GoldenMasterFactory: What is gold leaf?
Material Archives -
01. Material Overview
Gold foil is a traditional Chinese handicraft, crafted through countless hammering processes. Gold foil is stable, resists fading, oxidation, moisture, corrosion, mildew, insect bites, and radiation, and has a wide range of uses.
One gram of gold can be beaten into 50 sheets of 9.33 x 9.33 cm gold foil. Through a specialized processing process involving over ten steps, including chemical cleaning, hammering, and foil cutting, the foil achieves a golden luster, a lustrous, soft texture, and is as light as a feather and as thin as a cicada's wing, with a thickness of less than 0.12 microns.
Gold foil production technology has developed significantly since the reform and opening-up era. Modern gold foil artists have combined traditional techniques with modern technology, allowing traditional gold foil forging techniques to flourish in the architectural decoration industry and providing greater opportunities for development.
02. Material Properties and Characteristics
Gold leaf, meticulously crafted using traditional methods and advanced techniques, is widely used in architecture, particularly in buildings and gardens. It has also been used in the restoration and construction of renowned modern structures such as the Palace of Versailles in France, the Kremlin in Russia, Buckingham Palace in the UK, the Royal Palace in Thailand, and the White House in the US.
1) Excellent Visual Effect: It easily creates rich textures, varied textures, multi-layered atmospheres, and diverse color combinations.
2) Excellent Performance: It exhibits excellent weather resistance, fire resistance, acid and alkali resistance, pollution resistance, and is odorless.
3) Mass Production: Compared to traditional manual labor, gold leaf has now been mechanized in factories, enabling mass production to meet the demands of the decorative market.
4) Versatile Applications: In addition to decorative applications in the architectural industry, gold and silver leaf are also used for gilding Buddhist statues, making printing ink, and ink pads, and even medicinal applications.
03. Processing and Classification
Gold foil is made by mechanically stretching a block of gold uniformly into a thin sheet. This sheet is then cut and trimmed into squares, known as straight-draw foil. Squares formed by splicing together are called patchwork foil.
In addition to gold foil made from real gold and silver, there are also imitation gold foils available on the market, including pure gold, copper, aluminum, and Taiwan gold.
In terms of raw materials, gold foil factories, based on gold foil forging techniques, use other metals and alloys as raw materials to produce copper, silver, aluminum, and other alloy foils. Because alloy metals are less ductile than gold, the emergence of these foil products demonstrates that gold foil production technology has achieved a balance between ductility and brittleness, representing a major advancement in modern gold foil forging techniques.
05. Construction and Installation
1) Cleaning the Workpiece: First, sand the areas to be gilded. If spraying is required for wooden workpieces, apply a coat of primer. Allow the primer to dry before sanding again.
2) Gluing: Apply a thin layer of "WTB Water-Based Gold Foil Glue" or "Oil-Based Glue TP-2 or TP-9" to the areas to be gilded. This can be sprayed with a spray gun, applying at least two coats. If applied manually, be careful to check for any missed areas.
3) Foil Application: Allow the glue to dry slightly (Tip): Water-based glue can be sprayed with a hair dryer, aiming at the areas to be gilded. Water-based glue evaporates quickly, allowing for quicker work.
4) Checking for Leaks: Inspect the surface of the gilded workpiece. If any missed areas are found, repair them directly with gold foil.
5) Polishing: After checking for any missed areas, use a soft wool brush to rub the gold foil surface to remove any traces of connection between the leaves, thereby enhancing the shine.
6) Apply protective oil: Spray a layer of protective oil on the gold foil surface 24 hours after the foil is applied. It is recommended to use a special foil protective oil, which can be sprayed or brushed.
