How to gild, or apply gold leaf to letters carved into wood. I ordered the gilding kit from gildedplanet.com. The one I ordered is the basic imitation gold kit.
If you use pink or red paint under your gilding, the gold leaf will look more rich. This is a common method for illuminated manuscripts--to mix red pigment in with the sizing to tint it pink or red. Also, using a red or pink base under gold leaf makes seeing any areas where your foil didn't stick to the sizing. Using yellow will make your leaf appear more pale, and brighter...
The smallest I've done is about a 1/8" wide groove. I think you could go slightly smaller if you used loose leaf gold leaf. I haven't worked with loose leaf myself, but from what I've seen it does take a few other specialized tools to work with and seems a bit harder to use.
I haven't done any outside work with it, but I think varnish would work. I suspect you'd want really thin coats . I'll have to try that out since it's about ready to start snowing here.
Thank you so much for this truly helpful video. Although I have been confused by one part of your video. I want to guild cocobolo wood it has no finish yet applied. You actually sanded the finish of, were as I have been told I need to seal the piece of wood first, with something like crystal clear shellac. Before applying size. Would you have any suggestions as to which way would be correct. Thank you so much once again for your video and time. Regards, Rahul.
there is no reason if you are doing laser engraving. but with a cnc it will just frail and eat up the whole masking tape making it useless. might even ruin the engraving
Have you tried using a soft brush to get small sections of leaf into the letters rather than using the wax paper? Also, if you guilded the letters then sanded the flat top, is the leaf so delicate that it might tear / pull out or is it sanding / scarper dust and debris that might affect the leaf? Cheers for any feedback - I'm about ot start using it.
I haven't tried a soft brush yet, but I have picked one up so I can try that. In this case the wood had to be stained so I had to get the sanding done before the gilding so that I wouldn't have to worry about getting stain on the gold leaf.
Have you considered a "vinyl paint mask"? You can finish the background wood any way you want, then cover it with the mask, which you carve right through. You can then paint, size, and gold leaf without worries of affecting the background wood. This is the way that many sign makers gold leaf.
+Matt Jewelry Design Products Nothing fancy like that. I started by printing the letters the way I wanted them on paper. Then I copied those letters onto the wood using carbon paper. I then carved the letters by hand using carving gouges.
@@SuAmigoElilegal It should be there for good, but it can depend on what sort of size you use. I wouldn't use a water-based size for use outside. Also, it depends on if the item gets any wear. The gold is very thin and can be worn off fairly easily if it is handled too much.
If you use pink or red paint under your gilding, the gold leaf will look more rich. This is a common method for illuminated manuscripts--to mix red pigment in with the sizing to tint it pink or red. Also, using a red or pink base under gold leaf makes seeing any areas where your foil didn't stick to the sizing.
Using yellow will make your leaf appear more pale, and brighter...
I'll try red next time. I have a project coming up soon that will need some golding. Thanks for the tip!
Beautiful! Thank you for a great tutorial!
I think the best is to put wood oil on the suface. After gold gilding, the excess gold on the wood can be wiped away very easily
Very helpful video but on closer inspection the edges of the letters look rough.
BEAUTIFUL
Thanks!
I really want to do this on a laser engraving on wood. Oh and by the way great video!
Thanks!
nice work
Thanks. One of these days I need to come up with a project to incorporate more metal leaf. It's kinda frustrating sometimes, but in a fun way.
I'm going to engrave some designs into a nice harp that I just bought.
How fine/small of a groove can this method work on?
The smallest I've done is about a 1/8" wide groove. I think you could go slightly smaller if you used loose leaf gold leaf. I haven't worked with loose leaf myself, but from what I've seen it does take a few other specialized tools to work with and seems a bit harder to use.
Can you use varnish over it? Or what would you to seal it for use in the worst wet rain snow environment for a address plaque with gold leaf?
