For those new to the craft of gold leaf gilding, learning to handle and apply genuine gold leaf to a prepared ground is one of the most challenging aspects of gilding, and most notably, traditional water gilding. The beaten leaf, measuring approximately 3 microns, is thinner than a human hair; yet when applied properly, can last many years and even centuries as shown with certain Egyptian artifacts.

To make handling gold leaf more manageable there are specific tools that a gilder can use including the Gilder's Knife, Pad, and Tip. The Pad, made of various animal skins, provides a handy cushion to temporarily place the leaf while working. Some pads come with a parchment shield that guard against draughts that can easily blow the leaf off the cushion. The Knife is used to manipulate the gold on the Pad and to cut it into sections that coordinate to the surface being gilded. The Tip is a thin, flat brush approximately 3" wide made of various animal hairs such as sable, and is used to pick the gold leaf off the pad and apply it to the object being gilded.

The Tip is drawn across the gilder's hair or skin to pickup a trace of oil which helps to pickup the gold leaf. It can be useful to use a little hair tonic if there is insufficient natural oil present; too much oil can cause the gold to stick too forcefully to the hairs of the Tip while not enough may make it difficult to manage the leaf. This process of transferring one's natural oil to the hairs of the Tip has often been misunderstood as generating static. Although static may sometimes be present, especially in a room with electric heat, it is not static that we wish to generate; static can actually cause the leaf to jump and is not a favorable occurrence while gilding.

To apply gold leaf to a water gilded surface, a jar of gilding water is prepared which is simply water with a little isopropyl alcohol added and a very small amount of a 10% rabbit skin glue (or gelatin) solution. A Gilder's Mop is used to wet the object's surface which has been previously given numerous coats of rabbit skin glue-based gesso and clay bole. The water reactivates the protein binder in the bole, the leaf is layed on top of the thin layer of water on the surface, and bonds to the bole as it dries.

Each of the steps performed in traditional water gilding require good judgment and attention to detail. Handling the gold leaf, however, requires the actual development of skill and will likely take weeks or months to acquire the confidence and dexterity to properly lay gold leaf. But as thin as gold leaf is, it is also quite malleable and when applied to a surface that has been given careful preparation, it will quickly show how it can beautifully adorn a picture frame or other object.

Be patient and mindful when learning this particular skill; it can be a meditative process and is best approached when the working environment feels comfortable, where each of the tools are in comfortable reach and draughts from windows, doors, and vents have been attended to before beginning. Make sure the jar of gilding water is nearby but positioned in such a way to avoid dripping water from the brush over leaf that has already been laid. Water gilded gold leaf will stain from accidental water droplets and will scratch during the burnishing stage.

Next Installment: Burnishing Gold Leaf with an Agate Stone