Great job. In automotive paint stripping, we cover the stripper in plastic sheet and rub it into the stripper. Trapping the fumes under the plastic speeds up the reaction of the stripper and when you remove the plastic a large amount of the paint comes off with it. This also keeps the stripper from drying out so fast. We are working on large flat panels most of the time, but could be worth a try here.
The paint stripper will eat into the compo decoration and destroy it. So you have to be careful how long you leave it on for. The gesso also doesn't want a lot of liquid on it because it's hygroscopic. So you need to get the paint stripper on then get it off.
Yes. It may, but in my experience the paint stripper is on the work for a shorter period of time. It reacts faster and is removed faster. In your case because of the tricky little shapes the plastic would most likely leave alot of softened paint and stripper in the hollows. Still it could be worth a try on a small area. In any case thanks for sharing your knowledge its interesting work you do.
Excellent work Ruth. Surprised it only took ten hours. Nitromours is so weak nowadays compared with the product of fifty years ago. Preparation is where many people fail. It's a massive skill set to have the pragmatism and patience, plus the mind set that if this is wrong it will all be wrong. Just hand stripped a Norton motor cycle tank dispite advice to have it blasted. Have a good week 👽
Great vid. I like the stripped look with the bole showing - it’s just old & so authentic. Amazing transformation so far. I hope there might be a part 2 if we’re lucky!!
Just a quick tip if anyone is interested (Hope you don't mind Ruth). I picked up a set of old dentist tools at a local auction - surgical grade stainless steel. They have been brilliant at picking out all the tiny bits of paint etc from details and I seem to do less damage using them than with a fine scalpel.
Será de mucho interés ver como resuelve la restauración completa del marco. Sus vidios son muy didácticos y de un nivel tecnico alto para los iniciados en el arte del dorado. Gracias por su generosidad de compartir públicamente sus conocimientos y experiencias en el arte del dorado.
I was recently gifted a lovely gilt framed mirror from ~1835. At some point, it apparently fell off the wall, and was repaired poorly. The whole frame has oxidized gold paint thickly covering the finer details. I may try to strip it, but I’m terrified of ruining it. For the short-term, I think I’m going to use water soluble colored waxes to improve the contrast of the details. But eventually, I need to do it properly. Thank you for this great guide!!
Wow, nice finish, but what a long time. The new strippers must be fairly weak without the dichloromethane. I haven't done much restoration the last 10 years and still using my old supplies of stripper. Did about 30 years of gilding and restoration of mirrors and furniture. Would have had that frame done in three hours maximum. I know what you mean about dry stripping though, very satisfying work if it's a giltwood beauty underneath.
Hi Ruth, I'm so happy to have found your channel, it's a wealth of information!! You mentioned books for learning, what books would you recommend? I've done both water and oil gilding on new frames but I'm just now learning to restore as I have many old frames but don't really know what to do. What books would you recommend?
Thanks. There aren't many restoration books, lots of gilding books. But there is a nice one called Gilding at Versailles. One day I'll find time to write a gilding and restoration book. ( only been saying that for the past 10 years! 🙄)
such incredibly detailed videos Thank you in the US, i can only find water/based paint strippers. Do you have any suggestions from removing or finding non water-based strippers? you have inspired me to learn water gilding as the last gig in my life-i am 73. Thank you.
The paint stripper should say paint and varnish remover. Acetone can remove some paint. Hope you enjoy learning. If you want to do a class over there Charles Douglas is good. www.gildingstudio.com/
Outstanding Ruth! All right then, I'm inspired, have quite an ornate (gilded?) picture frame I should get cracking on. Methylated spirts aka denatured alcohol here in the US, learn something every day. Is the non toxic product 'Peel Away' light duty version paint stripper available in the UK? A paste that's applied then covered with paper to work for some time, a lot will be clinging to the paper as it's removed. Great for flat areas a general first pass, details bits and nooks will still need work.
Thanks for watching. I'm just filming a full restoration video of a picture frame at the moment for youtube. In that I explain why you can't use any thing like that peel away. It eats the compo.
The early frames use to be fully water gilded, then around late Georgian period you start to get a mix of oil and water gilding. The burnished water gilding usually on the high parts and the rest the matt oil gilding. This gives a contrast to the frame. Oil gilding is easier to get the gold in details decoration than water gilding.
Thank you so much for these videos! What is the active chemical ingredient in your paint stripper? In the US most newer "safe" strippers won't touch old gold paint.. They only make it sticky
@@RuthTappinGilder thank you! That's all I needed.. I assumed you must be usuing something fairly strong. In the US that would be considered one of the "dangerous" old fashioned strippers that you can't get at most regular hardware stores anymore.. (They are still available here though, now they're just labeled as "professional grade")
Why would you have water and oil gilding on the same piece? Is it because of the intricate details or is it just for design reasons. Love your channel! I'm watching all of them.
Glad your enjoying the channel thanks for watching. On gilded frames the high points are normally water gilded and burnished the rest is oil gilded. This gives a contrast and it's quicker to oil gild decoration. The very high end frames and the frames from Georgian period would be fully water gilded.
I used it for things like the repair on the weathervane, where it's painted over before gilding. But you can't use it under bole. I sometimes sculpt missing decoration with it, then take a mould, remove the milliput and replace with compo.
Hello Ruth, I love your videos and your gilding compo was a life saver for me. My only problem is I live in France and it is impossible to find methylated spirit! Is there an alternative to meths? I am trying to restore a Louis XV mirror and want to take it back to the original bole so as to know what gilding is required. Thanks again for your knowledge sharing.
Hi, meths is denatured alcohol so try isoproanol alcohol or rubbing alcohol. That should work, just more expensive. Good luck. Love working on French frames. The 'yellow' oil gilding parts are often a cream clolur on French frames.
You mentioned that the places with yellow bole are oil gilded, and the places with other colours (pink and black) are water gilded. Is there any reason behind that - or just because "thats the way it is"? Or do those colours of bole have a specific use or purpose? Are there many other colours of bole out there?
So yellow helps if there are any tiny splits in the gold. But it's not a good clay to burnish, so just for oil gilding. The water gilding colours change for different countries. Britain also changed 3 times with time periods from orange/red to purple to the Victorian pink and black that is on this Victorian frame.
@@RuthTappinGilder thanks! I am really tempted to give water gilding a go, it looks like a very mindful activity. I think I've seen you use black bole as well - does that have a specific "use"? Or is it all just preference
@@AUSPetrol because I'm restoring frames I want to be true to the original colour. But red is probably the nicest colour under water gilding. That's a French and American colour.
@@RuthTappinGilder thank you so much! 😊 I love that you're so happy to share your incredible talents to those who are interested. It's nice to see, as a lot of niche skills are beginning to be lost to the ages. Thank you so much 😊
Great video, really needed the info... Do you have a brand you use for your Water neutralizing stripper? I can't find anything like that it in the United States
Hi, thanks 😁 The stripper in the UK would be Nitromors, sorry don't know what the equivalent would be for you. You normally get either water or spirit neutralizing paint stripper it should say on the container.
Oil gilding is easier to do, it gives a matt finish. It can be used outside. The water gilding is harder to learn but can be burnished to give a mirror finish.
@@RuthTappinGilder tried it last weekend, didn't really do much other than loosen the paint into stringy bits but not off the job, worked a treat on the last coat/ meth wash though. Just had my overalls and face shield on with my hood up wasn't too bad ppe wise
