Glues for gold leaf

One of the best known and most used products by art restorers, and of course by specialists in the technique of gold leaf for paint, is gilding glue, which is called in the middle the "urination" or "mixtion".

This colorless or transparent product may have a white color in the liquid state, but in any case, it is completely transparent when it dries.

It is a mainly water-based product that ensures the adhesion of metal sheets, whether gold or silver, to the surfaces to be gilded : frames, paintings, parchment, statues... and why not a Harley Davidson tank! Urination or glue is used with a brush, that is to say the paintbrush in the jargon of professional painters, or with an airbrush for what concerns painters in bodywork customization (CUSTOM). It is of course possible to create your own gilding column with the means at hand, that is to say with diluted collars to make them liquid and fine after drying, or even binders or clearcoats, because these are very similar to glues.

How to use gilding glues on bodywork ?

First, we apply the annexation to the entire area, both on the golden area, on the edges and the protective masking : when we remove the masking, the gold leaf if it is well glued, will follow the movement of the adhesive to tear perfectly cleanly. Of course, before sticking the gilding sheets on the glue, it must be slightly dry, but not completely, because from a certain moment, the grip can no longer be made between the glue and the metal sheet. .

It is therefore advisable to wait until the glue is tacky. If the gold leaf is placed on the still damp surface, the water contained in the mixture will take days to evaporate. We can therefore wait 15 minutes and, depending on the hydrometry and temperature, test with the finger, to determine when the surface is said to be "in love" in the terminology of gilding specialists.

The drying of the glue before the final varnishing

Among the Stardust products, the GEDEO mix was chosen and offered to all users and body painters. To the question that comes up "is this product compatible and resistant to the solvent present in automotive clearcoats", the answer is affirmative, provided that sufficient time is allowed for the evaporation of the water and the hardening of the glue. It is absolutely not recommended to keep moisture deep under the layers of clearcoat, which would result in the appearance of bubbles and defects after a few days after clearcoats.

The varnishing of the gilding

The metal sheets are made up of alloys of different non-ferrous metals : in the event that a motorcycle part, for example, was completely covered with gold leaf, then we can logically deduce that a specific clearcoat, which could adhere to metal, should be used imperatively. However, in practice, it is rare to see more than 10% of the surface covered by gilding sheets and consequently, it is tolerable to use a classic bodywork clearcoat, without fear of peeling problems. In any case, to avoid this risk, there is a way of varnishing which plays a preventive and effective role : it is the application of a "flash" veil, veil of adhesion, before varnishing in a glossy layer. .

Gold leaf for bodywork and custom