, resulting in a low-luster gilding.

One final note: 'Twere it I, I'd simply opt to electroplate the gold where I wanted it, rather than go with the gilding. Plating is a duck-shoot on copper and is guaranteed to be more durable than any sized gilding. The only gilding method that can compare to it for durability is mercury fire-gilding, a truly and insanely death-defying process that no one in his right mind would attempt. Besides, fire-gilding is a lot of work - guess how I know this. Plating is much easier and quicker and, while not entirely safe, much less dangerous than fire gilding.


GeorgeMummert's picture

Some of the info here is

Some of the info here is great.  I will add an item or two...  my first exp with gilding resulted in my creating two gilt bronze crosses for a church...both are still in use almost 10 years later...one is a handheld processional cross and the other a 7' outdoor memorial garden cross. 

 I chose german made patent gold 23karat and a german made oil size (3 hour size) Both applied well and have lasted. 

The 7' cross is outdoor, I first patinated the bronze then used the size (no red here) then gold leaf...I did NOT use any other sealants for the final coat.  Even outdoors it looks as brilliant as the day I installed.  It is exposed to all elements.  Your practically blinded when the sun strikes it each day.  No sealant as gold is inert and has acted as the sealant. 

 good luck,George Mummert

KeystoneArt.org


visitor's picture

People make such a big deal

People make such a big deal out of this. Gilding is so easy a 7 year old child can do it. If you can read and have any hand/eye coordination at all it takes a little bit of research, a few hours of practice and that's it. About the simplest thing I have tried.


Rich Waugh's picture

Anyone can get it on the

Anyone can get it on the surface, but not everyone can get it to look perfect and last for a hundred or more years. That takes care, experience and skill that is learned over time.

With quick size and patent leaf anyone can get some gilding on a thing. However, that gilding won't have its full luster and it won't last more than a few years (at best) until it begins to show deterioration.

A proficient gilder, using slow size, the highest quality leaf and great care, can gild a piece so well that it will look just as good a hundred years from now as it does the minute it is completed. There is definitely an art to good gilding and it is not learned overnight.