Oil Gilding

is employed with varnish polish, upon equipages, mirror-frames, and other furniture. The following method is employed by eminent gilders at Paris. 1. White lead, with half its weight of yellow ochre, and a little litharge, are separately ground very fine; and the whole is then tempered with linseed oil, thinned with e ence of turpentine, and applied in an evenly coat, called impre ion . 2. When this coat is quite dry, several coats of the hard tint are given, even so many as 10 or 12, should the surface require it for smoothing and filling up the pores. These coats are given daily, leaving them to dry in the interval in a warm sunny exposure. 3. When the work is perfectly dry, it is first softened down with pumice stone and water, afterwards with worsted cloth and very finely powdered pumice, till the hard tint give no reflection, and be smooth as gla . 4. With a camel’s hair brush, there must be given lightly and with a gentle heat, from 4 to 5 coats at least, and even sometimes double that number, of fine lac varnish. 5. When these are dry, the grounds of the pannels and the sculptures must be first polished with shave-gra ( de la prèle ); and next with putty of tin and tripoli, tempered with water, applied with woollen cloth; by which the varnish is polished till it shines like a mirror. 6. The work thus polished is carried into a hot place, free from dust, where it receives very lightly and smoothly, a thin coat of gold colour , much softened down. This coat is pa ed over it with a clean soft brush, and the thinner it is the better. 7. Whenever the gold colour is dry enough to take the gold, which is known by laying the back of the hand on a corner of the frame work, the gilding is begun and finished as usual. 8. The gold is smoothed off with a very soft brush, one of camel’s hair for example, of three fingers’ breadth; after which it is left to dry for several days. 9. It is then varnished with a spirit of wine varnish; which is treated with the chafing dish as above described. 10. When this varnish is dry, two or three coats of copal, or oil varnish are applied, at intervals of two days. 11. Finally, the pannels are polished with a worsted cloth, imbued with tripoli and water, and lustre is given by friction with the palm of the hand, previously softened with a little olive oil, taking care not to rub off the gold. In this country, Burnished gilding is practised by first giving a ground of size whiting, in several succe ive coats; next applying gilding size; and then the gold leaf, which is burnished down with agate, or a dog’s tooth.