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TIPS |
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TIPS |
GOLD LEAFING
The process of gold leafing carved wooden or brass figures for your ship model is relatively simple. I have found that the gold leaf adhesive size used is an effective sealant to prevent the brass from leaching the gold leaf. The figure or area you desire to gold leaf can either be done before application to the model or after the figure has already been attached to the model. My usual method is to attach the figure to the model, then apply the gold leaf adhesive size. The adhesive size I use was obtained from Michael's, a craft and art store. I asked for a gold leafing kit, which they carry. This kit does not have real gold leaf, so if it is purchased, the fake gold leaf is tossed away. The kit also contains a sealer after the fake gold leaf is applied, which I also have never used, since real gold does not need a sealer. The bottle of gold leaf adhesive size is the only thing you want from the kit - it can be purchased separately at some of the craft stores. The bottle of gold leaf adhesive size is made by Houston Art, Inc., 10770 Moss Ridge Rd., Houston, Texas, 77043-1175.
The real gold leaf I purchase is from Easy Leaf Products, 6001 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. 90038-0940 (Tel #323-469-0856). There are different kinds of gold leaf, so you have to specify which kind you want. You can look this up on the internet, but I use the German GRUH-2200-bok, which is 22 carat German deep gold leaf in a book form (there are 25 sheets to a book, each sheet is about 3 3/8" X 3 3/8" square). The cost of each book varies by the cost of gold at the time you purchase the book, but averages around $30.00 to $35.00 per book.
The first step is to apply the gold leaf adhesive size. After shaking the bottle well, the material (which looks like diluted white glue) is applied by brush to the figure or area you want to gold leaf It goes on milky white, but dries clear. You should wait at least an hour after applying the gold leaf adhesive size before beginning to apply the gold leaf.
The gold leaf is applied very carefully to the areas you have sized by picking up the gold leaf from the book and applying it to the area. A stiff brush is used to help the gold leaf to conform to the contours and shape of the object being gold leafed. After application of the gold leaf (care must be taken, for the gold leaf is very thin and will disintegrate at the drop of a hat - DON'T SNEEZE!) A soft brush is used to clean the excess gold leaf off. You are done.
If additional gold leaf has to be applied, simply repeat the process. My model of the FRIESLAND, a Dutch warship, was successfully gold leafed about 10 years ago and still looks excellent.