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Beginners Guide to Gilding

This beginners guide to gilding gives an insight into the basic practice of gilding and the materials that a beginner will need to purchase in order to start off.

Before embarking on a gilding project we would recommend that you read an informative book that is dedicated to the art of gilding, such as "Practical Gilding", which is available to purchase in our books and DVD section. It serves as an excellent starting point and is full of useful information for the inexperienced or novice gilder.

For a very brief primer on gilding, please visit our guide for first-time gilders.

What is the difference between loose and transfer leaf?

Transfer leaf is leaf that is lightly pressed to a backing sheet of paper. This can be removed from the booklet by hand as the paper is larger than the size of the leaf. Transfer leaf is pressed face down onto the sized surface and the backing paper is rubbed over with slight pressure to release the gold onto the surface. Transfer leaf is usually used for flatter surfaces and outdoor gilding and is easier to handle than loose leaf

Loose leaf is leaf that sits loosely within the booklet on slightly rouged paper. It is usually used to gild intricate areas or areas that are heavily carved / moulded. It cannot be handled and has to be picked up from the booklet using a gilders brush and either transferred to the gilders cushion to be cut to the required size or transferred by brush directly to the sized surface of the item to be gilded.

How Do I Apply Leaf To Walls & Ceilings?

PREPARATION

The surface must be as smooth as possible as leaf will pick up any marks, dents or scratches. The wall must be sealed prior to any gold size being applied; otherwise the size will "soak" into any porous surface.

APPLICATION OF ADHESIVE SIZE

A water-based size such as 'Wundasize' is best to use indoors as it is easy to clean up and has an extended 'tack' time, allowing you to apply your leaf in a less hurried way. Square or line up your area so that the leaf is laid in a regular pattern. Apply the size with a small roller and, whilst it is still wet, use a high-quality brush to soften and smooth the size evenly over the surface. The size will reach tack in 20/30 minutes and will remain open indefinitely. It is better to size the area that you intend to gild that day, unless you are in a controlled environment. Otherwise you may find bits of fluff, hair etc. sticking to the sized area.

APPLYING THE LEAF

One the size is ready apply the transfer leaf. Leaf is available in booklet and roll formats. Take care to overlap the leaves by approximately 2mm to avoid getting gaps in between the leaves. After applying the leaf to the sized surface use a soft squirrel mop gilders brush and rub over the paper backing with your fingers but be careful not to move the paper backing or scratch the leaf surface. Make sure there are no air bubbles and that the leaf is firmly fixed to the surface.

TOUCHING UP

Touch up any areas that may have been missed so that there are no gaps. Use scraps of your leaf on paper.

BURNISHING

We usually recommend that you leave the leaf for a couple of hours before 'burnishing' the surface with a soft gilders mop. Use the mop to brush away any loose excess leaf (skewings) and brush the surface gently, being careful no to scratch or dull the leaf.

SEALING

Apply a varnish using a short roller; Roberson's Metal Leaf Lacquer is perfect for this as it dries to a crystal clear, satin finish that is proven to be non-yellowing over time. Whilst the varnish is still wet, soften with a high-quality brush. It is recommended to leave the varnishing for a day or so after laying the lead to allow the size underneath to completely dry out. However, Silver and 6ct White Gold should be protected immediately as they are prone to oxidising quickly.

Coloring Metal Leaf

For centuries, gold-coloured varnishes have been used to change the colour of white metal and silver leaf. These varnishes were used anywhere large areas of gold leaf would have been unwarrantably expensive. Unfortunately not only do these recipes often require that the varnish should be boiled but many of the dyestuffs are now difficult to obtain.

Some alternatives are therefore offered which, because of the range of organic pigments now available, open up possibilities for non-traditional effects.

Aniline dyes are obtainable in bright shades and also in wood dyes such as mahogany and walnut. Many are not very lightfast but whether this matters depends on the work that you are doing. Spirit soluble anilines can be used to tint the shellac varnish but they are not compatible with turpentine.

