Whats a good way to cover your prepainted sign background before applying the gold leaf Tried the baby powder way...but since my background is black this method has left me with kinda of a white haze even after washing it..had to remask my finish gold leaf...respray...and now when i have removed the mask... my gold leaf finish...is all...$#@%^ up
UGHHHH!!
Posted by Mark Fair Signs (Member # 289) on :
how long has it been since you painted the black background?
you have to be patient and let the background dry hard. this could mean up to a week if using 1-shot. plus it all depends on the substrate and primer, thinners and such used.
Posted by Steve Nuttle (Member # 2645) on :
Ross sorry to hear you're having problems. I use the powder method quite a bit but instead of baby powder I use pounce powder which comes in a number of colors. For a black border I use black powder. It's like fine charcol. Of course making sure that the border is good and dry and being careful with the application of the size helps eliminate quite a few problems. Another trick, if the border or background is enamel, is to apply a small amount of 3 in one oil to a q-tip and clean up the errant size and gold. Once gilded I know of no good way to mask the gold without wrecking it when you remove the mask. Good luck and hope this helps a bit.
Steve
Posted by Mike Languein (Member # 319) on :
I use Kaolin powder - used to be available in drug stores, it's a finer powder than talc. Also leaves a haze, but it washes off after all is dry. Some ppl use egg white, some use a potato.
Posted by Si Allen (Member # 420) on :
DON'T LAUGH!, but, after you are sure the background is really dried, slice a raw potato and rub it all over the sign. It will leave a light coating of starch in the background, that allows the size to penetrate, and it washes off easily!
Posted by bronzeo (Member # 1408) on :
Sorry to hear about this late. You can you 3M clear polish for autos to get the haze off if it occurs. Even masks leave a gas off haze that you can also polish by hand. Jack
Posted by Steve Purcell (Member # 1140) on :
Egg white & water. Unless the humidity is high, then use talc. Like Mark said, don't rush it.
Posted by Stephen Faulkner (Member # 2511) on :
Gold Leaf Rouge works well and available from Sepp Leaf in New York, Gotta let the background dry wicked good first!
Posted by bronzeo (Member # 1408) on :
One other thing. Don't try to repaint over the gold, as it will not hold. I have already tried it with one shot thinking that such a pure metal would not resist the paint, but it did bigtime. It came off in big peels a week later. That even after sanding the gold for better adhesion. Jack
Posted by Robert Thomas (Member # 1356) on :
I do the egg white trick. Poke a hole in the top of an egg, pour out the egg white, mix with a pint of water and strain. Then brush on the surface, let dry, do the guild, then wipe off the surface with damp cotton. Cheers.
Posted by Bruce Deveau (Member # 1600) on :
Ditto Rob Thomas...The gold will stick to the egg solution, and for a minute you will think you've doubled your problem, but a quick wipe with damp cotton or towel afterward (watch out to not scratch the gold) and the egg solution and stuck gold will wipe away beautifully, even off of freshly painted surfaces.
An alternative to the talc or rouge method is to wipe a haze of bon ami cake cleanser onto the surface and let dry. Letter on top of it and then carefully wipe with damp cloth after gilding.
Bruce deveau
Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
Egg size saved my butt more than once when I had to gild firetruck doors with paint jobs only 24 hrs old. I did that regularly for awhile and it always worked, although you use more gold because it sticks so well to the egg size too. But it all cleans right off. Si's potato thing is good too...its just that you look sorta silly rubbing a potato on a door...might draw a crowd of spectators..."what IS he doing?".
