I have purchased a small packet of the Metal leaf composition. I want to cut out various small fish designs, etc.

Has anyone used this type material before? Will it fade out in direct sunlight over time?

This material is thinner than tracing paper. It will easily conform to the shape of the rod without a problem.

My main concern is the durability in sunlight. It does cut with precision using an exacto knife with a piece of 110 weight paper underneath.

Thank you,

Capt. Marvin Engel

The real thin gold leafing material can only be handled by a real expert. It is used by the Lyon Healy harp company in Chicago to apply to musican instruments. It is never touched - they brush a horse hair brush through their beard to place a charge on it and the leaf sheet jumps to the brush surface. They then place it on the surface directly from the brush surface onto "white glue" and buff it out. It is a noble surface and will take sunlight and time without tarnishing. They will ask you to take your fingers and try to remove a small piece from the brush and it just goes poof and completely dissapears. All this work is done in a closed room with no air currents. If you are going to order some gold sheet for leafing you need to be sure of the thickness and if it can be handled or not.

I feel roofing tin is more appropriate for my building skills and customer base!

Gon Fishn

Bill,
This material I purchased at Michael's craft store down here in South Texas. It can be handled. It comes in 5-1/4" square sheets separated by thin paper. I have touched it and it is thick enough. I believe it is normally used to wrap ornaments to make them stand out. This material is just a little thinner than tracing paper. I can cut it to desired shapes, but only with a new exacto knife blade. The used blades do not work well at all. The material you are talking about, I have never heard of. It would not be able to work with something that delicate. I appreciate the information you provided.
Thank you,
Capt. Marvin Engel

Marvin,
If the material you bought is in fact gold leaf then you do not need to worry about how sun light will affect it. Gold is the noble metal and will not react with many things and sun light is not one of them. In fact, if I remember correctly there are only a couple of acids that it will react with. The gold leaf you use will be the only thing left after your wraps the epoxy you use and the graphite underneath it as well as you and I have all returned to dust. Seriously, think about how non-reactive your gold ring is.
However, If it is the gold leaf that I am familiar with it is only a couple of molecules thick and as Bill says it is very difficult to work with.

True 24k Gold Leaf is sold in the better art supply stores which are strong on materials for fine artists. I used to work in one such store in Manhattan. The leaf was sold in a "Book" of 40 sheets divided by tissue paper. There are 40 books in a box. For many years a book of 20 pages cost $20.00 and suddenly the price skyrocketed. I have not priced it lately but the last price I recall was $120. per book. Each box of 400 sheets (4"x4") contained a brush for this work called a "Comb"; about 2 1/2" wide with only one or two row of hairs. The bristles are very soft (Ox Hair ?) and stand about 2" tall.

The application process takes some practice but it is certainly within the learning capacity of most rod builders. The glue used is called Gold Sizing. It is a thin liquid painted in the place you want the gold leaf to adhere. The leaf is lifted with the Comb from the front, or shiny, side. The static electricity attracts the gold to the brush. Then you transfer it to the area where the sizing is. By placing a larger piece of gold leaf over the area you have "sized" the gold leaf will only stick to the sizing. The ideal application would be one single piece of leaf covering all the sizing. The leaf will only stick to the sizing. The tricky part is to spread the ultra thin sheet or piece of Gold leaf onto the sizing with no folds. This is the delicate part. The idea is to just touch the center of the Gold Leaf to the sizing and use the soft brush to gently lay out the rest of the gold evenly (from the center like with a waterslide decal). It takes a very soft touch. No breezes please. A wrist support is very helpful for this operation. You can also apply the Gold Leaf in small pieces until all the sizing is covered. Any excess will brush off easily. The process is not complete until you burnish the Gold Leaf gently to bring out an even shine and blend any edges into one another. Gold is very malleable so it is not difficult to even out the leaf. Then a protective layer of varnish or, for our purposes, Rod Finish is appied and you will have a beautiful Gold area that, as Emory wisely instructs, will last a literal lifetime at least!

Real Silver and Copper are also available. The Copper is the easiest to use as it is a thicker sheet and much less expensive than the more precious metals.

Then there are the artificial sheets. These are much thicker and therefore much easier to apply. They are similar in thickness to a waterslide decal but still require a good deal of care. Much easier than using real Gold Leaf,, but then they are much less attractive than the real thing.
They probably cost about 1/50th the price as real Gold Leaf. The comb brush and sizing are still the best way to adhere them.

Hope that is helpful information.

Dave

I appreciate the information everyone has sent. I just wanted to add a little something different on some of my rods I build.

Thank you,
Capt. Marvin Engel

I failed to note that a "Pounce" brush is the preferred tool for clearing away the excess gold leaf. It is simply a round brush with a flat face... like the front of a hammer. The hair is soft. One simply taps it onto the applied leaf and whatever has not adhered to the sizing will flake off easily.