An efficient and interesting way to water gild small balls such as those on this early American frame is to gild each ball in a full sheet of gold leaf.  

Once the ball has been gessoed and clayed, prepare a bucket of cold, distilled water. Lay a sheet of gold leaf out of the booklet and lay it flat on the water so it floats. Hold the ball by the small wood peg that is usually inserted into this type of ball, dip it completely into the water and bring the ball back up through the center of the gold leaf that is floating on the surface. The gold will wrap itself around the ball, entirely gilded with one motion and is quite magical to watch!!  

 Back to Top 

Questions Submitted by our Members and Others from around the (Art)World.

Q. I am writing from Moscow. Can you please help with advice
on how to achieve a mirror gloss clean finish on water gilding? ...The gold doesn't burnish. Is there too much glue? We tried using half the amount of
glue and the gold comes off when burnished. What are the right proportions for a clean mirror finish? When should we burnish? And what varnish should it be covered with so it doesn't become matte?
~
Moscow, Russia

A. Thank you for writing. There are a number of factors that go into creating a brilliant water gilded surface so it's best thought of as a system. To fully pinpoint your problem it would be beneficial to know your gesso recipe.  

I suspect that you are working from a set of recipes that don't work. It is sometimes necessary to adjust the gilding proportions in recipes when gilding in different parts of the world but shown below are the formulas I use in my gilding studio in Seattle:

A. 10% Stock Solution of Rabbit Skin Glue
     1 Part Dry RSG : 9 Parts Distilled Water

B. Hard Gesso
     2 Parts 10% RSG Solution : 1 Part Water : 2 Parts Whiting (Calcium Carbonate)

C. Soft Gesso
   1 Part 10% RSG Solution : 1 Part Water : 2 Parts Whiting

D. Clay Bole
     2 Parts 10% RSG Solution (or 10% gelatin) : 1 Part Water : 1-1/4 Parts liquid Bole

E. Gilding Water
     150 ML Distilled Water
     A small amount of 10% RSG Solution (about the size of a small peanut)
     ¼ Ounce Isopropyl Alcohol

The number of coats of gesso is important. The more gesso the better the burnish I find. Normally I apply 14 coats - 4 Hard, 10 Soft. Generally, I apply 5 coats of Bole once the gesso has been sanded smoothly. I also very gently sand the Bole with a very, very fine grit paper, such as 1,000 or 1,500 grit.

I prefer to burnish 2 to 3 hours after I have gilded, depending upon the weather. You need to be careful when burnishing this early but there is a soft, smooth glow to the gold when it's burnished when there is still a small amount of moisture still left in the underlying gesso and bole. If you tap the gilded surface with the agate stone you should hear a click; if the sound is still dull then it is likely too early. Be careful not to burnish too early or you can destroy your gilded surface.  

Burnishing gold leaf not only makes it shine but it also compresses the gold into the surface which makes it less vulnerable to wear. Bright, burnished water gilding should not turn matte. Perhaps the glow will soften with time but I wouldn't expect it to take on a satin finish. It technically does not need to be protected if using 22kt or higher. However, I usually use a clear, blonde dewaxed shellac which adds warmth to the gold and some protection against gentle handling. I do not use varnishes on water gilded leaf as it appears too heavy to my eye.

Try the above approach and let me know how it goes. Hopefully you will get more of the type of burnish you are looking for. For further information you can find a full length discussion of the water gilding process in my Gilding Arts Newsletter Archives. The link can be found on my website at:
http://www.gildingstudio.com/gilding_arts_newsletter.html

Good luck!

 Back to Top