Dragon's blood and Gamboge are two natural colouring materials that can be used with shellac. Dragon's blood is an orange red resin, which is only soluble in alcohol. It is reasonably lightfast, stains quite strongly and can be modified to give brownish red shades by the addition of a little transparent black such as ivory black in the form of a dry pigment. Genuine lump gamboges will dissolve in alcohol, although it is more widely thought of as a water-soluble gum-resin. Gamboge is marketed in broken cylindrical lumps, which, until wetted with water or alcohol, are yellowish-brown. It is one of the only yellow pigments that are transparent enough to be used over white metal leaf but unfortunately not all pieces are equally lightfast. It makes an excellent gold colour that can be modified to the exact shade required by adding a little dragon's blood.

Simply dissolve a little of each resin in alcohol and then add a small quantity of shellac varnish to the mixture. Although the colour can be painted on with a brush, the most even coating will be obtained if the varnish is applied with a rubber as in French polishing. Build up the colour to the required depth with several thing coats instead of putting on one thick one. Shellac may also be tinted with dry transparent pigment. The most useful colours are Viridian, Prussian blue and Alizarin Crimson, which together with Gamboge, Dragon's Blood and Ivory Black can be used to create a wide range of colours.

The traditional oil colours which are transparent enough to be laid over white metal leaf without destroying it's silvery quality are; the red lakes, verdigris, indigo and Dutch and Italian Pink - the last 2 are brownish-yellow lakes. Of these, verdigris and Dutch Pink are no longer available but some artist's colourmen offer especially transparent oil paints. You may need to add a little gold size to the oil paints when a glaze is applied over metal leaf, the slightest unevenness will show and the addition of a small amount of gold size has the advantage that any brush marks will tend to flow out and disappear before the glaze is dry.

How to use Compo

Keep refrigerated or frozen. If it is frozen, defrost before heating.

To heat compo in a microwave.

Dust an old plate with whiting, place a ball of compo on the plate. Heat for about 20 seconds. You should rub whiting on your hands before picking up the hot compo. This should prevent the compo sticking to your hands. Work the compo in on its self until its smooth. You can now press it into moulds. You can reheat left over bits about 3-4 times before it becomes too hard.

To heat compo in a bain-marie.

Place the compo in a plastic bag with some whiting to prevent sticking. Place the bag in the top of the bain-marie, keep the water to just under a boil. The compo should be ready in about 10 min.

Using compo in moulds.

Make sure the compo is smooth, as any folds will show up. With plenty of whiting on your hands firmly press the compo into the mould, paying attention to deep or undercut parts. Depending on the size of the mould you should be able to de-mould the compo between 1-15 mins. If you are pressing out several peaces put the compo decoration in an air tight plastic bag until needed. Trim the compo decoration with a scalpel.

Sticking down the compo decoration.

Runs of compo decoration are best stuck down by heating the back, this heats the glue which is already in the compo. Put a large glazed tile over a pan of boiling water, spray water onto the tile to keep it wet. Rub the back of the compo decoration along the tile until the back starts to melt. Place the compo decoration where you need it. For long pieces you may need to use some slim nails as well. Wood glue is good for awkward pieces.

Drying times.

You have about an hour after the compo has come out of the mould while it is still pliable after that it starts to dry out. After 24 hours it’s hard and gesso etc can be applied. But it will keep drying over weeks, you may find small cracks appear. This happens to all compo it’s partly the compo drying out and partly the wooden frame underneath.

Modelling compo.

Hot compo can be modelled with a hot wet tool or fingers. When hard it can also be carved. Compo is good for backing decoration. For example a cartouche on the top of a mirror is fixed to a metal bar coming out of the wooden frame. Hot wet compo is places over the bar and smoothed into the back. Keep your hands wet with hot water and use compo from a bain-marie if you are backing a large area.

Finishing off.

After the new compo decoration is dry fill in any gaps with hot wet compo on a moulding tool or use milliput.