Airbrushed Antiqued Effects 

Oil Gilded aluminum leaf lip airbrushed with raw umber tinted blonde shellac

For those acquainted with the use of air brushes this is a very effective method for quickly 'knocking back' the brightness of gold, brass or silver leaf.  

Prepare a shellac-based tint by first dispersing a pigment mixture in ethyl alcohol (denatured alcohol may be used as it doesn't require a permit to purchase but does have added toxins.)  A half a teaspoon of raw umber with an eighth tsp raw sienna and a touch of french ultramarine blue is sufficient. Once the material has soaked for a few minutes in the alcohol, add it to a 2 ounce jar of clear, de-waxed blonde shellac (adjust according to your needs). Strain the tinted shellac through some cheesecloth that has been spread out over another jar. Pour the tint into the airbrush jar and set the compressor at a relatively low PSI, approximately 27-30.  

First, apply a thin coat of clear shellac over the frame you wish to tone, buff when dry with some rottenstone on cheesecloth to cut the gloss and to provide some tooth; this provides a foundation to build an antiqued surface. Follow with a few airbrushed passes of  your umber tint to add some complexity to a brightly gilded frame.  

Clear shellac with the raw umber mix looks suitable for the white gold or silver metals; either the clear, orange or ruby shellac with raw umber pigment works well with genuine gold or brass leaf. When dry, buff down once more with rottenstone and cheesecloth which tends to 'marry' the surface overall while providing a little dust in crevices.                            

Dutch Black Frame in process: Aluminum leafed corners to be antiqued with   airbrushed umber mixture

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

Q. Hello, On a weekend hike I found a piece of wood that fits my girlfriend's finger perfectly as a ring.  I have done a little research and it seems gilding would be the way to make the wooden ring gold. 

My questions:

1. Is gold (leaf) gilding suitable for jewelry?
2. Can gilding be done with white gold or other non yellow metals?

Thank you in advance for help.      

~Sam
New York     

A. Yes, gilding allows for any leaf to be used. Gold leaf ranges from 6kt white gold all the way to 24k so there are a wide variety of shades from a number of different countries.  

I don't think it would be something that could be worn all the time, however, as it would be susceptible to abrasion and other environmental factors too easily. Under the right circumstances gilding can last for many years. We still have artifacts that date back to the early Egyptians.  

Q. Though I have been water gilding relatively successfully for many years the current project is not going well. I use the Thompson Method (Ed. Daniel V. Thompson, The Practice of Tempera Painting) but in this case the leaf has not adhered to the bole well; in fact, hardly at all. If I were to use "liquor" with some gelatin in it (Thompson doesn't suggest it), might that work?

I'd be happy to double gild if needed.

I am desperate!

Thanks.

~Davis

A Gilder's Journal, 11/25/11

A. I found the Thompson recipe didn't work well either when I tried it out some years ago, although it's still a wonderful book in many other ways. It sounds like the glue strength of your bole may simply be too weak. If you already have the bole laid down then I suggest adding a little more glue to the gilding water than you may have already. Adding alcohol won't help with the adhesion.

Otherwise, remove the bole and try this:

20 parts 10% RSG

10 Parts Distilled Water

37 Parts Bole that has been thinned to where it's like milk

Q. If I add gelatin to the gilding water how much in proportion ought that be? (I have never added glue of any kind to the water, only water & alcohol as Thompson recommends.)  

-Davis

A Gilder's Journal 

A. Actually, adding a little glue (about the size of a half a peanut - not much) to about 12 oz. of distilled water is pretty normal. You should be able to have adhesion without it but it does help bond the gold to the surface, especially for the heavier metals like silver or palladium.  

In your case, you're getting failure without using any added glue so I would alter the bole recipe in the future. Meanwhile, I'd say either test a section with this amount and increase it until you get what you need or just go with two peanut sized bits of 10% RSG, gently heat it and add your distilled water. I imagine that should take care of the problem you're having. Just don't add too much glue or the burnish will be scratchy.

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