help with silver leaf

[eightball220]

hi was wondering if anyone can help, i want to put some silver leaf on a design on a bike tank but was told that the normal glue is no good on metal could anyone tell me a good glue to use for silver or gold leafing?
thanx

[Kicks]

Gold leaf is attached to the paint or base material with an adhesive known as gold size. (It is more of a varnish, than a glue.) Gold size, or gilder's varnish, comes in two forms - quick-drying or slow-drying. Quick-drying drys in about 30 minutes to 1 hour, slow-dry may take 12 - 16 hours (good for large intricate projects; but most uses need only the quick drying size). There are also water-based gold sizes like Wunda.
The surface to which the leaf is to be applied should be clean and washed with a silicone and wax degreaser. It should also be sanded with a fine paper to provide a slightly matte surface for the size. The sizing is painted onto the surface to be gilded with a brush (clean brush with mineral spirits afterward), or sprayed on,... and allowed to dry until it is tacky to the touch. One usually tests for correct tackiness by touching the surface with a clean knuckle (less likely to be greasy). It should not stick, but when pulled away, you should feel a slight pull and hear a slight 'tick'. If the size is too wet, it will work its way up through the gold leaf and leave a sticky surface and ruin the luster. There’s a trick in figuring out when that exact time is because if you overshoot it then it won’t stick. When the size is the correct tackiness, you may apply the leaf. When applying the gold leaf, work in a draft-free environment. You can apply the entire sheet at one time on larger surfaces using a "gilder's tip" (a soft brush the same width as the leaf), or you can tear off smaller pieces of leaf and apply them with a small brush. A natural bristle brush (sable) can be used. The leaf is picked up with the brush by charging the brush with static electricity (traditionally by rubbing the brush on one's hair). The leaf will attach to the electrically charged brush, but will easily disengage from the brush when touched to the sized surface. The leaf can't be handled directly because it sticks to the skin and tears easily.

This is an excellent explaination of gold or silver leaf adhesion kicks--you know what you're talking about & this should help eightball a lot ..gold leafing seems like such a difficult art application, but in fact it's a little easier than you might expect--if you do your homework, & read a little on the subject (I bet they have a lot of instructions on line now) you can experience success even the first time..when I was a young girl ready made products for sizing was un-available & we made ours with geletin capsules melted in a small amount of hot water..I've spent many hours sitting next to my father while he layed gold leaf on bank windows..I was a good helper as my static electricity was far better than his--so there we would be with him swiping the gilders brush on my head or arms to everyones dismay..brings back a lot of good memories.. times have changed a lot & the products offered now would take most of the guess work out of it, & that would sure be a plus.... to this day I check out all gold windows to see if they're real or not-- not many real ones left out there!!

[eightball220]

thanx alot guys that was a great help, especially the bit about charging the brush with static.
thanx

[AgilePaws]

Oh Darla, that is such a cute story! Thanks for sharing that with us... I really enjoyed it

Kicks, thanks to you for the explanation. I love to hear about different aspects of painting.