Gilding and Burnishing on Paper
Recipe:
Table of Contents
Transcription:
<head>Couche d<m>or</m> bruny sur le <m>papier</m></head>
<ab>Fais ton assiete d<m>amydon</m> destrempe en <m>eau</m> & ton <m>or</m> se brunira<lb/>
fort bien. <add>L<m>eau</m> clere d<m>amydon</m> couchee sur le <m>papier</m> puys seichee<lb/>
& reiteree en c’este sorte 3 fois est belle couche pour l<m>or</m> bruny sur le<lb/>
<m>papier</m> simple & na<lb/>
point de corps</add></ab></div>
Translation:
<head><m>Burnished gold layer</m> on <m>paper</m></head>
<ab>Prepare your underlayer of <m>starch</m> soaked in <m>water</m> and your <m>gold</m> will burnish very well. Clear <m>starch water</m> laid down on <m>paper</m>, then dried, and so by three times
Materials:
- Distilled Water (200 mL)
- Paper (sourced from University of Iowa's Center for the book)
- Starch glue
- Gold leaf (one sheet)
- Large Beaker
- Hot plate
- Masking tape and cardboard
- Gilder’s set: including cushion, gilders brush etc.
- Smaller egg brush
- Burnisher
- Humidifier
- Styrofoam screen
Name: Lila Goldenberg
Date and Time: 2016.April.28, 10:00 am
Location: 260 Chandler, Columbia University
Gilding on Paper
Setting up materials
I turned on the humidifier to achieve the appropriate humidity for gilding. I then set up a the styrofoam screen to block airflow from the a/c which could disturb the gold leaf. I laid out the gilding tools. I taped a piece of the University of Iowa paper to a piece of cardboard so that it would lay flat while I gilded. I set up the hot plate and filled a large pot with tap water. I placed the pot on the hot plate and turned it on to the lowest setting.
Preparing the "Eau d'amydon"
Unlike the recipe for Gold Lead on Paper and Parchment (10v) which calls for a a clear starch glue, "colle d'amydon", the recipe on 29v uses essence of wheat starch, "eau d'amydon". I decieded to use some of the Wheat starch paste that I had made previously and dilute it. The wheat starch paste stored in the lab had a ratio of one part starch to every five parts water. This was too thick, even for the "colle d'amydon". I had stored it in the fridge.
I added 200 mL of water to a beaker and a small palette knife full of the starch glue so that it would have the watery consistency suggested by "eau d'amydon". I then placed the beaker into the pot of water so that the starch molecules would expand and the mixture would be entirely liquid and without clumps of starch. The mixture heated for forty minutes until it was a cloudy liquid. I then removed the beaker from the pot and placed it in the gilding area.
Cutting the Gold Leaf
During the forty minutes in which the eau d'amydon was being heated in the pot, I cut the gold leaf in quarters. Using the gilder's knife from underneath, I slowly moved the gold leaf from the packet onto the gilder's cushion. I cut the gold leaf in quarters by placing the edge of the knife on one edge and slowly slicing done. The gold curled inword and I had to unfurl it carefully with the knife.
Gilding
Using a flat egg brush, I painted three coats of the eau d'amydon onto the paper in the direction of the grain.
I then rubbed the gilders tip on my neck and wrists to create static so that the gold would adhere to the bristles. I then used the gilder's tip to pick up the gold leaf and place it onto the glue. I then applied two more pieces of the gold leaf to the glue. The gold leaf crumpled slightly so there were no unbroken segments of gold. I then waited for an hour before I burnished the gold leaf so that the eau d'amydon could dry.
Name: Lila Goldenberg
Date and Time: 2016.April.28, 1:00 pm
Location: 260 Chandler, Columbia University
Subject: Burnishing gold leaf on paper
Burnishing
I waited an hour before burnishing. So that the eau d'amydon could dry.
I used the burnisher to slowly scrape the foil and flatten out the foil using the burnisher. It got significantly flatter as a result of using the burnisher.
