Gold Leaf Skill Building

Table of Contents

Gold Leaf Skill Building
To gild paintings moldings with matte gold (Or Mat)
Gold Leaf on Wood
Starch Glue
Bronze Color of Gold (working)
To make a very beautiful and inexpensive golden color
Varnish for Paintings and Aspic Oil Varnish
Taken from:
Making and Knowing - Marjolijn Docs. 10.5.2015

Compare to recipes for gilding in BnF Ms Fr 640
See: Practical gilding by Peter and Ann McTaggart ­ excellent instructions
http://www.amazon.com/Practical­Gilding­Peter­MacTaggart/dp/1873132832

Recipe red bole
Grind red clay with water until it is a viscous paste. Now mix with rsg water solution (1:15).
Apply with soft (minnever for instance) brush. Apply about four layers smoothly. polish last
layer with your agate burnisher until shiny and very smooth.

Recipe gilding size
5 ml of ethanol + 20ml of water and a drop of 1:15 rsg solution

Gilding Protocol

To gild paintings moldings with matte gold (Or Mat)


Matte Gold Protocol: Day 1



Gold Leaf on Wood

Gilding (Mayerne) Safety Protocol and work flow

Starch Glue

Goldenberg: Gilding on Parchment work flow

Bronze Color of Gold (working)

Bronze Color of Gold (working)


To make a very beautiful and inexpensive golden color

To make a very beautiful and inexpensive golden color


Varnish for Paintings and Aspic Oil Varnish


Recipe 1
Bnf Ms. Fr. 640
p003r_a2 Varnish for paintings
<ab id="p003r_b2">Take a pound of Venice turpentine and heat it in a pot until it simmers, put in half a pound of the whitest turpentine oil you can find and stir all together well on a charcoal fire and take it off immediately after, and it is done. But if you find it too thick, add more oil, whereas if it is too clear, you can thicken it by putting a little turpentine. And so you will give it whatever consistency you want. It could be made without fire, but it is more desiccative when heated. It is appropriate for panel paintings and other painted things, without distorting the colors or yellowing, and dries both in the shade and under the sun, overnight, and during the summer as well as in the winter. It is usually sold 15 sols a pound.</ab>
<note id=”p003r_c2a>You need a little more turpentine than turpentine oil to thicken the varnish, which you need to apply with your finger in order to spread it thinner and less thick because when it is thick, it turns yellow and gathers [together]. Varnish is not used to make paintings shine, because it just takes the light out of them.</note>
<note id=”p003r_c2b”>But it is used to enhance colors which have soaked in and to keep them from dust. Mastic varnish does not resist rain, whereas oil and rosin varnishes do.</note>


Materials

Material
 Source
Venice turpentine
 Lab Inventory
(white) turpentine oil
 Lab Inventory (?)
Gilded wood surface
 To be prepared by our group
Painted surface (maybe flower still-life?)
 In lab, already prepared


Tools

Tool
 Source
Hotplate
 Lab Inventory
Large cooking pot
Lab Inventory
Chopstick (for stirring)
 Lab inventory
Varnish brush
 Lab inventory

Workstation
Lab bench for preparation, fume hood when heating turpentine mixture
Turpentine and turpentine oil in glass containers
Gilded wood, painted surface, and varnish brush

Procedure/ Workflow

Lay down newspaper on a flat surface
Lay out materials
Measure 1 lb turpentine and ½ lb. turpentine oil
Transfer measured turpentine into large cooking pot
Plug in hotplate under fume hood
PPE check: lab coat, gloves, mask and goggles because of turpentine fumes
Be aware that turpentine is highly flammable, use caution around heat and electricity
Place pot with turpentine and turpentine oil mixture under fume hood
Heat turpentine in pot until it simmers (medium heat?)
Once turpentine simmers, add the measured turpentine oil
Recipe recommends adding more turpentine or turpentine oil to reach desired consistency (what is the desired consistency?)
Recipe recommends adding turpentine for increased thickness of the varnish, applied with finger (gloved) to prevent clumping.
Apply varnish, while warm, to 1) gilded wood surface and to 2) painting using varnish brush.
Allow to dry in (switched off?) fume hood overnight (or in our case, over the weekend?)


