An
old technique in a modern world
Gilding
has been handed down from our distant past in many cultures around
the world. The techniques are complex, but in todays world are
done quick - if using the latest equipment .
Metal leaf of many kinds
Here
you can find the varieties of metal leaf and tools for gilding
metal leaf onto surfaces like papers, cards, calligraphers vellum
and wood etc.
Real
Gold can be laid down onto many surfaces, in thin loose leaf or
transfer form. Transfer gold is pressed onto a tissue paper backing,
this makes it easy to handle & cut etc. Loose leaf metal sheets
are more troublesome - in that they fold up and must be kept flat
while cutting them and positioning onto your work surface.
Three types are shown in this picture (left), If you wish to use real gold, the sheets are approx' 8cm square, that is for either loose leaf or transfer types. The Imitation gold size is 14x14cm, much larger. Imitation gold (also known as Schlag metal), is made to look like real gold, but is made of copper & zinc. As such it will dull and tarnish in time, whereas real gold stays the same brightness.
Alternate
shades of real gold are available, the richer the gold content
the more you will pay per sheet. Generally there are 4 well known
types of gold;
Red 23.5 or 24ct,
Yellow 23ct, Green 16ct, White 12ct.
Red
gold is also known as Rose gold, and is the purest gold with a
reddish hue. 23 carat Yellow gold is the most popular, this is
the type of gold used for wedding rings, as it is hardy and valuable.
At the other end of the scale is White gold, this looks most similar
to platignum or dull silver, it is however higher in impurities
and will yellow to some degree in time.
Shell
Gold(pictured
above), is a small button of 23 carat real gold with only Gum
Arabic in it as a binder. So here is a purely gold source that
will dissolve easily using water on a brush. Use this type of
gold for small decorative gold finishing touches to your artwork.
The gold button comes with in its own small plastic palette.
Four types of
metal leaf are shown in this picture (left). Real Silver (leftmost) has
the same sheet size as gold around 8x8cm. It has the same appearance
as Aluminium, which is used
as imitation silver. Copper sheet is also available, as well
as copper sheet with a variegated finish, this makes multiple
colours on the same sheet. The first of these is shown here "Black" variegated", the colours
are actually more like prussian blue than black. The variegated
range of 5x types, aluminium and copper are all the same size
(approximately) as the Imitation gold - 14x14cm square.
#
SEPTEMBER 2007. ALL
OUR STANDARD VARIEGATED LEAF SHEETS ARE NOW DISCONTINUED ITEMS
Due
to the overseas company closing down, our range of variegated
shades are finished with the last batch we have now. The well
known shades are Black, Blue, Atlantic ocean, Red, and Autumn
tint.
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The four variegated metal sheets shown in this picture (left) are all made from copper sheet with different techniques to bring out the various colours. They are very different from each other and the names given on each sheet are self explanatory. The Red, Blue and Autumn tint shades are very bright and almost psychadelic. Any order made for these goods, should use these names. |
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#
NEW SHADES OF VARIEGATED SHEETS ARE ARRIVING FROM ANOTHER SOURCE,
WITH DIFFERENT TONES AS FOLLOWS; The second picture is SUNSET RED, also with a smoother tonal range than the now discontinued Red & Blue variegated leaf. |
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Ever-Bright Imitation
Gold - or Schlagmetal
as it is known. Sold here in packs of 100x loose leaf sheets,
at 14 x 14cm square. Use it for any application where a gold effect is needed on top of other artwork, paintings etc. A sealed pack of 100x is priced on the list below. |
The name
"William" can be seen gilded in its polished and raised
form, whereas the following "Kin" is flat gilded. These
are laid on a piece of vellum (calligraphers leather skin), specially
bleached and prepared for calligraphy work. To do these advanced
gold laying techniques, you will need an expert/teacher for advice
or a very good book. We sell the base gesso paste and glue to
do this kind of work, but it involves a number of other tools
to be able to do it correctly. You will find these items in this
section. (This work by Geoff Ford, is on show at our shop in Chatswood)
Gesso cake comes in two forms, dependant
on your weather conditions at the time you create your raised
gold work. For gesso work done in a dry-non humid period order
Form 1 in the English brand or "Dry" gesso in the Aussie
brand. For wet-Humid conditions order Form 2 in the English brand
or "Wet" gesso in the Aussie brand. All these packs
have extensive instructions for mixing and use in each pack.
# UPDATE June 2007. English Gesso is no longer available as
the company has closed down. So while stocks last only for this
item.
Gum
Ammoniac
is the glue used for traditional flat gilding techniques, we sell
it in granule form in 25gram bags.
For people who have already done some raised gilding, and wish
to make their own recipe. We have some of the ingredients for
gesso making. While recipes vary, there have been a lot over the
centuries, the basic added pinkish shade is from Red Bole pigmentor Armenian Bole.
We sell ground bole pigment in 30gram bags.
Another well known ingredient is white lead, which is unfortunately
poisonous, in the old days they were unable to find a white without
possibly poisoning themselves. We sell Titanium white instead,
in 50gram bags.
While there are other ingredients for gesso making we only have
Animal
Glue in bottles
as a replacement for Fish Glue, which is the more traditional
binding glue in Gesso.
Gilding Equipment
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Our own brand Agate Dogtooth burnisher (left) is on sale now at the shop. |
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The
picture shows on the left side a Pencil burnisher with
its burnishing tip made from Agate stone. This is for really fine work,
were edges and tight corners in raised gesso may need some pressure
to adhere the metal well. Many sizes of tips are available for
various types of metal laying jobs, but medium to small sizes
will work best for the calligrapher, who only needs to cover
small areas with metal leaf. On the
right the Silicium burnisher. This is made from imitation
Hematite (black mirror like stone). It is known as the best polisher
of gold, and along with its round and angled tip it has every
useful angle covered to pressure your gold onto flat or raised
surfaces. |
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To handle
loose (un-backed) metal leaf successfully, a Gilders cushion is the best
way. It enables the leaf to be laid flat for uncreasing, as it
often gets folded awkwardly, and for cutting to size before applying
to the work area. Gilders tip brushes will smooth creases in your metal leaf on a Gilders cushion. Also when moving cut pieces the brush can help. This is a super flat squirrel hair brush, and can be bought in a number of widths, we sell the 2 1/2 inch/60mm & 3 inch/75mm sizes. |
For quick work
like Christmas cards etc, a quicker way of applying metal leaf
of all types is needed. Try our White Gilding Mix, it is supplied
in 30ml bottles and is a liquid rubber based glue, like a liquid
selotape. It speeds gilding into the current century, with no
need of a day or days of work.