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I do a good bit of leaf work, mostly surface gilding on carved signs, and I don't often get excited over it. But today I tried out a tip I heard somewhere, and it worked so well I have to share. The job is for several sets of gilded Gemini letters. I had always just sized and gilded with LeFranc slow size, but this time, as I sized each letter, I then took a clean cotton cloth and wiped as much of the size as possible off the letters, leaving a very thin film of size. I let them set over night, and gilded this morning using loose XX surface gold. The size - it was two-thirds Lefranc 12-hour and one-third One Shot fast size - had no discernable tack, but it took gold beautifully, and the burnish is absolutely stunning, almost mirror-bright. In all the years I've been gilding, I've never had such a bright burnish. Like I said, I don't get excited about gold work very often, but this was someting I had to share. I don't recall where I heard or read that tip on wiping off the size, but I recommend it to anyone who's doing gilded freestanding letters. BTW, these were six-inch high, round-face Roman letters. I have another set to do of 12" high letters, same style, and I'm looking forward to them.
------------------ "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson)
Cam Finest Kind Signs 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988"
Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Will this also work with other objects? I am currently in the process of gilding very small thin animal bones.You don't want to hear why and what kind of bone. Thanks
------------------ PKing is Pat King of King Sign Design in McCalla,Alabama The Professor of SIGNOLOGY
Posts: 3113 | From: Pompano Beach, FL. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I would wonder about longevity? Is such a skim coat strong enough to withstand exposure..assuming the letters will be outdoors? Any feedback on that?
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99.999% of what I do goes outdoors, so I am always geared to what will hold up to weather. I can't imagine why the thickness of the size film would be an issue; more important is the adherence of size to substrate. I scuff the letters with 400 grit paper, and wipe them with alcohol. I also screw the metal studs to the backs of the letters before sizing, so I can handle them without touching the size or gold.
Gold size is not paint; it's job is not to protect and seal a surface, but to adhere leaf. The leaf itself is much thinner at 3 millionths of an inch, than any size film, and holds up fine.
Yes we do, Duckie! Confess! You've been gold-leafing roadkill again, haven't you?
------------------ "A wise man concerns himself with the truth, not with what people believe." - Aristotle
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson)
Cam Finest Kind Signs 256 S. Broad St. Pawcatuck, Ct. 06379 "Award winning Signs since 1988"
[This message has been edited by Cam Bortz (edited May 18, 2001).]
Posts: 3051 | From: Pawcatuck,Connecticut USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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Cam, thanks for the riminder. Have you ever tried the Instacol process? Many times we've found the real bright gilds too difficult to read....just too much glare. We'd need to tone down with burnishing.
Also, Cam, have you tried airbrushing a thin layer of size on those letters?
------------------ The SignShop Mendocino, California "Where the Redwoods meet the Surf"
Posts: 6806 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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I've got a project coming up that has various entranceway signs in a subdivision.
I'll try your technique on a few, and airbrush some size as well to see which works out better.
When it's done, I will post my observations.
------------------ Pat Neve, Jr. Sign Man, Inc. 4580 N. US 1 Melbourne, FL 32935 321-259-1703 signman@signmaninc.com Capt. Sign Letterville Constituent constituent: "One of the individual entities contributing to a whole"
Posts: 2284 | From: Melbourne, FL, USA | Registered: Jan 1999
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GREAT Tip Cam!I can tell the difference right away on these animal bones.Where you have to remember I am guilding the ENTIRE bone (360 degrees)Thanks again Cam. BTW there are 6 of them from 6 seperate animals that sometimes do wind up as roadkill But... that is not what they were used for in the days of Daniel Boone.
------------------ PKing is Pat King of King Sign Design in McCalla,Alabama The Professor of SIGNOLOGY
Posts: 3113 | From: Pompano Beach, FL. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
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This technick was used for giling the inside of glass ball too be mounted on top of flag poles. How it will hold up as surface gild is yet to see My guess it is ok
------------------ Stein Sæther GullSkilt AS Trondheim
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Cam; Temperature and humidity may have an affect on a gold leaf burnish. I recall back in the 1950's watching some old pro's (Sign Guy's) at the boat yards mixing on site their sizing for the conditions of the day. They would not start a gold leaf job before 10:am, or untill the moisture of the night was evaporated from the ground. Proportions of "Fat Oil" and spar varnish reflected the immediate weather and or past experience, so they might predict their return to the shop or get to their next job. Also, if a transom was not facing north, a tarp was placed over it so the sun would not affect the sizing. All this seems elementary to me now, however as I look over my shoulder, I realize that my experience comes from a time when three cornered hats, and buckels on shoes were "just" out of vogue here in New England... 23K is still 23K... so it's not so much "whatchew got baby"... it's how you apply it.
Kurtzman...since gold was $23 bucks an oz...
------------------ Creative communication since 1959
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