GILDING. 



whitli is dcfcribed as a fort of glutinous compoimd eavtli, 

 ferving, in all probability, to make the gold ilick, and bear 

 polilhing. But as to the particulars of this earth, its colour, 

 ingredients, &c. the antiquaries and naiuralills are not 

 agreed 



There are fevcral methods of gilding in life among us : 

 viz. gilding on (in oily ft :f ; gilding an a •water fizc ; gilding 

 ly the Jiie, which is peculiar to metals ; gilding of booh, 

 (Sfc. 



We may diftinguifli, in general, two kinds of gilding, one 

 ■with, and the other without, t!ie application of heat. The 

 firll method is prattif^jd on tliofe fubftanccs, fucli as wood, 

 paper, leather, lilk, lacquered and japanned ware, &c.. which 

 would Iv.- injured, and even deftroyed at the temperature 

 reqmiite for the other fort of gilding, which is employed on 

 fubflanccs that are not liable to alteralion by expofure to a 

 moderate heat, fuch as metaL., and fonictimes gkds and 

 porcelain. 



There are two methods of gilding on wood, viz. oil- 

 gilding, and burnilhed gilding 



Gilding //.• oil, or an oilyft%e, is performed by cementing 

 the gold to the ground by means of fat oil. Linfeedoil may 

 be prepared for this jjurpofe, by putting fuch a quan ity of it 

 into abroad vefTel as may cover the bottom about an inch 

 deep, and adding to it as much water as will rife fi.K inches 

 or more above the bottom. Let the vefTel be expofed to 

 the fun and rain, and tlie contents be occafionally ftirred for 

 five or fix weeks, till the oil appear of the confillence of 

 treacle. Then feparate the oil from the water, and place 

 it in a long bottle, or feparating-funnel, ufed by the chemills, 

 in fuch heat as will render it pcrfeftly fluid ; pour off the 

 clear part, and drain the remainder tlirough a funnel, and 

 the whole will be fit for ufe. The water helps to clear and 

 bleach the oil, and improve it in other refpefts. 



In order to prepare tlic wood for gilding, it mufh firil 

 be covered or primed with two or three coatings of boiled 

 linfeed oil and white lead, in order to fill up the pores, and 

 conceal the irregularities of the furface, occafior.ed by the 

 veins in the wood. If greater nicety and perfection in the 

 work be required, the wood (hould be iirll rubbed with 

 fifli-flvin, and then with Dutch ruthes. 



When the priming is dry, the next operation is that of 

 iSzing the work, or laying upon it, by means of a brufli, 

 or a large pencil, a thin coat of gold fize ; care being taken 

 that the bruih or pencil be made to pafs into all the 

 cavities and projefting parts, if the fubjeft be carved. 

 This gold fize is prepared by grinding calcined red 

 ochre with a due proportion of the fat, or thickeft 

 drying oil that can be procured, (the older the better) ; 

