Question on gilder's rouge vs. whiting

Steve Racz · Post by **Steve Racz** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:02 pm

I didn't want to derail Ron's post on other uses for gilder's rouge so i'll start this one.

I was just wondering if anyone finds gilder's rouge to be superior to whiting when used to avoid gold sticking to the sign where you don't want it to.

I have used whiting for years with pretty good success but the whiting does seem to leave a slight dullness to the paint when removed even if i only use a very light dusting of the whiting.

Does the gilder's rouge have any similar problems?

Is it easy to remove?

Thanks in advance,
Steve

Post by **Mike Jackson** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:44 pm

Steve,
We've used rouge, spanish whiting, and even talcum powder. Overall, we use rouge most and even have it in a Pounce-See box. A quick, fine wipe will put a thin layer down. It usually comes up with a damp cloth later. Of course, the background has to be 100% dry and cured with any product.

Maybe the secret would be to suggest you wipe over the entire background panel before gilding and not just one little area. At least if it did dull the surface a tiny bit, it would all be dulled at the sheen. If gilding the cove on a sandblasted sign, we would run the pounce box across the border and sometimes on the edge. After gilding, we'd just wet a paper towel with Windex and wipe around the entire sign border and edges.

Mike

Steve Racz · Post by **Steve Racz** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 3:04 pm

Mike,

Thank you for the info!

I usually do wipe the entire panel per your suggestion - over time i have learned that you only need a very light coating of the whiting. The whiting came with a powder puff which i dust very lightly and then carefully vacuum off any excess.

I was just hoping that the gilder's rouge would work better than the whiting as far as dulling the paint.

Perhaps i am not letting the paint dry long enough. I do tend to use 1-shot for all my signs and even use lettering enamel for background (not sure this is recommended). I have just learned about hardener and am beginning to use that so maybe i will have less dulling with the hardener added to the paint and giving it some extra time to dry.

Thanks again. By the way, i bought and use your Broadway and Americana CDs constantly - they are great!

Thanks,
Steve

rove gratz · Post by **rove gratz** » Sun Oct 17, 2004 8:35 am

Anyone here ever used the cut potato method?

I did once and it worked fine.

Cut the potato and rub it over the area where the leaf will be applied and let it dry before applying your pattern.

Eric H · Post by **Eric H** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 11:33 am

We do mostly carved and sandblasted types of signs. When we guild and have some gold stuck where we don't want it we will take a piece of masking or duct tape and dab it over the gold and it takes it off. I've never used the other methods so I can't compare. It might be worth trying.

Steve Racz · Post by **Steve Racz** » Mon Oct 18, 2004 12:08 pm

Eric,

Thanks! I will give that a try.

Thanks,
Steve

BruceJackson · Post by **BruceJackson** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 7:20 am

I mainly use talcum powder. I do a fair number of honour boards, and have never had troubles. A quick daub and brush away any excess, apply some cellulose tape for top and bottom lines (or not, whatever is required to match previous lettering).

After gilding, the action of lightly rubbing over to remove the dags of gold will also remove any talc haze. Very dark boards with higher levels of sheen can leave a haze, but I make an assesment beforehand and also do the wipe all over trick too. Also sometimes wipe with a slightly damp soft rag before painting any black shades on the letters.

I find talc is slightly more effective when applied in a very sparingly than whiting. It seems to spread better, but maybe it can haze more on a fresh surface. Both do the job well.

Some have expressed concern over adhesion, but it's not a problem. Talc is magnesium silicate (from memory) but this has nothing to do with adhesion issues with silicone.

I'm very cautious with newly painted backgrounds, especially enamel. Honour boards finished in a satin (non enamel) lacquer or polyurethane are usually less receptive to gold sticking.

Steve Racz · Post by **Steve Racz** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 9:01 am

Bruce,

Thank you for the great info. I have never used talc because years ago when i started gilding a knowledgeable sign guy recommended whiting.

After reading your post i'm sure that my problems are mostly because of the dark background, enamel paint and lack of drying time.

I'm still tempted to buy a bag of jeweller's rouge and give that a try. If i do, i'll post my comparisons here.

Thanks again,
Steve

Steve Racz · Post by **Steve Racz** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 11:07 am

Hello Letterheads,

I was about to buy some rouge to do my own test when a kind letterhead who had seen my post (Bill Pickett) sent me some free! Thank you Bill!

I did a test on two kinds of paint - Sherwin Williams 25 year latex based paint and One Shot lettering enamel.

In my opinion, the gilder's rouge works better than the whiting on both paints, i.e. is easier to remove (i used a paper towel lightly dampened with windex) and does not dull the paint.

Thanks,
Steve