As a frame maker, and fine artist oil painter, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this in depth demonstration of not only making the gilder cushion tool, but explaining how to manage this uber delicate metal leaf. Now I need to get myself a cake decorating knife to complete my kit.
Fantastic. Thank you. I'm a sign painter and when I did my apprenticeship back home in Australia. We used transfer gold leaf. I believe they call it patent gold. Which was a simple and tidy way to apply the leaf. Getting back into it, I got a book and it's loose leaf and it's been a mess. I saw an English woman doing gold leaf on a picture frame and she had the cushion and cut it. So I knew immediately. I need to do that to be neater. Started searching and your video popped up. Another Aussie. And I appreciate the DIY approach to making the cushion. It looks great.
Hey Darryn - Thank you again for another great video. I use a sharp clean gold knife for my finishing. Yes it does cut into the surface of the gold cushion - sharp edge with gentle pressure - but mine is a rough goat and has light cuts in it but nothing has gone through yet. My clean of the cushion is a pumice or bath brick over as you did in the video but then after clearing the pumice I then do a chalk or talc clean over. This gives the cushion a very smooth surface and a great prep for the gold leaf to sit on. Also when doing the chalk or talc clean make sure both sides of the gold knife are used to move the powder so the grease is taken off your knife. The pumice clean is only done once in a while, however the chalk clean is done as a prep step setting up to do gold leaf work. James Brockman and Tracey Rowledge both stress the need for clean sharp gold knives and gold cushions.
I REALLY like this technique. I've never seen it before. Lifting and placing with paper vs a brush seems to give you so much more control of the leaf. Keeping it smooth and stable. Being able to prep several pieces at once is amazing. Is that just standard printer paper? LOVE, LOVE , LOVE your cushion too 💖 How clever is THAT? Practical as well as pretty. This is a great video! Thank you so much for posting it. I can't wait to watch the others.
This is really helpfull video since I have a difficulties to find availability ove the gilders pad. Now I can figure it out my self on making my own pad. Thank you
Hah! The board was a piece of scrap from my off-cut box in the garage. The felt is cheap acrylic felt I stole from my wife. And the leather is a largish off-cut I couldn't use for much except maybe corners. So I thought it was free, or no more expensive than the leaf of gold I messed up staging the photo for the thumb nail:) Take care! DAS
Great video. It's interesting to see other type of gilders techniques. I use a piece of 320 wet and dry sandpaper to sharpen my knife. Might try recovering my cushion after watching this rather than buy a new one. Thanks R
Cheers for this. I am looking to get some of the gilding equipment to restore an old writing slope. Be a nice addition to be able to hot tooling with my leatherwork, though a bit left field to my youtube. I am struggling to find the equipment here in Australia, so if you have any recommendations for book binding, gilding, or calligraphy stores, I would be appreciative.
The 23K double gold from www.goldleaf.com.au in Melbourne is good. I use it a lot. They have other tools etc. I make and sell the gold cushion I use in the videos for $60. I'm importing some gilders knives, but might be awhile before I have them. An old faux handled butter knife with parallel sided blade works really well too. Ciao, DAS
Hi there, I've got two questions. Can I use chalk to degrease the leather? About the leather I'm not sure if I have goat or cow. It's chrome tanned and very thin. On the meat side it's not too long or fluffy. It looks like normal leather on the flesh side. Can I use it, too?
Good question. I've had both talc and pumice recommended and have used both. I assume chalk would absorb oils. I guess my answer is that I don't know. Sorry. I'd worry the thin leather will be easily cut. It's such a balancing act between having a knife that will cut the gold but not the leather. You don't want to waste gold so I tend to err on the side of being a bit too sharp and as long as the leather is thick and tough enough it will take a bit of abuse.
@@DASBookbinding Thanks for answer =) I added a tiny bit chalk to the pumice. I think that couls work but not too much chalk. Okay I try it all. It's not too hard to build the pad. Normaly I cut brass and copper. If that works I try a bit of Gold. Thank you!
