Gilding Silver leaf onto Gesso Panel

Name: Emilie Foyer
Date and Time:

2015.11.12, 15:00 pm

Location: Chandler Lab
Subject: Gilding with Silver leaf

3:10pm
Heated the 1:15 (rsg to water) Rabbit Skin Glue
Made sizing glue - 20ml water, 5ml Grain alcohol, drop of RSG

3:20pm Cut silver leaf with gilder's knife on gilder's pillow

Comment: The silver seams much harder to cut than the gold. Perhaps this particular leaf is thicker? It seamed easier to pick up, but harder to cut.

4 squares on the panel are ready: three have burnished red bole ground, one has no bole but was sanded smooth with 1000 grain sandpaper.

3:35pm Picked up 1st leaf section with brush, applied sizing glue, and deposited the leaf onto the panel

3:40pm Same process for second square

3:45pm same process for third square (deposited by David who came in briefly)

3:49pm same process for fourth square
Because of tear in silver, fixed hole with smaller piece.

Comments: It was hard to develop enough static to pick up the leaf. Because the leaf was so hard to cut, it was torn in a couple of places. The last square was not very successful.

4:00 pm The first square was ready to be burnished.
I was afraid there were too many wrinkles in the silver,but it went quite well.

4:05 pm Burnished second square

4:20 burnished 3rd square. Took longer to dry (too much sizing glue applied?) Had to apply twice because of leaf would not stay attached to the brush and thus was difficult to deposit.

4:30 Started burnishing square 4, but the tears made it difficult.

Pictures:


First square applied


First and second square. First square before (left) and after (right) burnishing.