Customer Reviews

An Introduction to Water Gilding

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(2)
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In the mysterious and rarified world of fine art picture-frame making and gilding, this 37-page book is an important introduction to the art of water gilding, mostly by way of its recipes and techniques as learned and practiced by two sucessful gilders. Difficult-to-find recipes are carefully detailed, even if discussions of technique sometimes left me craving greater detail and specific references to exact photos in the text. The organizational structure and chronological presentation chosen by the authors in their description of the many-stepped processes of gilding and patina-building confused me at times, so I simply reorganized the details in my reference notes to better meet my needs. There is minimal information (other than the pros/cons of various wood species) useful in actually making built-up frames from unfinished wood, plaster or whatever, so you'll have to get that help elsewhere. And, sadly, there is minimal information on sources of the numerous gilding materials and tools you'll need (many of which are unique to gilding, obscure and rearely seen in retail art stores), so you'll have to search the internet on your own - suppliers are out there. Regardless of these minor inconveniences, this is a rare and precious short reference on old-world, difficult-to-find water gilding recipes useful as the basis for initial experimentation or for extending your existing knowledge. If you are new to the art of water gilding, you have just begun your journey with this introductory book, but you will undoubtedly refer back to it over and over as you experiment and learn more from other references and practitioners of the art. For great fun, visit one of the authors shop in Santa Fe, NM where you'll see gilding in action behind the counter.

Purchased this book, looking for a beginer's guide to start waterguilding my own frames. It was NOT an easy step by step instruction book. Authors seem very well versed in subject. But it was not easy for a beginner to follow.

I can deal with the coy jokes scattered within the side-notes. I can handle the briefity of each section. But there are a lot of concepts that the authors just jump right into without explaining what the terms mean or the tools involved. What is "asphaltum"? Don't you think that it should be defined before jumping into an entire section on it? I'm not above looking things up, but I don't think that I should have to supplement an instructional book for beginners.

The authors are kind enough to share recipes; most gilding books list the general ingredients and then encourage you to experiement with your portions to get a working recipe. But, the book seems to create more questions than it provides answers.

This book, or manual (37 8 1/2 x 11 pages), is about as close to observing first hand the process of gilding picture frames with gold leaf you can get without actually attending a watergilding course which are few and far between and expensive. I still would have preferred more detail, even if it risked some repetition. I have several books and manuals on the process, but this addresses important areas in the process more effectively. The book also includes metal leaf gilding in a separate section.

I found this book to follow traditional water guilding processes and be more detailed on finishing than other introductory books I have purchased.

If you are a framer (or a farmer) and are looking for a complet source of information on gilding, this is the book. I have quite a few book (pamphlets?) on the subject and this is by far the best. Clear photos accompany consise text. If I can produce nice results based on these instructions, anyone can. Get it while its in print.