Material : Turpentine
Hazard Statement
Flammable liquid and vapour.
Harmful if swallowed.
Harmful in contact with skin.
Harmful if inhaled.
Causes skin irritation.
Causes serious eye irritation.
May cause an allergic skin reaction.
May cause drowsiness or dizziness.
May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways.
Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
Material : Turpentine oil
Hazard Statement:
Flammable liquid
Harmful by ingestion
Harmful by skin absorption
Skin sensitizer
Corrosive
Can cause damage to kidneys, central nervous system, lungs if ingested or inhaled
Safety Precautions
Keep away from heat/sparks/open flames/hot surfaces
Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection.
Ground/bond container and receiving equipment.
Use explosion-proof electrical/ventilating/lighting/intrinsically safe equipment.
Use only non-sparking tools.
Take precautionary measures against static discharge.
Avoid breathing dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.
Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
Avoid release to the environment.
Contaminated work clothing should not be allowed out of the workplace.

Waste Management Plan
Dispose of excess turpentine in hazardous waste
Rinse turpentine container with mineral spirits and dispose in hazardous waste
Clean with soap and water
Store excess varnish in airtight glass or metal container

Recipe 2
Bnf Ms. Fr. 640
004r Aspic oil varnish
ab>One must heat <m>
powdered sandarac gum</m> so that it soon melts. And stir continuously over a <m>charcoal</m> fire until the <m>sandarac</m> is well melted, which you will know by taking a little of the said varnish on a plate and, if it is fat enough when you handle it with a finger, it is ready. And for one pound of <m>lavender spike oil</m>, you should put five ounces of ground <m>sandarac</m>. Some only put in four ounces but this is not as good, nor as fat. The former dries promptly. To avoid the trouble of polishing their <m>ebony</m>, <pro>framemakers</pro> varnish it with this. So do <pro>guitarmakers</pro>. This [varnish] is not as fitting for paintings as fine <m>turpentine varnish</m>, though it is good for the paintings’ moldings. When <m>linseed varnish</m> was in use, one would not commonly varnish the landscape of a painting because it would turn the landscape yellow. But with <m>turpentine varnish</m> one varnishes everywhere. Instead of <m>sandarac</m>, you can add to it pulverized <m>mastic</m> or otherwise, and it will dry more quickly.</ab> <ab>If you want to varnish <m>plaster</m> or a wall, first put on your <m>glue de retaille</m>, very hot, because if cold it would not penetrate the wall at all. And when you would have put your varnish on, it would come off.</ab>
<note>
<margin>left-top</margin>
<m>Aspic oil varnish</m> is not as apt for colors as that of <m>turpentine</m>, because <m>aspic oil</m> eats the colors, since it is too penetrating.</note> </div>
Materials

Material
 Source
Powdered sandarac gum
Lab Inventory (not sure if it is already ground or powdered)
Lavender spike oil
Lab Inventory (?)
(gilded) wood surface
 To be prepared by our group
Painted surface (use painted area of gessoed panel)
 In lab, already prepared


Tools

Tool
 Source
Hotplate
 Lab Inventory
Large cooking pot
Lab Inventory
Chopstick (for stirring)
 Lab inventory
Varnish brush
 Lab inventory

Workstation
Lab bench for preparation, fume hood when heating turpentine mixture
Turpentine and turpentine oil in glass containers
Gilded wood, painted surface, and varnish brush

Procedure/ Workflow

Lay down newspaper on a flat surface
Lay out materials
Measure 5 oz of powdered sandarac gum. If sandarac is not powdered, grind it with mortar and pestle
Transfer prepared sandarac into large cooking pot
Plug in hotplate under fume hood
PPE check: lab coat, gloves, mask and goggles because of turpentine fumes
Place pot with sandarac under fume hood
Heat sandarac in pot, stirring continuously until it is melted
Once sandarac is melted, remove from heat and add 1 lb lavender spike oil (this step is not specified by recipe. It is unclear how the lavender spike oil is to be combined with the sandarac)
Apply varnish, while warm, to 1) gilded wood surface and to 2) painting using varnish brush.
Allow to dry in (switched off?) fume hood overnight (or in our case, over the weekend?)

Material : Sandarac gum
Hazard Statement
Not particularly hazardous

Safety Precautions
Use in a well-ventilated area
Do not ingest
Avoid inhalation of dust

Material : Lavender spike oil
Hazard Statement:
Irritant
Flammable liquid

Safety Precautions
Keep away from heat/sparks/open flames/hot surfaces
Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
Avoid contact with skin and eyes, wear gloves and goggles
Store in airtight container in cool, dry place
Avoid release to the environment.
Avoid inhaling vapors
Avoid contact with strong acids, alkali or oxidizing agents

Waste Management Plan
Dispose of excess lavender spike oil in hazardous waste
Rinse container with mineral spirits and dispose in hazardous waste
Clean with soap and water
Store excess varnish in airtight glass or metal container



ASPECTS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN MAKING FIELD NOTES