Gold Leaf
Almost all of our carved signs incorporated gold leaf in the final finish. View examples in the Gallery.
Gold Leaf History. Gold leaf has been used to decorate woodcarvings for centuries. It is a thin foil of gold approximately 4″ square, which has been the standard size since the Renaissance. I still receive gold leaf marked as “ducat” gold. During the Renaissance, Gold Beaters would receive ducats as raw material for producing gold leaf. Gold ducats were one of the first currencies accurately standardized by weight. There was a guild standard for the number of leaves of gold produced from each ducat. Gold Beaters could produce that number plus a little extra, thereby achieving their profit. Today, gold leaf is produced by rolling mills and is of such thinness as to be almost transparent.
Gold Leaf Process. Being pure gold, a noble metal, gold leaf retains its luster without tarnishing for decades. It is the final step in the finish process of carved, gold leafed signs. Gold leaf is adhered to outdoor surfaces by the application of an “oil size” — a specialized varnish. The size is painted very carefully onto only those surfaces we want to hold leaf. Painted surfaces, which do not get leafed, are treated with a water soluble solution so that excess gold can be washed off. Gold leaf is thin and fragile. I can float a leaf of pure metal gold in the air and watch it drift there for several seconds. It cannot be picked up by hand. A wide, thin-bristled brush called a “guilder’s tip” is used to transfer the loose leaves from the book in which they are packaged to the surface. This motion requires some skill to prevent the leaf from folding or wrinkling before it is placed. Once placed it is lightly tamped in place with a very soft “water size” brush, where it conforms to the contours of the surface. There are twenty-five leaves of gold to a book, and twenty books to a pack. A pack of gold leaf will cover a flat surface of 64 square feet. My studio purchases about six packs per year.
Outdoors you see statuary and the domes of buildings finished with gold leaf, as well as carved signs. It has no equal for color, luster and longevity. Gold paint is not gold leaf — it is varnish, which uses ground bronze powder as a pigment and will tarnish outdoors in less than six months, turning the olive-brown color of bronze statuary. Gold leaf is an expensive material, its application is time consuming and sometimes tedious, but there is nothing that matches its beauty. This is why we use it.
