The Decorative Use of Beaten Gold 
and Other Metals 
By GEORGE ETHELBERT WALSH 
T HE uses of gilding of gold, silver, aluminium 
or any combination of the different metals for 
household decoration are numerous, and their 
employment in the hands of an amateur can some¬ 
times be made extremely effective. In the Colonial 
houses the metal coverings are of great value in 
giving finishing touches to moldings and carvings 
and also for forming the background on walls over 
which ornamentation is to be laid. The many cheap 
substitutes for beaten sheets of metal do not give 
the same wear or general effect as the genuine 
article, and where they are used the work must be 
frequently done over again. In gilding chairs and 
other furniture the same holds true. It is cheaper in 
the end to use only the thin sheets of the beaten 
metals and avoid the gold and silver paints. 
Gold-leaf is produced by beating the metal into ex¬ 
tremely fine sheets, some 2000 sheets usually making 
one ounce. These sheets are about one three-hundred 
thousandth part of an inch in thickness. The pure 
gold, before being subjected to the beater’s art, is 
mixed with two parts of alloy of some harder metal. 
The amount of alloy in it determines both its price 
and its color. By using copper and silver as alloys 
different shades can he obtained, ranging from silvery 
white to “ red gold.” 
The gold-leaf comes in books of twenty-five sheets 
each, interleaved so that the sheets cannot stick 
together and are about three and one-half by four 
inches in size. The metal leaf is so fine and light 
that the breath will often blow it away and spoil it 
for any practical use. Many hesitate to work with 
gold-leaf for this reason as well as on account of the 
expense and the supposed difficulty of the art. 
But the fact is it is cheaper, and almost as easy, to 
do good work with gold-leaf as it is with gold-paint, 
and the result is superior in every way. The gold- 
leaf once properly applied will not tarnish or lose 
its brightness, while gold-paint fades and quickly 
grows dull and dirty looking. It is not injured by 
the heat and gases of the atmosphere, and if it gets 
soiled with grease and dirt it can be washed off. 
Picture frames gilded with pure gold-leaf can be 
wiped clean with a damp cloth every week, and the 
first effect be preserved indefinitely. 
When the outline of the molding or other surface 
to be gilded has been carefully marked off, a good 
size should be applied smoothly with a fine brush. 
I he best size for household use is known as oil gold 
size or fat oil. This size can be purchased at a 
reliable paint shop or made at home. 1 he only 
drawback to the latter method is that it takes much 
time and patience to get the size in proper condi¬ 
tion. A quantity of linseed oil is placed in an open 
receptacle and allowed to stand in the open air. It 
becomes partially oxidized in this way. A thick 
skin forms on the surface, and this must be carefully 
removed from time to time. Then it is ready for 
use when it shows a sticky consistency, which may 
vary from six to ten or more months. A quicker 
but less satisfactory size is obtained by boiling the 
oil to the proper consistency. Gold size japan is 
another good size which has the advantage of quick 
application. But neither of these sizes has the same 
durability and elasticity as the first. 
When the size has been applied it must be allowed 
to dry a short time, which may be from ten minutes 
to an hour. Then it is ready for the gold-leaf. The 
simplest way is to transfer each individual leaf to a 
small block of wood covered with roughly dressed calf 
skin. This block of wood should be an inch thick so 
it can be held firmly in the hand, and its length and 
width should correspond to the size of the gold-leaf. 
By deftly turning the leaf over on this leather surface, 
the transference can he made without difficulty. The 
thin leaf will adhere to the leather surface until some¬ 
thing possessing more adhesive powers touches it. 
The next process is to transfer the metal leaf to the 
surface covered with the size. It will immediately 
stick to the size, and with a knife it can be pressed 
and smoothed. A small soft hand-brush should 
he manipulated in smoothing out the gold-leaf, and 
this should be frequently rubbed on the hair to keep 
the tip well oiled. 
Only those parts of the leaf will adhere to the 
surface that come in contact with the size. The 
edges can then be brushed off with a camel’s-hair 
brush. For this reason a good deal of trouble will 
be avoided by outlining the design with the size before 
the gold-leaf is applied. If this is not done properly 
in advance it will be necessary to remove parts of the 
ragged edges with a sharp pointed knife. In doing 
this there is the danger of cutting too much away and 
thus spoiling the effect. 
Many gilders take the sheets of gold directly from 
the book and transfer them to the sized surface by 
a deft movement of the hand. 1 his can be accom¬ 
plished by the amateur after a little practice. The 
leaves are so light that the breath will often blow them 
away, and no good work can be accomplished in a 
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