Raised Gold & Gum Ammoniac Gilding

Traditional Gilding Techniques
Tim Johnson, Th D
RTP, North Carolina
www.timjohnsonphoto.com
tim@timjohnsonphoto.com
919.345.4615

In the most basic terms, the purpose of adding gold to a document is to bring light or "illuminate" it. Gilding on objects has been practiced for centuries but applied most commonly to documents after the 3rd century.
Because the media, commonly vellum (calfskin) or parchment (goatskin), is flexible and changes dimensions with changes in heat, humidity and use, the gesso or other materials must be sticky, firm and flexible in just the right amounts.

Gum Ammoniac
Gum ammoniac is an exudate similar to frankincense and myrrh. It does not have the pleasant, exotic odors of the other gums, but perfectly earns its name - ammoniac. A deep inhalation will choke many people. DON'T BREATHE DEEPLY. This gum is harvested from wounded branches in small clusters and air-dried and stored until ready for application.
Because of the presence of debris and dust, the ammoniac must be filtered after it is soaked. Distilled water and time will break down the gum. Straining the gum through cheesecloth has been a favorite filter for many years. However, cotton and linen fibers can migrate through the process of straining and hang in the quill or pen. A superior material is women's hose or stockings. Make several layers and gather the corner so that no liquid escapes being filtered. Keep the mix covered. Note:To my olfactory sense, it stinks.
Aside: Glair is the part of the egg white (albumen) that will not whip into meringue. It is a very small portion of the egg white (albumen). A dozen eggs will produce about a teaspoon. It is very, very sticky and is a treasure for the calligrapher. Store it in a separate jar in the refrigerator. Occasionally pick out any parts that become stringy. Glair can be added to gouache, watercolor, tempera and is essential in the making of gum ammoniac and raised gilding gesso.

Back to the ammoniac.
When the exudate is dissolved and filtered, a very small amount of Armenian Bole (highly graded and ground ferrous oxide) is added to the ammoniac. This turns the white gum into a slightly pink gum. Add the bole when you are using gold - not when you are using silver, palladium or platinum.
This gum can be carefully thinned so that it will flow through a quill.
Another name for gilding using this gum is "flat" gilding.
The real issue is that the gum can hold the gold, but cannot be burnished. You can make various passes with the ammoniac, just don't exceed the first lines you made.


PVA
NO. Just no.

Raised Gilding
The classic, Cennini recipe is the basis for successful raised gilding. You can find it and variations in Latin texts and in Edward Johnston's Writing, Illuminating and Lettering as well as Donald Jackson's Story Of Handwriting. The recipe creates a hard, yet workable gesso for use of vellum, parchment and fine papers.
I agree with Jerry Tresser, who has been doing this for as many years as I, that there is no true substitute for the traditional ingredients.
Gesso may be made in fairly large quantities and stored for quite some time. Samples of raised illumination are centuries old and are still brilliant. Many pieces are in the Vatican library and are in climate controlled conditions. Other precious documents have been ravaged and destroyed to be framed as individual pieces.
Most destruction was done as scribes recycled older documents to provide writing material for their current projects. Parchment and vellum are quite tough and the ink, decoration and gold were scraped off and the skins were cut into new dimensions and new text and smaller writing was added to the older pages.
Fire, theft, hatred, ignorance, neglect and a horrible soup can account for a lot more of the missing, precious documents.

Back to the gesso recipe:

7.5 or 8 parts slaked plaster (rotted and biologically inactive gypsum)
3 parts white lead (toxic and cumulative -WEAR MASK AND GLOVES)
1 part rock candy (it is pure sugar)
1 part Secotine (fish glue, Asian) or mucilage (hide glue, European)
Armenian Bole (very slight touch) [not to be used when working white metals]
Distilled water and glair in the proportions you like the best


2 frosted glass mixing surfaces.

In a room with perfectly still air and little hand and body movements, mix dry ingredients on one side of the frosted glass. A high humidity day is also helpful.
The reason? It cuts down on static electricity and particle movement.
Mix thoroughly and spread the mixture into a thin layer on the glass. cover with a glassine tent and allow to dry thoroughly.

Again, while wearing mask and gloves, collect in a dedicated jar.
Use glair and distilled water to reconstitute for use.


Your gilding tools will include:

A pair of scissors for cutting ONLY gold (all traces of oil removed)

Pure silk cloth (It does not carry a static charge.)

A gold cutting board made of padded chamois

A gold knife

Several agate burnishers (agate is a cold stone)

Sharp awls, punches, scrapers and knives deciated to this work

Tweezers and hemostats

A hematite burnisher (hematite is a warm stone)

Various jeweler's polishes impressed into chamois

A heavy paper breathing tube

Latex or nitrile gloves and filter mask to prevent inhaling white lead

Several small (0000, 000, 00, 0) pointed sable brushes

Large sable brush for wasting excess gold

I also suggest using a roll if industrial shelf liner to keep materials stable.


WASTING

When shaping and cleaning the gesso, please use your gloves and mask. You are dealing with white lead. m

When cleaning excess gold from letters, make sure you are in a room where the air is still. You might want to have a large fan with an air filter mounted on it or use a vacuum with a very fine filter. DO NOT do your gilding in a room with electronics. Gold is the perfect electrical conductor and if it gets into your electronic equipment it may cause shorts, fires and other preventable damage. If you have gilded dust bunnies in your PCs or TVs, just go ahead and call 911. You have been told.

The amount of gold waste is miniscule. Some people try to save it. You can try to gather it up into a jar with sand. Then you can pan for it at a later date.

Types Of Leaf

Single thickness leaf is 1/300,000 of an inch thick.

Purest and Best - 24 karat Double English Gold

OK - Patent Gold - 22 or 23 karat (copper or silver) loose or on a sheet

Palladium - A malleable silvery white metal, softer than silver

Platinum

White gold - 12 karat gold - 12 karat silver, fairly brittle

Silver

Rolled inferior metals: Bronze, copper, aluminum, etc.

Application Of Gold Leaf
With tweezers attach a leaf of gold to your gold pad. Cut the gold into 1/2 inch squares.
Your letter or decoration should be formed, smoothed and polished before the gold is applied. Rarely do you need to apply pressure heavier than the weight of the burnisher you are using.
With a breathing tube, moisten the target area with your breath. The rock candy in the gesso will attract and hold the moisture momentarily. While the gesso is damp place the gold onto the gesso. Press the gold into the gesso. Smooth the gold into the gesso using your fingers first and then your agate burnishers. I generally start with the hound's tooth. Use your various tools until all the surface is covered with gold. Continue to smooth and cover. When the surface is completely covered, smooth until all surface flaws have disappeared. Small indentations can be added and small repairs can be fixed through this time. Allow ample time for repaired areas to dry. Make sure wasted gold does not get on gouache or ink in your document.
Final polishing can be performed with your hematite burnisher.
Many documents were literally "for show" by candlelight.
Do your work by the best light you can get, enjoy it by the soft light of a candle.

copyright © 2009 Tim Johnson USA and International