Gold Leaf Outdoor Protection/Coating

[John Bion]

I am in the process of gilding a large out door oak sign with deep V grooved lettering (aprox. 6” high lettering & 10mm deep).
The sign will be semi protected from all weathers but still subject to much rain and wind, high enough to be out of reach of fingers though. Would there be any recommendations for a coating over the gold leaf to protect it? I have come across the use of shellac, would this be a good idea or not?
Thanks for your help.
Kind regards, John

[Ross Moshinsky]

From what I've read: Clear coat when people will touch it. Don't when people won't.

The universal opinion in the world of signs is stay away from clear coat if you can. It will often fail before the paint or the substrate.

[Joe Pelonio]

I have used gold leaf on several sandbasted cedar signs for residential developments. What I used was 1 Shot Clear 4003. It's held up very well in our wet climate, in fact the gold leaf looks better than the paint on the 10 year old ones.

[Dan Hintz]

Gold won't oxidize, so the only thing you should have to worry about is the underlying substrate and the sizing used to lay down the gold. Clearcoating the gold itself doesn't offer any further protection.

[John Bion]

Thanks Ross, Joe and Dan,
Would you have any recommendations for a type of base coat beneath the size for use on oak? I am using 1 Shot size.
Thanks again, John

[Paul Phillips]

One shot should work fine as a base, in fact they make a gold color that works well as a base coat, slow size always seems to work better for me, especially in an exterior sign, the Oak would be my biggest concern and the possible first point of failure, never a good choice for an exterior sign but if sealed and painted properly may last awhile, Cedar or Redwood is always best because of the natural resins in them.

[John Bion]

Thanks Paul, sorry about my slow response.

Unfortunately the client is adamant upon oak. I ordered and received the 1shot base you mention, thanks. I plan on using Danish and pure Tung Oil to seal.

Hope you all have a great Christmas

Kind regards, John

[Jeff Potts]

Contact W&B Gold Leaf. They are the most helpful people I deal with. They'll ask a bunch of questions about what you're using and then recommend a product. DUX makes an acrylic clear coat in a couple of different sheens. This has worked well for me but I use DUX sizing. IIRC your top coat needs to be compatible with your size otherwise you'll lose the benefits of the gold leaf. W&B will help you with this.

[John Bion]

Hi All, I never got back to you about this to thank you for all your replies.
I used the One Shot “Chrome Yellow” as an undercoat, One Shot Size and “extra” heavy 23.5c gold.
Bit of a learning curve to get it perfect though: too wet, too dry, and slight sanding marks underneath pop out when gilded etc, etc!
Came out pretty well in the end and I have more of this work as a result.

335749

Kind Regards, John

[Rodger MacMunn]

That came out pretty nice, I'm impressed.
I would like to offer a wee bit of CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, however, in case you do more of these.
Firstoff, One Shot fast size is horrible to work with.... you did well with it. It is very inconsistent in reaching tack, & doesn't stay open very long. Your job would have been a lot easier with DUX 3 hour size., which, depending on temperature & humidity, reaches tack between 2 & 4 hours & stays open for 1 - 2 hours.
Secondly ....contrast. A fine dark outline around your gold letters will really add to the legibility. If you don't think you have the brush skills to do this freehand, you can use a paintmask cut about 1/8" larger than the letter all the way around. It'll be fussy putting it into place ( use a clear transfer tape) but the advantage of it is, you only have to really pay attention to one side. If you're using 1-shot, though, you need to pull your mask off while it's wet, because most gloss paints will "bridge" over the mask, & your outline will be ragged.
Anyway, keep up the good work.

[John Bion]

HI Rodger, Thanks for your comments. That’s what is great about forums lie this one, constructive criticism is sought and applied in future where relevant :)
I did find the One Shot had a very short window, which may have been fine on smaller areas or for more experienced craftsmen, but I will look at the availability of the DUX 3 hour here in the UK. This particular client specifically requested not to have a black outline around the text, although I did recommend it (although since I have not done sign writing by hand since my school art days, I was little nervous of how controlled I would be doing it at this stage).
Kind Regards, John

[Rodger MacMunn]

Well Sir, you produced what they asked for, so you've done your job. And well, too, I might add.
TR