Toning Gold Leaf with Japan Paints

To tone down the brilliance of 23 karat gold leaf try using a glaze of Japan earth-tone paints...

Real 23 karat gold has a brilliant finish. So brilliant, that the sparkle from its glittering surface can easily overpower the subtle details of an exquisitely sculptured picture frame or carving.  In fact, the shine of real gold can be downright garish.

To dial down the brilliance of gold, gilders have developed numerous formulations for toning the surface. Sign makers from earlier eras often used thinned asphaltum for shading a gilded surface. Washes of milk paint or the application of colored waxes can also alter the hue of gold leaf. Toning has other benefits, too. It can accentuate contrast between the highlight and shadow areas. In addition, the application of glazes is an effective antiquing technique.

To tone down the brilliance of 23 karat gold leaf,  a glaze of  earth-tone Japan paints mixed with quick rubbing varnish was used. The mixture was thinned with  turpentine. This picture shows the appearance of this Antebellum Era carving  before and after  the antiquing  glaze was applied.

In the above photo, I used a glaze of  earth-tone Japan paint and quick rubbing varnish, thinned with turpentine to give this gilded Antebellum Era carving an aged appearance. After applying the toning mixture to the surface, the excess was wiped off of the high points, leaving a heavier deposit of the glaze in the recessed areas of the carving. Using a fine tip brush, additional glaze was applied to darken the shadow areas of the piece. 

Additional Gilding Articles

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Water Size Recipe for Glass Gilding

Two Tone Glass Gilding

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Toning Gilded Surfaces with Milk Paint

Update on Society of Gilders Charity Project 2012

Gorilla Glue Gilding

About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 325 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.

© 2015 Jim Hingst