I have a question, not so much related to this video, but just a little. Its about your "butter knife" you mentioned that you put a super sharp edge on and usually use it for trimming in other videos. I am looking all around for something like that as it would be perfect for my uses, like an oversized lifting knife. but the closest thing i can find are carving knives. What is the manufacturer of your knife?
Anything called "Firth steel" from Sheffield with the parallel sides to the blade. www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-firth-brearley-sheffield-823301644
It's not really bookbinding leather, even though I do use it for some special cases. It's about 2mm thick. The thicker the better, but still being able to fold over the edges easily and having a nice soft smooth nap.
I see.. so I am preparing to produce over 100 cushions. already prepared woods. but stuck on leather choice. I know I will buy Calf leather but it shoud be thick or thin ? ı mean is there any standardisation for leather ? as ı got you say the thicker the better. Big thankss @@DASBookbinding
Talc works well too. But I try very hard not to touch or put anything on my gold cushion, so it doesn't get much excess oil and grease on it anyway. But I still clean it ever few times I use it, even if it probably doesn't need it. I'm using pumice on this new cushion because I think it has too much nap and I want to wear it down a bit, and I have pumice. Hope all is well! Darryn
As a frame maker, and fine artist oil painter, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this in depth demonstration of not only making the gilder cushion tool, but explaining how to manage this uber delicate metal leaf. Now I need to get myself a cake decorating knife to complete my kit.
Fantastic. Thank you. I'm a sign painter and when I did my apprenticeship back home in Australia. We used transfer gold leaf. I believe they call it patent gold. Which was a simple and tidy way to apply the leaf. Getting back into it, I got a book and it's loose leaf and it's been a mess. I saw an English woman doing gold leaf on a picture frame and she had the cushion and cut it. So I knew immediately. I need to do that to be neater. Started searching and your video popped up. Another Aussie. And I appreciate the DIY approach to making the cushion. It looks great.
That tack hammer is the bomb!
It's a nice hammer and fun to use. C.S. Osborne magnetic tack hammer
www.csosborne.com/hammers_1.htm
All the best, DAS
Hey Darryn - Thank you again for another great video. I use a sharp clean gold knife for my finishing. Yes it does cut into the surface of the gold cushion - sharp edge with gentle pressure - but mine is a rough goat and has light cuts in it but nothing has gone through yet. My clean of the cushion is a pumice or bath brick over as you did in the video but then after clearing the pumice I then do a chalk or talc clean over. This gives the cushion a very smooth surface and a great prep for the gold leaf to sit on. Also when doing the chalk or talc clean make sure both sides of the gold knife are used to move the powder so the grease is taken off your knife. The pumice clean is only done once in a while, however the chalk clean is done as a prep step setting up to do gold leaf work. James Brockman and Tracey Rowledge both stress the need for clean sharp gold knives and gold cushions.
I enjoy these kinds of videos as much as your actual binding videos!
They are often easier to make too, but this one wasn't because of the research for the blog post:) Glad you liked it. DAS
Thank you for this video - simple and effective!
Well thank you very much for showing us how to make a Goldcushion ! Exactly what I was locking for!
I REALLY like this technique. I've never seen it before. Lifting and placing with paper vs a brush seems to give you so much more control of the leaf. Keeping it smooth and stable. Being able to prep several pieces at once is amazing.
Is that just standard printer paper?
LOVE, LOVE , LOVE your cushion too 💖
How clever is THAT? Practical as well as pretty.
This is a great video!
Thank you so much for posting it. I can't wait to watch the others.
I use a slightly heavier smooth drawing paper. I think it's 120gsm. The printer paper might be bit too floppy.
@@DASBookbinding
😲 Thank you so much! 😊
This is really helpfull video since I have a difficulties to find availability ove the gilders pad. Now I can figure it out my self on making my own pad. Thank you
I was just looking for where to buy these, but who wants to buy something when you can make it for only 3x the retail price?! :D
Thanks again!!
Hah! The board was a piece of scrap from my off-cut box in the garage. The felt is cheap acrylic felt I stole from my wife. And the leather is a largish off-cut I couldn't use for much except maybe corners. So I thought it was free, or no more expensive than the leaf of gold I messed up staging the photo for the thumb nail:) Take care! DAS
Great video. It's interesting to see other type of gilders techniques. I use a piece of 320 wet and dry sandpaper to sharpen my knife.
