Followup on my gilding question...

[Mike Medved]

I am gilding 6x6 planks of basswood, flat, using dutch gold/oil based size. Sanding, de-waxed shellac, then gesso several layers, sanding inbetween, etc. The results are reasonable for my purposes except: I get these artifacts - see pictures - a couple on every plank. Can you help me figure out what causes this? For now I work around these, but would really like not to have any.

 

[Andrew Heiner]

What kind of foil are you using? Are you burnishing after laying? Have you tried brushing them out?
Cheap foil can have imperfections in it. We lay 6+ layers of bole - no sanding between- to create a flat smooth surface.

 

[Mike Medved]

I use transfer Dutch gold from Golden Leaf. I am burnishing a couple of hours after laying - with cotton balls, pressing down fairly hard but not enough to leave streaks... That's when those artifacts come out.

 

[Mike Medved]

OMG today I discovered silicone brushes. HOW has no one told me about this wondrous invention? Both for gesso and for size, what could possibly be better?