Tip of the Day: Glass Gilding

These are the steps I take when gilding gold on glass. I've been posting one step at a time on the Pre-Vinylite Society facebook page. As I add steps onto the Facebook page, I will compile them here so you can see all the steps in order. These are condensed explanations as Facebook only allows for so many characters in a single post.  Hope this helps, and happy gilding!

Tip of the Day:
This is Step One of a series on glass gilding. I'm no expert, but this is how I do it.


Supply List
-Gold (Book of 23k Surface gold / loose leaf) 25 sheets per book
-Gelatin Size (I'll explain in next tip of the day)
-Gilders Tip
-Gilders Mop
-Vaseline (or a greasy head)
-Cotton (surgical with out seeds is best)
-Black back up paint
-Lettering quills-Sign pattern / pounce / blue tape
-Bon Ami 
-Windex / paper towel
I'll explain more as I go!



Tip of the Day!
Glass gilding Step Two: Making a water based gelatin size

-A pint size mason jar with lid
-Pour a small amount of water (room temperature), enough to submerge two gelatin capsules (I haven't found an alternative to gelatin, but I'm searching! Get these at a health food store).
-Pull capsules apart before putting in water and make sure there are no air bubbles trapped inside the capsules
-20 or so minutes after submerging capsules, pour in hot water (no more than is needed to dissolve the capsules completely) and swirl the water a bit
-Fill the rest of the jar with cool water, swirl and inspect the liquid to insure that the capsules are completely dissolved.
Screw on the cap and you are good to go!


Tip of the Day!
Glass Gilding Step Three: Preparing the glass

-First clean both sides of the glass with glass cleaner(windex) and paper towel.
-On the inside of the glass (the side you'll be applying the gold) take a razor scraper, and run it over the surface to be gilded, removing any tough debris or specks.
-Now take a paper towel piece, fold and add a small amount of Bon Ami and windex to the paper towel. Bon Ami is a cleanser that will help remove any oil or unseen residue.
-Spray the window a bit and the Bon Ami in the paper towel, then apply the Bon Ami/paper towel to the window. Apply in circular motions. It will be frosty looking.
-Let the Bon Ami dry completely.
-Wipe off the Bon Ami with a dry paper towel. Make sure it comes off fairly easy, otherwise you may want to do a second round of windex and Bon Ami.
-After removing all Bon Ami from window, go back over with a clean paper towel and windex. If you hear that oh so sweet window squeak sound you are good to go!