I am doing a real small sandblasted cedar sign and was wondering "Do I have to prime or paint the area that will be leafed or can I put it right on the wood.?
Posted by Stephen Faulkner (Member # 2511) on :
it needs to have a solid finish before you try to gild it. Posted by Mark Sheflo (Member # 3608) on :
My normal is to paint it the same as the background then size and leaf it. That is unless the background is going to be stained, then don't stain the faces but prime and then size with a 1 Shot Im. Gold/Size mix, then leaf.
Posted by Dana Bowers (Member # 780) on :
Back in sign school, I did a small sandblasted and gold leafed cedar piece for my Dad.
For the leafed part, I primed the area, then did several coats of im gold OneShot until smooth. Then sized and leafed.
Turned out great and my Dad loved it!
Posted by Gene Golden (Member # 3934) on :
Laura, If you intend to leave the background natural, you may want to prime and paint the entire background first, maybe a light cream/gold color. THEN apply the mask and blast. This will allow you to have the letters already sealed and finished before attempting to gild. Otherwise you would have a hard time preventing drips into the natural wood areas. I would then use the gold size CLEAR to eliminate the chance of colored size dripping onto the wood. Then gild. NOW that I've said THAT... If the sign is to go outdoors, I would make sure that the "natural" wood is clear-coated, front and back, so the moisture doesn't creep behind the gilded letters and cause failure. Call me if necessary.
Posted by Laura Butler (Member # 1830) on :
Background is PROPER PURPLE. Can I leave it that or should I put a lighter color. I hate to do that if I don't have to as there are a lot of small flourishes.
Is there anything that I can use on the background that can be washed away later that will stop the leaf from sticking to the background (while I gild)? I thought that I had heard of some people using egg white.
How long does the coat of 1 Shot have to dry before I gild?
[ September 16, 2004, 09:57 PM: Message edited by: Laura Butler ]
Posted by Gene Golden (Member # 3934) on :
Laura, I'm sure there are better gilders here but what the hell, I'm answering anyway. So the entire board is now coated out with purple 1-Shot, Correct? Your letters are now purple also, so I would then at least add a little Chrome Yellow or similar light color to your size so you may prevent having to double gild. Try to let the 1-Shot dry 48 hours, I have gilded before then and you can always touch up SOME spots easily enough. I would recommend the Patent Leaf (on the paper) to prevent some floating leaf problems. Be careful and you won't have much floating gild to worry about. I have actually used baby powder to cover the background, rightly or wrongly, it seems to work, but I'm not sure how that would be removed from the rough blasted areas (I've used it on flat backgrounds). I would wipe it off the lettered/bordered areas first if using the powder.
Posted by Gene Golden (Member # 3934) on :
Oh, another thing. You mentioned a lot of fluorishes etc. I use a 1" foam brush and lightly "tap" it onto the raised letters. Carefully "brush it out" onto a piece of card or something first so it's not overloaded. Since it is flat it will only hit the raised letters. Don't drag the brush, tap it.
Posted by Mark Sheflo (Member # 3608) on :
We are just careful doing the leaf like Gene says, then touch up what gold won't wipe off. Normally not very much touch up to do.
Posted by Laura Butler (Member # 1830) on :
I always prepainted goldleaf areas yellow before I put mask on and then sandblast. This time I forgot to do it before one of my employees put the mask on. So when I pulled the blasting maskoff, of course it was raw wood underneath that...and still is. It would be easier to paint again using the purple.
Posted by paul priestley (Member # 4313) on :
I always paint what I am going to gild in one shot imitation gold and let that dry a least 24 hours then size or at least a well tinted size to help with minor misses, I have also used the one shot as a size with good results. I always use one shot as a size when using gold powders. The background should be covered in egg glaire to prevent gold adhering where you dont want it to. Egg glaire is simply 1 egg white in a little luke warm water mixed well then simply painted over the whole panel and left to dry (the size penetrates the glare)once the gilding is done and dry you just gently wash down the panel with luke warm water and cotton wool and the glaire and over gild will wash off. Gene also mentioned that he uses powder which is also another method but we always used french chalk and dusted the whole panel then gild as normal.
Happy gilding
Posted by Artisan Signs (Member # 3146) on :
Paint the area to be guilded as normal, let it dry well. Dust the background with baby powder, size with LeFranc slow size, let it set-up, guild, and the baby powder cleans off easily.
Good luck. Bob
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
I am constantly amazed at the amount of people who want to do gilding but won't spend $40 on Gold Leaf Techniques.
Posted by Gene Golden (Member # 3934) on :
Kissy, It is a great book, I've got it, but sometimes it's nice to have that one option that the book may not offer like this one:
Laura, I don't know HOW small a small panel is. to remedy the torn wood, you can spray-mount a few pieces of 220 grit sandpaper to a flat sheet (aluminum or MDO). Turn the board onto its face onto the sandpaper and carefully move it back and forth or round&round to sand a flat surface back onto the raised letters. This will prevent the edges from becoming rounded or eased by surface sanding. Then prime/paint/gild...
Posted by Brian Scargill (Member # 2258) on :
Hi all, Good advice, I would add that if you use the egg white ( I have used this method for 30 years ) you must remove it ALL after gilding, if not it can cause problems with the painted surface, good luck and enjoy the gilding.
Kissy, As a matter of fact, I do have the book but have only gotten part way thru it. I don't have much time to read and so I have it by my bedside and try to read a little at a time. The other night I climbed in bed and started reading and realized that I needed to go back as there is sooo much information. Sometimes I wished that I could have been a participant at Detroit as there was so much that I wanted to ask Kent.
I called Judy and Kent the other night to talk but they were in California.
Posted by Darryl Gomes (Member # 98) on :
If you are going to use egg white, mix 1 egg white in a pint of water. Don't use egg white only. It works really well and washes off easily with water. Be gentle washing as you will be washing around your gold and don't want to scratch it.
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
Laura, Kent & Judi are here with me in CA at the MicroMeet - had dinner with them as a matter of fact last night!! I will IM you Kent's cell phone if you want or call Ron Percell at the shop - there are enough "gold" people in that room to answer your question!! :-)
Posted by Laura Butler (Member # 1830) on :
Darryl, If I don't use egg white only, what else do I use?
Kimberly, I did call Judi and their cell phone but they were at their daughter's and I didn't want to gab while they visited. Judi is going to call me when they get back home.
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