Acid Etched Glass #6: Water Gilding

The glass is then coated by brushing it down with water size.  The glass has to be very wet to attract and adhere the metal leaf. The gold on the hive cells is 22 crt gold leaf.  It is supplied in loose leaf booklets.  I remove a single leaf onto a gilding pad and cut slices using a knife.  I then use a squirrel tip brush, charged with static electricity from rubbing the brush against my hair.  The static attracts the gold leaf onto the squirrel tip.  The gold is then placed in front of the area to be gilded.  The gold is not put onto the glass, it is held close to the glass and the attraction of the water size pulls it from the squirrel tip and onto the glass.  This process is repeated until the design area is covered.   The gold will look rippled or uneven, however it is allowed to dry thoroughly before the next stage.

The drying process will draw the gold tighter to the glass and become smooth.  Using a cotton ball, the gold is brushed softly.  This removes any excess leaf and also burnishes (shines) the gold.  Be careful not to brush hard as this can cause the leaf to wear through or rub off completely.  Once burnished, reapply more water size and gold leaf to any gaps and repeat the drying and burnishing processes.

The weave border glass has gold removed from the  central weave section as this will have silver applied to it. The same process is used for applying the silver leaf, however it is a heavier metal than the gold and will not be attracted onto the squirrel tip by static.  Smear a little petroleum gel onto the back of your hand.  Brush the squirrel tip gently on the gel.  The gel on the tip will hold the weight of the silver leaf.  The silver is presented to the water sized glass and will be attracted onto it.

Follow the drying and burnishing process of the gold.

The fully burnished gold and silver will look very shiny through the front of the glass, however it will be very fragile on the exposed revers side.  It is necessary to protect the leaf by back painting it.  I use a yellow signwriter’s paint on the gold and black on the silver.  I apply two coats for added protection and consistently of colour.  The process is finished once the paint is dry.