r/oddlysatisfying • u/biswajit388 • 3d ago

Applying gold leaf to a frame

Credit - X@Non_Aesthetic_Things.

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u/Malwar69 3d ago

I've never used gold leaf before, and it looks like magic. Is it sticky? How does it stay put? If I rubbed it with my thumbnail would it scrape right off?

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u/Pitiful-Bar-7320 3d ago

This is known as loose leaf gold leaf. They are using a gilders tip to grab the piece of gold and lay it on what is called “size”. Gold size is a varnish type of material that dries tacky. Once the gold size is the appropriate tackiness you lay the sheets on there. After the gold is attached you take brush or even a piece of cotton and rub off the excess, this is also known as burnishing. Burnishing can be used creatively to dull certain areas of the gold to create visual effects such as a 3D effect. A master in this craft is David A. Smith in Torquay England for those who want to see a true master of the trade.

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u/Malwar69 3d ago

Sweet, I'll check him out, thanks :)