Sunday, August 12, 2012

Gilding...trials and tribulations

After the 2nd application of Marine Varnish, I applied a thin coat of 12 hour size, another varnish that remains tacky for up to 12 hours. The key here is to allow it to tack up without drying completely but dry enough so as not to dull the gold. I applied too early and it looked a mess. I left it sit for a few days and lightly sanded with 600 grit paper. This time I waited until I had plenty of time on my hands then reapplied the 12 hour size. Checking for just the right moment, I reapplied the gold with success. Now it is bright and shiny and I can move one. This picture above shows the gold applied, shaggy and un-dressed. I like to allow it to dry overnight after the application to ensure I have no issues with wet varnish. The next step is 'proplasmos' application where the base color is laid in for the initial step of painting.

Today we made the usual Saturday rounds, shopping for groceries and a few items. We stopped and spoke to a contractor about removing the deck and installing a patio. We stopped for a quick bite and caught a 1 pm show...'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'. Nice quirky little film. Coming home and time to get dinner ready, that's when I applied the 12 hour size.

A relaxed dinner on the deck, nice wine after the first bottle was bad, a bit of music, conversation, clean up then, finally, gilding. Everyone else was busy with work or their own agenda so we were left to our own devices. A pleasant evening overall.

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