CHAPTER XVII

THE USE OF GOLD

Gilding, in illuminated work, is done with either gold-leaf or shell gold. Gold-leaf is the metal that has been beaten out into thin sheets, and shell gold the same ground up and mixed with gum and honey. Shell gold is so called on account of the fact that it is sold in small shells ready for use.

The student is especially warned against using any of the varieties of gold paint for work that is desired to be permanent. These are mixed up with powdered bronze, and, in course of time, will turn black.

Shell gold is painted on in the same way that other colours are. A small brush should be used, so as not to waste any more than is absolutely necessary. It is also essential that quite clean water should be used, to ensure the gold being as bright as possible, as if the water is contaminated with colour it will dull the gold when mixed with it. The great disadvantages of shell gold are lack of brilliance and also the expense. It is, however, very useful for putting in very fine lines, which are difficult when using gold-leaf.

The use of gold-leaf for gilding purposes has been known since quite an early period. Some of the early manuscripts were written with gold and silver letters on purple vellum. Silver-leaf is prepared in a similar manner to gold-leaf; unfortunately, however, it quickly turns black when exposed to the air. The best substitute for silver-leaf is undoubtedly platinum, although it is very expensive. Aluminium leaf is sometimes used, but it is rather too thick for fine work. Sometimes aluminium paint is used where silver work is required. This, however, has the same objection as shell gold in lacking brilliance.

Without a doubt the use of leaf, raised and burnished, is the ideal method of gilding. If the student examines any of the old MSS. of the best periods he is bound to be struck with the brilliance of the raised gold, and he will notice how superior are the results to any produced by means of gold paint. Gold-leaf gilding, even if it is unburnished, is infinitely more brilliant than either gold paint or shell gold. Some difficulty may at first be experienced in handling the leaf, as, being so thin, it has an unpleasant habit of blowing about. It is sold in books containing twenty-five leaves. It is best to get that known as “double fine gold,” specially prepared for illuminating. For large masses of gold, a thicker leaf may be used, known as “quadruple.”

The student should be careful to use only the best gold-leaf. Some of the cheap foreign leaf is very poor in quality. He should be careful also to avoid the leaf known as “Dutch metal,” which is not gold at all.

A gilder’s cushion should be obtained with a knife and tip. (See Fig. 30.) The cushion is generally about nine inches by six in size, and is made by stretching a piece of soft leather over a piece of board slightly padded. A piece of parchment is fastened on one end, which acts as a shield to prevent currents of air from blowing the leaf about. The student should be extremely careful to prevent touching the surface of the cushion with his fingers, as, if it becomes greasy in the slightest degree, he will experience trouble through the leaf sticking to it.

The best way for the beginner to learn how to handle the gold-leaf is to get an experienced gilder to show him how to use the cushion. If this is not possible he ought, by carefully following the directions given here, to be able to manage the leaf after a little practice.

The best way is to take the book of gold-leaf and open it very carefully. It is then turned over so that the leaf rests on the cushion. The back of the book is then gently tapped with the finger-tips; if it is then carefully lifted up the leaf will be found lying upon the surface of the cushion. If it is not lying quite flat and even, it may easily be smoothed by blowing gently on the centre of it. It is as well, however, not to be too vigorous, or the result may be to crumple the leaf up worse than before.

The student should be careful not to touch the leaf with his fingers, otherwise it will stick to them and the whole leaf will probably be spoiled. He should also avoid breathing upon the surface of the leaf, or it will probably roll up in a hopeless tangle, or else go floating off into the air, as the slightest puff of wind tends to do this.

It is hardly necessary to point out that it is not wise to attempt handling gold-leaf for the first time with the doors and windows open, as the slightest draught will carry the leaf with it.

The gilder’s knife must not be sharpened, as, if this is done, the result will be that instead of cutting the leaf it will probably tear it and cut the cushion. One important thing to remember is that the fingers should be kept from touching the blade, otherwise the leaf will stick to it owing to the slight amount of grease left on it. Also if the blade is allowed to get rusty it is liable to tear the leaf instead of cutting it properly. The knife should be kept clean, and the edge should occasionally be burnished with the back of a pen-knife, or something similar, to remove any roughness that may prevent it from giving a clean cut. If it is found that the leaf sticks to the blade of the knife, it is because there is a slight amount of grease on it; this may be removed by rubbing the knife on a board with a little powdered bath brick.

The leaf is cut by placing the knife carefully down on to the surface of the leaf, and moving it backwards and forwards with a sawing movement. The knife should be pressed down firmly on the cushion when cutting, and great care should be taken not to rumple the leaf in so doing.

It is as well not to endeavour to be too economical when cutting the leaf up. A piece of leaf should be cut large enough to cover the part that it is required to gild. If the student tries to be too exact in cutting, he is very liable to cut the piece too small, and then other pieces have to be cut to patch the parts not covered with the leaf. When this is the case, apart from the extra time taken up, it is false economy, as more leaf is required than if a slightly larger piece was cut at first.

After the leaf is cut, it is conveyed from the cushion to the work by means of the gilder’s tip. (See Fig. 30.) This is a kind of brush made by fixing a thin layer of hair between two pieces of card, which are pasted or glued together. This tip is used by first rubbing it on the skin or hair, and then placing it on the piece of leaf, which will then adhere to it. It can then be carried and placed in position where it is needed. The reason that the gold adheres to the tip is because by rubbing it on the skin or hair the tip becomes slightly greasy and attracts the leaf.

If any leaf is left on the cushion after finishing the gilding, it should be carefully replaced in the book. This may be done by putting the top of the blade of the knife down flat on the cushion and pushing it under the centre of the leaf. By this means the leaf may be lifted and carried to the book. The tip should not be used for this purpose, or some difficulty may be experienced in inducing the leaf to leave this for the book. When pushing the knife under the leaf, however, it should be pressed firmly on the cushion, otherwise the result will be to crumple the leaf and spoil it.

For dusting the loose leaf away after gilding, a large camel-hair mop similar to that shown in Fig. 30 is useful.

For burnishing the gold, an agate burnisher is required. The best shape is shown in Fig. 30.

For commercial work it is hardly worth while using gold-leaf, and bronze powder is recommended instead. A method of using this will be explained later when dealing with commercial work.