5 Tips on Buying Gold Leaf Supplies
Table of Contents
Tip One
Decide where you want to buy your supplies. When you begin making purchases of your Gold Leaf Supplies, there are a few principles you will want to keep in mind. Depending upon where you do your shopping for your creative art supplies, the value, as well as the prices, may vary. Price variation between stores is understandable depending upon how large the outlet is from which you are buying and how much stock they can keep in stock. You also may want to keep in mind both online stores as well as walk-in arts and crafts stores. Some walk-in stores also have an online store, and the prices from the online and walk inside of the business may vary greatly since many online companies prefer customers purchasing their online inventory. If you are a teacher and have hundreds of students, you may want to keep your purchases at first to imitation gold leaf for your initial projects. A sheet of imitation gold leaf can be purchased from $0.10-0.30 per sheet. A layer of real gold leaf will cost you $8-10 per sheet.
Tip Two
Understand the kind of Gold Leaf you are purchasing before you purchase your supplies. Several companies distinguish between their Gold Leaf. For hobbyists who want to have the glamor of using Golf Leaf but without having to spend the cost of real golf, leaf companies manufacture a simple Gold Leaf sheet. A Simple Gold Leaf sheet came come in various packages of 18-25 and sheets measuring 5″X5″, 8″X8″, or 8.5″ X 11.” Of course, the more expensive the sheet, the less pure will be the gold leaf sheet.
Tip Three
Purchase only what you need. To purchase only what you need, you will need to do your calculations and estimates. Depending upon what object you will be covering or decorating will dictate what amount of gold leaf (real gold leaf)or imitation gold leaf (composite gold leaf) you will use for your project. If you are planning to purchase enough Gold Leaf to cover an 8″ X 11″ photo of your wedding anniversary picture then you can expect to use at least one sheet of 8″ X 11″ gold leaf for the back of the photo and at least 2 X (2″ X 11″) and 2 (2″ X 8″) to cover the frame of the front side of your photo. You are estimating two complete 8″ X 11″ sheets for your entire project.
Using Two Types of Gold Leaf in a Project
Decide whether you want to use real Gold Leaf on both sides. Again, decide if you want a combination of real and imitation gold leaf. Your choices at this point in your project will allow you to keep from spending more than you need for your project. By spending time before you buy your gold leaf, you know exactly what you need and will nor over purchase for your project. Each project will have dimensions like the above measurements, and by spending 15 minutes making measurements will allow you to make the best purchases for your project.
Tip Four
Decide how you plan on applying your gold supplies. Manufacturers understand that there is a certain amount of labor that applying gold leaf to an object. So they manufacture gold leaf in two ways to give DIY hobbyists a choice between the method of applying Gold Leaf. Genuine Metal Leaf and Simple Leaf are two formats Gold Leaf is manufactured. Both kinds of metal leaves come in small sheets, but the application process is different.
Methods of Application
The first method of application for Genuine Gold Leaf is manufactured to decorate your chosen object like wallpaper is applied by applying a glue-like substance to the object, then gently placing the Gold Leaf on the object until the object is filled. The Simple Leaf is applied by simply placing the simple leaf sheet face down on the surface of what is being decorated, press lightly as if you were applying a decal, and lift the sheet from the surface while the simple leaf remains on the surface of the decorated object. The first method is different from the second, while the second method applies with much less effort.
Tip Five
Take time to apply a sealer to whatever method you use to administer your Gold Leaf or Imitation Gold Leaf. Using the sealing method that is recommended by the type of Gold Leaf you have purchased will work best. Almost every manufacturer has their own recommended sealers for their products. Their unique sealers offer the best sealing method for the chosen Gold Leaf chosen. By applying a sealer, you will create a sealer to your artwork and preserving it.
