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 GILDING

 

   In our shop we use two methods of gilding: the first one is economic and modern, called mission. The other one is more classic and elegant, called gilding gouache. The preparation of the support to gilding is the same for both methods. First the wood must be smooth then treated with a hand of “rabbit glue” (solution 1/10-1/12). When dried out we smooth the piece again, spread some chalk, and the glue is diluted from the original base one. From work to work the process changes, thicker for the antique frame, liquid for the others kind. As a general rule we regularly use for all the methods, the “Bologna chalk” mixed in the “rabbit glue” to saturate the liquid. Before using chalk it is recommended, to use as a filter, one sock to eliminate any impurity. The chalk needs to be warm before use, using a round and soft brush needed to dry out for 3 hours, then a fine paper is used for smoothing. Usually the chalk is done on the part for 3 to 6 times, depending on the piece being gilded. The difference between the two techniques is: 1) if the mission gilding is used over the chalk we give 2 times an acrylic yellow or a brick color to imitate a “bole”. When dried out we smooth the top part. Now we can apply the mission technique, it is a synthetic glue in use from the 1800 century. The mission must be spread uniformly to avoid any dripping, because when the gold is applied it can show the imperfection. The mission needs to dry out in a place without the presence of any dust (time is between 15 minutes to a day) then we are ready to apply the gold. In 90% of cases fake gold is used. With the scissor we cut the piece needed for the object to gild. The gold leaf can be applied also by hand or can be dropped with a cardboard on all the frame parts. Don’t worry about imperfection because we can fix later. When the gilding is done we pass a cotton flock using a light pressure. After a few minutes the work is done. If you like a full gilding we use a liquid shellac to fix the gold (only one hand is necessary). If we need an older or an antique look we must peel a little of the gold using a steel wool. Fixing with some shellac and mixing a little with some wax with colored loam or a few pigments we can find the desired color. 2) The gouache gilding is preferred for the pieces that need a shining and soft finish, opposite of a mission gilding technique. After the last hand of chalk we apply a “bole” (a type of clay available in three colors: red, black and yellow). The bole is diluted in warm water and mixed with a warm “fish-glue”. The solution must be liquid in comparison with the chalk and needs to be spread out 3 times in a homogeneous mode. When the last hand of bole is dry we smooth and shine the piece with a squat brush. At this point we prepare a room temperature water and we wet the part to be gild. It is recommended to incline the piece to avoid any damage to the gold leaf just applied. For a better result with this type of gilding we recommend to use only pure gold. The gold leaf cannot be touched by hand because the leaf is so thin that it can be easily broken. To move the leaf we use a gilding knife, a flat brush or a special pillow. The booklet of 25 leaf (dimension 8X8 cm) is lean on the pillow then the gilding knife is lean on the leaf, 2 cm from the edge. Gentle we blow to allow the leaf to fold over the knife, than we lean the leaf on the pillow. If the leaf is wrinkled we blow in the center to straighten up the leaf. With the knife we cut the leaf in equal part. For the part that needs to be covered, we oil lightly the flat brush with the hair to stick the gold leaf, then with the flat brush we apply the leaf on the wet spot, trying to avoid any wrinkle.

The burnishing process.

 


   Then we lean the other gold leaf next to each other without any empty spot. If any air ball is showing we can use a cotton flock to push them down to avoid any bad result on the finish gilding. When all the pieces are done we allow it to rest for at least 3 hours. Now we proceed with the burnishing of the gold parts that we like to be shiny.

  For these we use a burnisher made from a mineral called agate fixed on top of a wood handle. We grease the stone with a light wax, to allow the gold surface to slide. Then we proceed carefully, so as not to damage with the pressure of the plastering. When the burnishing process is done, the piece is shiny and we can make it look like an antique piece. For this method we use unhearing with a steel wool or use a wet squat brush we can varnish the piece with a few options: tempering, rabbit glue diluted, pigments or wax. Because the gouache gilding is done with watery glue and is very delicate, it is recommended to avoid the use of humid cloth because the damage of the gilding can reach not only the chalk part but also the wood part.

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