So it begins. Tape....check. glue....check. round ended scissors....check.
Gold leaf......its thin, its flimsy in the extreme, it floats away on a radiator current and basically goes everywhere.....leaving a thin film of shiny-ness throughout the entire house.
A few years ago i did a motorbike for a customer.....then one for myself.....then swore i would never do it again!
The principal is easy....apply size (glue), leave to kinda dry, place on the leaf......easy......YOP! The above characteristics make it somewhat more challenging in reality......stick to fingers...oh yes......stuck to brush ( you put it in the glue didn't you), not quite dry enough and "flooded" the leaf......too dry and it fell off....!
The frame was taped up and then sized where i needed the leaf....see photo.
Next i laid on the gold and silver leaf (makeup brushes are excellent for this....there are proper ones but a red squirrel arse hair brush is mega bucks) in a random, kinda scrunched pattern. This gives a slightly more antique look......finally you look out for holidays......no.....i don't mean bargains in ceefax......holes in the finish are called holidays....i kid you not!
So heres the result. Its covered all the major damage and its a bit more interesting than a big sticker! Now it needs to be left to dry right out.
One thing i did learn in the past is when it comes to clearcoating over this, you need to go very steady. The clearcoat will dissolve the size, even when dry.....so if your having a go, the first coat needs to be very very fine, just a mist, to get it sealed and started.
Valerie singleton eat your heart out!