Well, I just finished the gilding on my first gold job and so far I'm mighty happy with the results. I used Lefranc slow size, mixed in a little imitation gold Oneshot, and used patent gold. I had a few cracks where the paper shifted sideways in my nervous little hands but they patched easily. I brushed the excess gold off with a brown lettering quill.
But, there are a few tiny eensy weensy places on the edge of some letters where I must have missed with the size and the gold won't stick. I have some of the size leftover from yesterday (I sized yesterday at 3PM and it's now 3PM), in a babyfood jar. Will it be ok to use some of that size to put in those spots or should I use fresh? It looks OK, doesn't appear to be thickened or jelled and I had strained the size thru a coffee filter before using (thanks for the tip Rick Glawson!)
Also, thanks to Michael Boone for sending a couple of books of gold and for lending his Leblanc "Gold Leaf Techniques" book to me.
[ August 11, 2002, 09:29 PM: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]
Posted by Jonathan Androsky (Member # 2806) on :
Hiya Wayne. I'd be very careful re-sizing over gold in little spots like that. Keep in mind that the dab of size is going to have a bit of thickness above the gold surface that is already there. Now, given the reflective nature of gold and the charictaristics that sometimes cause the same variety of gold to wind up being a different color depending on the tack of the size, it's possible that your "patch" may wind up being more visable than the wee little holiday that you are trying to fix!
Guess how I know this happens ?
Posted by Michael Boone (Member # 308) on :
hay Wayne Look at the job...at a distance equal to that which it will be viewed when installed see how it looks better not git too fussy
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
Wayne,
Whenever I catch myself getting too fussy about a job, I remember what a fellow sign person once told me about signs. "They'll be lookin' at 'em not smellin' 'em."
Even got my boyfriend Dave reminding me about that one regularily.
Janette
[ August 12, 2002, 09:35 AM: Message edited by: Janette Balogh ]
Posted by Steve Purcell (Member # 1140) on :
What kind of letters, flat, incised, or raised?
Masked or hand lettered?
If hand lettered, what did you use for resist?
These questions will have bearing on why the edges are ragged.
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Yeah guys, a shrink said I am "obsessive/compulsive" and the Wife says I'm a perfectionist. I jus cain't hep it.
Steve, the sign is sandblasted redwood with the letters being raised. I pre-primed and prepainted the blank before blasting and cut the stencil out on the plotter so the edges are pretty clean. I did however re-prime the lettering with FSC-88 primer and paint over it with two coats of chrome yellow OneShot because I had painted the blank with acrylic latex paint. Bad habit of mine...Next time I will try pre-painting (spraying) the lettered areas with OneShot before blasting. That should be a glassy smooth surface. I just wasn't thinking this time.
I want to try making a sign with epoxy resin on the letters and gilding over that. It looks really nice.
[ August 12, 2002, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: Wayne Webb ]
Posted by Wayne Webb (Member # 1124) on :
Ended up using a magnifier and a teenie weenie brush with a sharp tip. It looks just fine now and the sign gets installed tomorrow. Thanks everyone!
Posted by Janette Balogh (Member # 192) on :
I think a photo is in order!
Nettie!
Posted by cheryl nordby (Member # 1100) on :
I am glad you fixed them Wayne. The same thing has happened to me and I did the same as you did. It would have bothered you if you didn't make it right.
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)
?
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
and the Wife says I'm a perfectionist. I jus cain't hep it.