 and this fize, in order to fit it for working more freely, is 

 to be mixed, prcvioufly to its being ufed, with a fmall 

 cuantity of oil of turpentine, till it acquires a proper cofi- 

 fiiience. Sometimes the work is fized with fat oil, and 

 the japanner's gold fize (fee Gold Si<e), ground alfo 

 with ochre. If a high degree of perfeftion be required, the 

 work fhould be fized a fecond time, and fome add a third 

 fizing, before the gold is laid on. In order to afcertain its 

 fitnefs for this purpofe, it is touched with the finger ; and 

 if it feelfomewhat adhefive or clammy, or, as the gilders call 

 it, " tacky/' but not fo as to be brought off by the finger, 

 it is in a fit ilate for gilding. But if it be fo clammy as to 

 daub, or come off on being touched, it is not fufficiently 

 dry ; or, if it has no clamminefs or flicking quality, it is too 

 dry, and muft; be fized over again before it is gih. When 

 the gold fize is good, it will be fufficiently dry in about 

 twelve hours for the application of the gold. In this 



procefs, when tlio furface is fufllciently large and plain to 

 contain them, the gold leaves may be laid on entire, cither 

 bv means of a fquirrel's tail, or immediately from the paper 

 which originally contained them, which kill method, prac- 

 tifed by thofe who have acquired the neceffary dexterity, is 

 tlie fimplell and moil expeditious, as well as the beft, for the 

 perfedtion of the work. The leaves, being kiid on the 

 jiroper parts of the work, muft be fettled to the ground, 

 tjy gently comprefiing thofe, which feem to want it, with 

 the fquirrel's tail on a cotron ball ; and if any part of the 

 gold iias flown off, or has been difplaced, fo as to leave any 

 fpot uncovered, a piece of another leaf, of a correfponding 

 fize and figure, muft be laid upon it. When the parts ars 

 too fmall to admit of laying on whole loaves, or when 

 vacancies are left, after laying on whole leavts, which re- 

 c|uire to be covered with the flips or fragmf nts of leaves, 

 thofe that are to be ufed are turned from the paper ujjon a 

 culhion. (See Gilding Ciijhion and Cosiiiox) They 

 are then cut into flips, of a proper fi/.e, by a blunt pallet- 

 knife (fee Gilding Knife) ; and each flip is taken up on 

 the point of a fine brufh, or by an inllrumcnt called the 

 "tip," (fee Gilding Tip,) which, being moiftened by 

 breathing upon it, will take up the leaves, or any frag- 

 ments of thciii from the cufhion. When thefe are thus 

 applied to the parts of the work that were to be covered, 

 they are gently prefled down by the cotton bail, till they lie 

 every where evenly upon the ground ; and tlie gold will 

 immediately adhere to the fticky furface of the fize. Where 

 the work is very hollow, and fmall pieces are wanted to 

 cover parts that lie deep, they may be taken up, by the tip 

 already mentioned, or the peint of a fitch pencil, firft 

 breathed upon, and thus convtyed to, and fettled in, their 

 proper places. The whole of the work, being thus covei-ed, 

 ihould be fuffered to remain till it be dry, and it may then 

 be brufhcd over by a camel's hair pencil, or fott hog's hair 

 brufli, in order to clear away any loofe particles of the gold 

 leaf. If, after brufliing, any defeftive parts appear, fuch 

 parts muft be again fized ; and treated as before. The 

 fquirrel's tail ufed in gilding is cut fliort, and fometimes 

 fpread in the fan-fafhion, by means of a piece of wood 

 formed like a pencil-flick, but broad at both ends, and fplit 

 to receive the tail ; but it will equally ferve in its own form, 

 when the hair is cut to a proper length. The cotton fliould 

 alfo be formed into a ball, by tying it up in a ]):ece of fine 

 linen rag ; for if it be ufed without the rag, the fibres adhere 

 to the gold fize, and cmbarrafs the work. 



This fort of gilding is chiefly ufed for domes, and the 

 roofs of churches, courts, banqueting-houfes, &c. and for 

 figures of plailer, lead, &c. that are to fland expofed to the 

 weather. 



This oil-gilding is the moft fimple and eafy, leaft expenfive, 

 and moft durable, as it will not be readily injured when ex- 

 pofed to the open air ; and it may be alfo cleaned with a 

 little warm water and a foft brufh ; but, as it cannot be 

 burniflied, it wants the high luftre which is produced by the 

 method we lliall next defcribe. 



Gilding, Bumi/hed, or in Dflemper, or on Walcr-Jtic, is 

 that kind of gilding which is generally ufed for pifture 

 frames, mouldings, ftucco, and luch wooden works as are 

 iheltered from the weather, and not fubjcft to dampnefs. 

 In order to prepare tlie wood for this fort of gilding, thofe 

 Darts that admit of it fliould be firif well rubbed with fifh- 

 ikin, and then with Dutch ruihes. It fhould then be care- 

 fully covered with fti-ong fize, made of (hreds, &c. of white 

 loalher, fuch as that ufed by glovers, or clippings of parch- 

 ment boiled in water, in the proportion of about a pound of 



tke 



