Although one can get pure gold leaf, most available gold has a tiny bit of alloy metal to manipulate the color. The lion’s share of almost-but-not-quite-pure gold leaf available commercially, at least here in the US, is usually something like 23K. I’m not convinced that so-called “patent” leaf, which is the real stuff, but lightly adhering to a thin paper backing to make cutting and application easier, is significantly less lustrous than unbacked loose-leaf gold. What makes the ultra-lustrous gold that looks like solid polished jewelry gold is so-called water- or burnished-gilding, which can only be done on a dead-smooth surface built up with bole, a kind of (non-toxic, Dave) clay. The size is some kind of thin hide- or rabbit-skin glue allowed to dry, and then reactivated by the moisture from one’s breath, and the loose gold dropped onto it. It gets its lustre by subsequently being burnished with polished agate burnishers. Something you can do on bulbs of relief on carved furniture or frames, but not practical, I think, for banding and similar highlights.

Burnish gilding is beyond my skill, experience or patience, but ordinary “matte” gilding using oil-based sizes and gold either in loose form or patent on paper, can still be pretty lustrous, and if you get a really good oil size, is pretty easy to pull off.  Standard single-weight gold leaf is so thin that it WILL be influenced by the color of the underlying ground, and certainly a ground of a true or synthetic vermillion-like color, where there is wear or there are ‘holidays’ in the gilding, can look quite lovely in a slightly “distressed” manner.

I suspect that old banding ran the gamut, as others have said, from silver-cum-changing-varnish, through bronze powders up through real gold leaf.

One oddity about real gold leaf on today’s market is that the price is pegged directly to the price of gold on the metals markets, which means it changes daily. Which is why no retailers post prices for gold, and you must ask for a current quote. To me, this practice makes absolutely NO sense whatever, simply because the amount of gold in a full booklet of loose leaf or patent sheets, or a very long roll of patent-leaf 23K striping gold, is quite negligible. The cost lies in the manufacturing, not the gold. There is probably about a zillionth of an ounce of gold even in a large booklet that will cover a significant area.

I read once that the intensely beautiful gilding on ancient Egyptian tomb artifacts (like the stuff in King Tut’s treasure) was gilt with leaf that was very thick, about as thick as modern aluminum foil, which meant that you could actually just handle it with your hands in application. Imagine what THAT would cost, but how easy it would be to work-with.


Somebody quoted Dr. Wraight as describing bits of dragon’s blood resin in a “changing varnish” used over silver leaf. Dragon’s blood is really wonderful stuff. Mixed in spirits, it has an intensely deep wine red color. Added to dark garnet-lac, its red compensates for the greenish cast the lac can sometimes have, and makes it intensely rich and red. Not expensive and fun to play around with. Sticky and fragrant, like incense.


owen


____________________________________


Owen Daly Early Keyboard Instruments
557 Statesman St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
http://www.dalyharpsichords.com
(503)-362-9396

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Note:  opinions  expressed on HPSCHD-L are those of the  individual con-
tributors and not necessarily  those of the list owners  nor of the Uni-
versity of Iowa.  For a brief  summary of list  commands, send mail to
[log in to unmask]  saying  HELP .
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::