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 transfer aluminium booklets also have 25 leaves but each leaf in the book has been pressed (transferred) firmly to specially treated acid-free tissue paper that is separated by sheets of rouge paper. The leaf will stay adhered to its backing paper when removed from the book making it suitable for outdoor work or any other situation where loose leaf would be unmanageable or at risk of blowing away. To apply the leaf, it is pressed to the sized surface face down before rubbing over the back of the paper to release the leaf down onto the sized surface then peeling away the backing paper to leave the leaf. Transfer leaf is best suited for gilding flat areas and for exterior projects.
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
