Silver Leaf Gilding

[BloodFather of Kharnath]

So there is NMM. There is TMM. Some even polish metal figures to get good metallic results. Then there is the method used here for this result:
http://www.puttyandpaint.com/projects/6797

I guess you apply a special varnish, then you take some silver, or even gold, leafs that come in little square pages. They are super super thin. Cover the armor or weapon with the leaf, varnish again, then use oils to weather and shade. I absolutely love the result. I have found tutorials online that show how to apply this to frames or other dollhouse type items, but nothing for historical minis, which is like to try it on. Anyone know where I can get good solid info on this stuff?

 

[airhead]

I know that the local Hobby Lobby (and maybe Michael's) has some in stock along with the sizing.

Try it and let us know.

 

[BloodFather of Kharnath]

Will do. The artist I linked tells me he didn't learn from anyone to use it on minis, that he is the first as far as he knows. He's actually a very talented artist that uses a variety of media in his art, so it's no surprise that he'd pioneer such a technique. I plan to do my first historical mini before long, and I'll definitely use gilding and oils. Curious to use the gold leaf as well and my apply some Tamiya smokw over it.

 

[MrJim]

For minis, the most important part is getting the right sizing.(adhesive) I have some gold and silver leaf from a restoration I did many years ago. The sizing I used for the project was fairly thick and would never work for a mini. I would see if you can find out what he used. On a mini you only get one shot. Once the sizing goes on, it doesn't come off very easily.

 

[BloodFather of Kharnath]

Oh this stuff is super super thin. Razor blade thin. If you breathe on it, it will curl and crumple up. Looks like approximately 4 inch square pages. And I am not quite sure exactly how he applies it yet. I have a number of questions that I hope he will take the time to answer. I'll share them here. But I am not sure if you must cut the leaf to the armors approximate size and then apply it to the recently varnished surface, or if I should place a random sized piece on and then just remove the excess in some spots, and add additional pieces where they are needed. I asked if they go on smoothly and he said generally yes they do but sometimes he adds several layers. The stuff seems so thin that you wouldn't be able to tell if, say, a helmet had a bunch of layers on one spot and just one layer on a spot right next to it. Watched a video where someone gold leaf gilded a tiny miniature frame, and it seemed like you just add parts and pieces here and there until you cover the whole surface.

 

[evl hmr]

I've gilded in the past, and the leaf is generally so thin that just piling it on top of each other, brushing away the excess does create a slightly uneven feel, but in the used example, the 'bumpy' metal work adds to the used output. The very best finishes aren't mirror smooth, but only at a level a few inches from the eyes can you notice. As long as you are going to play with washes/glazes etc it would be a good tool to use.

 

[Zab]

Maybe check with planet figure as they do more historical stuff? OR perhaps some one covered that in figure painter magazine? Again, they lean towards more historical styles and techniques

 

[BloodFather of Kharnath]

Thanks all!

Evil: The more I research it, I find that people actually like to use different style brushes to put pits and different marks on the leaf once it is attached. I'll have to try this. Another thing I'd like to try, people actually can burnish all or sections of the leaf to make it even more reflective. Um, hello? This is perfect for those final highlights!!! I'll have to get a burnishing stone. And yes, I will use oils to build shadows and add depth to the metal.

Zab: I'm fairly certain he is the only person to ever do this to a miniature. I've researched it quite exhaustively. But he did answer my initial round of questions, which I will include below.

Its best to use on larger scale minis. I'd like to use it on a bust, actually. And instead of silver leaf, I want to use white gold leaf, which is actually silver and gold together. I think this will come out as a brilliant steel! Can't wait to experiment!

 

[BloodFather of Kharnath]

The following is an email conversation between myself and Dmitry Fesechko, who I will take the liberty of calling the founder of gilding miniatures:

Ok, I'll try to answer.


#1- Did you apply primer before you added the rolco varnish?



Yes, the model was primed as usual, then it was painted as usual and on the final stage I did the metal. As I understand the varnish that would stick the metal leaf (foil) could be applied on any surface.


#2-How do you place the actual leaf onto the armor pieces? Do you cut an appropriately sized piece off and just stick it on? Do you cut off excess leaf? Is it possible to fill holes that the leaf didn't cover on the armor, or will this make it uneven. This question is difficult for me to explain. I guess I'm summary I'm just curious if you can add the leaf piece by small piece, or if you need to cut the leaf to an almost perfect size.



I just tear a piece from leaf and put it to surface with my fingers. I don't cut an appropriately sized piece, it could be pretty small pieces. You just have to apply such pieces until you cover all the surface. Once you put it on surface take a hard brush (bristle or synthetic) and work with brush over the applied leaf to smoothen it. The excessive leaf would be removed with brush strokes, because this foil is very very thin. And yes, when you cover all the surface there would be some places uncovered that would not stick new pieces of foil. Then you'll have to apply new layer of varnish on that places and cover them with leaf as usual.


#3-Do you think that acrylic glazes will work over the leaf and varnish? Or is oil the best?



maybe if you apply a coat of gloss varnish the acrylic paints would lay on the surface, but without it the acrylics lay down uneven (I think similar as it lays down on unprimed plastic). So I work with oils.


#4-When you place your oil paint over the leaf, do you use the scumble method? In other words, do you first apply a small amount of oil with one brush, then take an older brush and massage the oil?



Yes, first I put some paint and then massage it.


#5- Have you considered using gold leaf? How about a brass or copper or other metallic leafs? How would you use oils over the gold leaf? I thought about using VMC Smoke over gold leaf, or perhaps purple or green...



Yes, I tried brass, copper, gold. Everything is the same. VMC smoke is good for working with metals, but as I said before it is acrylic paint, so without a coat of gloss varnish (it could be any acrylic model varnish) you can't work with it.


#6-Do you remember what brand of silver leaf you used? I have seen some that aren't 100% silver. What exact brand did you use?



Sorry, can't remember, just bought it at the store, it looks like a small book with a couple of such leaves (10-20). There are cheaper one and more expensive, so I think the more expensive it is, the less imitation of gold or silver there are. But don't worry, I don't think that on miniatures it really matters. Oh, and the gold leaf was in the Rolco's gold gilding set.


Here are some pics I've googled http://www.goldleafcompany.com/mi_new/FrameGild.jpg
http://www.oldcolors.ru/published/p...s/SC/products_pictures/!!!!Zol-4245-1_enl.jpg

This one I have


#7- Any other advise you can think of?



i would advise just to try, may be you'll find your own technique. I just wanted to finally find a way of making real metal on miniatures. I don't think that this way is perfect, but results are pretty good. It is not so hard to apply such leaves, try it first on some flat surfaces and the try it on models (it is comfortable to work with scales 75mm and higher),but the most hard part of it is toning and glazing to make it realistic on small scales.






Thank you! Hope It would help you!
And if you'll find some interesting info about gilding or find it yourself, I hope you'll share with me!