I haven't done any outside work with it, but I think varnish would work. I suspect you'd want really thin coats . I'll have to try that out since it's about ready to start snowing here.
Thank you so much for this truly helpful video. Although I have been confused by one part of your video. I want to guild cocobolo wood it has no finish yet applied. You actually sanded the finish of, were as I have been told I need to seal the piece of wood first, with something like crystal clear shellac. Before applying size. Would you have any suggestions as to which way would be correct. Thank you so much once again for your video and time. Regards, Rahul.
i realize I'm kinda off topic but does anybody know of a good website to stream newly released movies online ?
@Alejandro Wesson meh I watch on Flixportal. you can find it if you google :P -harley
@Harley Bronson thank you, I signed up and it seems like a nice service :D I appreciate it!
@Alejandro Wesson you are welcome =)
Though it takes a little practice, you'll have less waste and an easier time getting in those grooves with loose gold. Just my opinion.
I'll have to try that. I'm still new to gilding.
Is there any reason to not apply the masking tape to the surface to be carved and then carve through it thereby removing it?
+David Murphy Hmmm, not that I can think of. I'll have to try that and see how it goes.
good idea, could be quicker and yield better results!
My thoughts exactly. Why not mask the entire sign before you start carving?
there is no reason if you are doing laser engraving. but with a cnc it will just frail and eat up the whole masking tape making it useless.
might even ruin the engraving
Have you tried using a soft brush to get small sections of leaf into the letters rather than using the wax paper? Also, if you guilded the letters then sanded the flat top, is the leaf so delicate that it might tear / pull out or is it sanding / scarper dust and debris that might affect the leaf? Cheers for any feedback - I'm about ot start using it.
I haven't tried a soft brush yet, but I have picked one up so I can try that. In this case the wood had to be stained so I had to get the sanding done before the gilding so that I wouldn't have to worry about getting stain on the gold leaf.
Have you considered a "vinyl paint mask"? You can finish the background wood any way you want, then cover it with the mask, which you carve right through. You can then paint, size, and gold leaf without worries of affecting the background wood. This is the way that many sign makers gold leaf.
William Brown
Do you mean like a mask used by watercolour painters? Thats a really good idea!
I've been studying this topic. Sign carvers use something like this....www.ebay.com/itm/like/272244393989?lpid=82&chn=ps&ul_noapp=true
I had never heard of that. That is a really good idea. I'll give it a shot. Thanks!
This might be a dumb questions, but if I had a thick font that I burned into the wood, do you think it would work with gold leaf?
Depends on how smooth the burned surface is. The goal is very delicate. If you could sand out any nubs or rough spots, I think it could work.
❤👍
Thanks!
Hi-Thanks for video--can you tell me what you used to carve the letters? Laser? Thank you
+Matt Jewelry Design Products Nothing fancy like that. I started by printing the letters the way I wanted them on paper. Then I copied those letters onto the wood using carbon paper. I then carved the letters by hand using carving gouges.
+Sawdustislife oh wow--by hand? They look so precise. Nice job.
Thanks.
Thanks. I followed the steps in this video ua-cam.com/video/SrWIUwAxIW8/v-deo.html
Cool-thanks!
what did you use to route the letters into the wood?
They're not routed. I carved them with gouges.
Vcarve letters
do you think i could use this method on pig tusk
Lepa Lameko I haven’t tried it, but yes, I think it would work.
Looks like you need to run it across a planer.
At this stage the wood had already been planed even and sanded smooth. Why would I plane it?
To get rid of the bleeding on the edges. I would have done the gold leaf before anything else.
You need a softer brush
I'd this real gold????
Yes.
@@BitsandWood what is the quality as far as how good stays glued and died. Does it comes off or does it stays there for good
@@SuAmigoElilegal It should be there for good, but it can depend on what sort of size you use. I wouldn't use a water-based size for use outside. Also, it depends on if the item gets any wear. The gold is very thin and can be worn off fairly easily if it is handled too much.