A little test

[Lars Wacherhausen]

Hi there.. Yesterday I used my last gold and tried to make a watergilded letter made with a computercuttet vinyl mask.

-I first pelled of the outline, paintet it black with 1shot
-Pelled of the centers and paintet it with 1shot goldsize
-When both the black and the size where tacky I watergilded to whole letter with 18k lemon gold.
-After burnishing I paintet the whole letter again with black 1shot and pell of the excess vinyl around the letter.
-Done? Or should I give it a coat of yacht varnish?

I know the result could be much better when I have practiced some more.
Tell me if any mistakes or the letter wouldnt last in a store window?

[erik winkler]

Lars,

Show me a detail of the black outline and the gold just next to it.
And a detail of the border between the mat and glossy gold.
Looks like a very good test piece, but maybe there is room for progress.

Erik

[Lars Wacherhausen]

This is the best close up my camera can take.

I think maybe the matte center is too matte?
A help for myself next time is to let the black outline dry for a longer and some ... more practice with laying the gold correct! I used 6 sheets of gold for this letter and its only 10x12 cm

When I use the gilding tip I make it static with my hair, but when I put it on the gold it just suck it up and the gold become curly

[erik winkler]

Looks good lars.
Keep practising.

[BruceJackson]

A couple of tips Lars,

1.
When picking up the gold, you actually don't want static. It is the oil in your hair that is effective in picking up the leaf. You can apply a little oil of some oily type of cream to you hair (or back of your hand) to make it work better. Don't rub the gilder's tip vigorously through your hair, building up a static charge. Just one pass should be enough.

If you still have problem with static electricity causing the gold leaf to leap onto the tip, breath on it first to discharge it.

2.
When you paint the clear for your matt centre, double check and triple check that you have it completely covered with an even layer. I notice you have some missed areas on the bottom left curve. It's hard to see missed patches until it is gilded, but then it's too late.

You can apply some powder first, either talc or whiting (fine chalk powder), then when you paint the clear, it will be much more visible.

And I don't think it is "too" matt. It has good contrast and it isn't dull from being too soft or over-rubbing. I'd say it's a good matt finish.

3.
When you weed out the mask, clean and trim up the line any areas so that you don't get black spots in the gild.
Also, after when you gild it, look at it with light coming through to check for holes or cracks. Patch up any visible holds or defects before you back it up.

I'm not a big fan of gilding over a masked edge, but the result you got is quite good, especially the edge of the matt centre. Personally, I prefer to do the water gilding first, then fill in the matt later, but I'm not about to claim it is the only "proper" way to do it. I just prefer the edge formed by a brush to a masked edge.

4.
For a shop window, definitely varnish it. If it's going into a picture frame, it doesn't matter.

[Lars Wacherhausen]

Thank Erik, and Bruce, thanks for you answers. I tried with a little oil with my smith gilders tip last time. I think I get too much oil in it so when I pick up the leaf its keep sticking to the hair.

Can I wash the hair somehow without destroying anything?

And a little answer to your comment #3 - I ran out of gold so there was not much to do about the small holes in the gild

[erik winkler]

And a little answer to your comment #3 - I ran out of gold so there was not much to do about the small holes in the gild

Haha that is a mayor lesson, I had that once or twice and it is a pain.
Never wash your tip, wear a cotton t-shirt and brush the tip allong the cotton a few times.
I think it is a continue search in the balance of not to dry and not to oily.

Erik

[Danny Baronian]

Lars,

first try wiping your tip as you would a brush on a clean cotton cloth, stroking it as you would in cleaning any brush.

If you have loaded it too much, the tip can be cleaned as any other brush, just with more care with the mounting. I had the same problem when starting out and was told to clean the brush, it makes a huge difference.

To add to Bruces suggestion, chapstick (lip balm) in tube form can also be used. If you're right handed, lay a very small amount down on your left wrist, then spread it out with your right forearm, leaving a thin deposit. Left handed, do the reverse.

It takes practice, you only need a slight amount, just enough to for the tip to pick the gold up; too much and you'll fight it all the way. I'd also suggest considering laying half a leaf at a time until you get the hang of it, though the Smith tip works very well for full leafs.

Danny

[Lars Wacherhausen]

Thanks for your tips..

As soon I get some more gold I'll try to lay day the gold so it stays in the size of 8x8cm and not less