Aluminium leaf (often called imitation silver leaf) is a metal leaf made from pure aluminium that has been hammered into incredibly fine sheets for use in gilding. Aluminium leaf is available in both standard and superior quality and as both loose and transfer leaf.
The loose aluminium leaf is supplied in booklets of 25 leaves, each leaf in the book is separated by sheets of rouged paper but is not adhered to the paper. In order to remove the leaf from the book we recommend you use a brush such as a badger hair gilders tip to pick up the leaf although it can be handled if done so delicately and with clean, grease-free fingers as it is heavier than genuine silver and gold leaf. Loose leaf is suitable for gilding any surface but is most often used for more intricate and delicate work for example carved and ornate mouldings where transfer leaf is unsuitable.
Aluminium leaf is non-tarnishing and will only require protection if the leaf is to be used outdoors or if the gilding is to be touched or handled regularly. We supply a number of lacquers and varnish that are suited for protecting metal leaf; in particular we recommend Whitson's Universal Lacquer to protect the leaf from minor handling in indoor settings. Whitson's Universal Lacquer is also an excellent intermediary product to follow up with additional applications of more hardwearing water based varnishes if required.
Aluminium leaf is available in two grades, the Superior grade is manufactured in Italy to the highest standards
Size: 140 mm x 140 mm (each booklet covers approximately 0.49m2, you will need just over two booklets to cover a flat square metre.)
Each booklet contains 25 leaves
