I am thinking about trying to gold leaf a carving. I have the size, sealer and foil. The carving is letters cut into cherry with a V gouge. I tried it on some scrap and made a mess. Any hints out there? It strikes me that gold leaf would work better on larger, flatter surfaces.
Thanks
Frank
Replies
Gold leaf is used all the time on carvings, what type of problems are you having? You almost have to hold your breath when lifting and placing the sheets. Getting a sharp line between the leaf and the wood is tricky, if that's what you want. You can use a card scraper after sizing to get as sharp a delineation as possible, if the top surface is flat. I've never used a sealer on gold. The foil should easily conform to any shape, you can burnish in missed areas without adding more sizing. You don't want to touch the leaf with your fingers, just lift and place it with the brush.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
There is an article in the April 2000 FWW. If you don't have it I can e-mail it to you . It's only 3 pages " A Short Course On Guilding".
Joe
Joe,
I am sorry I didn't answer sooner. I've had computer problems. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could send the reference along.
Thanks,
Frank
Send me your e-mail and I'll send you the article.
Joe
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