(Gold Leaf Basics — Part B)
Once the size has tacked up, it's time to lay down some gold. Make sure there isn't a strong draft draft or a fan blowing when you place the gold. (It is very thin and it will blow around wasting it unnecessarily.) Take a sheet of gold (still on the tissue paper) from the book and gently lay it into the size. Press it down, burnishing it by rubbing through the paper gently. Lift off the paper leaving the gold stuck to the sign. Move to a new section of the lettering and repeat.
The gold will be a little ragged and uneven but not to worry. Once you have finished a section take a large, very soft brush and go over the letters, gently knocking off the excess gold. The brush actually scratches the surface of the gold and these minute scratches make the gold catch the light and sparkle. The effect is dramatic and amazing. Tiny flakes of gold will fall like snow to the floor. Don't sweat it.
The reality is that the gold isn't that expensive in the scheme of things. This sign with all its lettering only used 32 sheets of gold. In the quantities we buy (by the box) it worked out to be only about $50 worth of gold in total. Furthermore, gold work sets our signs into a class of their own as so very few sign shops offer gilding these days.