Might try recovering my cushion after watching this rather than buy a new one. Thanks R
I thought I had to buy something fancy, but I already have most of the materials at home. Thanks for the tutorial!
Very informative video ❤
Great! I'm going to make mine today! Many thanks for sharing!
Good luck, though you don;t need it for a simple project. Have fun instead! All the best, DAS
Thank you for this video. Could you tell us what weight (GSM) and/or thickness blotter paper you used? Thanks
Great info as always!
Thanks
Japanese gilder's knives are made of bamboo. I haven't tried one though.
Cheers for this. I am looking to get some of the gilding equipment to restore an old writing slope. Be a nice addition to be able to hot tooling with my leatherwork, though a bit left field to my youtube. I am struggling to find the equipment here in Australia, so if you have any recommendations for book binding, gilding, or calligraphy stores, I would be appreciative.
The 23K double gold from www.goldleaf.com.au in Melbourne is good. I use it a lot. They have other tools etc. I make and sell the gold cushion I use in the videos for $60. I'm importing some gilders knives, but might be awhile before I have them. An old faux handled butter knife with parallel sided blade works really well too. Ciao, DAS
Hi there, I've got two questions. Can I use chalk to degrease the leather?
About the leather I'm not sure if I have goat or cow. It's chrome tanned and very thin. On the meat side it's not too long or fluffy. It looks like normal leather on the flesh side. Can I use it, too?
Good question. I've had both talc and pumice recommended and have used both. I assume chalk would absorb oils. I guess my answer is that I don't know. Sorry.
I'd worry the thin leather will be easily cut. It's such a balancing act between having a knife that will cut the gold but not the leather. You don't want to waste gold so I tend to err on the side of being a bit too sharp and as long as the leather is thick and tough enough it will take a bit of abuse.
@@DASBookbinding Thanks for answer =) I added a tiny bit chalk to the pumice. I think that couls work but not too much chalk.
Okay I try it all. It's not too hard to build the pad. Normaly I cut brass and copper. If that works I try a bit of Gold. Thank you!
I have a question, not so much related to this video, but just a little. Its about your "butter knife" you mentioned that you put a super sharp edge on and usually use it for trimming in other videos. I am looking all around for something like that as it would be perfect for my uses, like an oversized lifting knife. but the closest thing i can find are carving knives. What is the manufacturer of your knife?
Anything called "Firth steel" from Sheffield with the parallel sides to the blade.
www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-firth-brearley-sheffield-823301644
can ı ask what is the thickness of leather you used?
It's not really bookbinding leather, even though I do use it for some special cases. It's about 2mm thick. The thicker the better, but still being able to fold over the edges easily and having a nice soft smooth nap.
I see.. so I am preparing to produce over 100 cushions. already prepared woods. but stuck on leather choice. I know I will buy Calf leather but it shoud be thick or thin ? ı mean is there any
standardisation for leather ? as ı got you say the thicker the better. Big thankss
@@DASBookbinding
Wew! That hammer look so nice and useful. Just a thing to ask, how is talc compared to pumice on taking the grease out?
Talc works well too. But I try very hard not to touch or put anything on my gold cushion, so it doesn't get much excess oil and grease on it anyway. But I still clean it ever few times I use it, even if it probably doesn't need it. I'm using pumice on this new cushion because I think it has too much nap and I want to wear it down a bit, and I have pumice. Hope all is well! Darryn
@@DASBookbinding that's great to hear! I already have talc and pumice are a little bit pricey 😅. Thankyou
Whats is the width of wood 20mm?? Big thanks
Thickness? It's standard 19mm pine from Bunnings in Australia.
@@DASBookbindingyes thickness. Thank you.
what do you put under ?
about 8 pieces of blotting paper and some felt.
@@DASBookbinding thank you for information
What about a vegan gold cushion?
I'm sure it's possible.
Great video. Very interesting.
Thank you! DAS