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Recipe for gold size.

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Julio Cesar Germano
Posts: 26
Joined: Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:14 pm
Location: Maringá - PR - Brazil
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Recipe for gold size.

Post by Julio Cesar Germano »

So I was strolling around the internet looking for gold sizes to purchase and I come across a recipe for making gold size.
To boot, it needs the most common thinner for oil paints, linseed oil. It's sold by the gallons quite cheaply...
The gum animi might be tricky to get. So I was wondering if gum arabic or gum sandarac might do the job.
How To Make Gold Size

Heat 1/2 pound linseed oil in a flask, and gradually add 2 ounces of powdered gum animi, stirring the oil continuously until the whole of the gum is dissolved. Continue boiling until the mixture becomes a little thicker than tar, when it must be strained through a coarse cloth. Previous to use, it is to be ground up with sufficient vermilion to render it opaque, and turpentine must be added in order that it may work freely.
Anyone's ever seen or used anything like this? I'm hoping that by leaving the vermillion out, to keep it somewhat clear, I could use it for reverse glass gilding.

Hope to get some insights before diving into it :D
Best wishes

Julio Cesar
I've started calligraphy as a hobby a couple of years ago and, from there, stumbled upon
the wonderful world of lost arts - pinstriping, chalkboard art, hand-lettering and sign making.

From Brazil.

Julio Cesar
Kent Smith
Posts: 569
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2004 6:41 pm
Location: Estes Park, CO
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Re: Recipe for gold size.

Post by Kent Smith »

This formula is very old with the Atkinson formula being more "modern" and still not up to current formulary and ingredients.

One real issue is that heating linseed oil in this fashion is very dangerous as it will burst into flames at the most unexpected time. There were stories of gilders in the early 1700's and into the early 1800's loosing a hand while stirring the hot mix when it would burst into flame. Commercially made size became available and made it less important to make your own size.

As to ingredients, the gum anime (sp corrected) is a root/bark resin like spar, damar, Japan gum, copal and others. It is the dry powdered sap of specific species of bushes and trees, spar being the most common. By the way, most resins now are synthetically produced from multiple sources such a alkyd resin we use mostly now for varnishes and enamels.

Vermillion was used as it is the thinnest pure red lead and easy to dissolve into the oil. It acts as both colorant and the lead dryer, but also the most rare and expensive. Chrome lead oxide (yellow to orange) is the cheapest and more often used for colored size which also acts as a dryer. White lead was used in clear size as a dryer. Synthetic non-lead dryers are now used but the size must always have a dryer of some type

Turpentine is still a favorite reducer although one must be careful to get pure spirits, not a blend. Preferrable would be to use a blended reducer such as high temp reducer which is specifically formulated so that less volume is needed to reduce enamels and size as well.

Boiled linseed oil is certainly available and is the one common and still the same ingredient.
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