sintered metal-Process And Finishing Touches

Gilding， or metasintered metall leaf application， is an old technique used to decorate items， walls and even buildings using an extremely thin sheet of metal。 While it has popularly revolved around metals such as gold and silver， other metals such as copper and aluminium are also commonly used to make leaf。

The process however is similar across most kinds of metal leaf。 Keep in mind oxidative properties of the metal， though。 Taking care of the gilded surface and keeping it away from excess moisture should usually help inpowder metal maintaining the metal finish over a long time。

The process of gilding usually includes:

Step 1: Preparing the object， depending on the material it is made of: metal， plastic， wood or glass
Step 2: Application of the adhesive or size， and laying the metal leaf
Step 3: Correcting mistakes or glitches
Step 4: Cleaning and finishing the product

Preparation: The type of surface to be gilded dictates the preparation needed。 In case of a metal surface， a primer needs to be applied to ensure that the metal leaf bonds completely and fully。 In case the surface to be gilded with the metal leaf is made of wood or plaster， it needs to be coated with a sealant to preventsintered metal the adhesive or size from being soaked in。 The sealant also helps in providing a smooth tone to the surface。 A plastic surface would normally not need any preparation beyond cleaning it thoroughly to remove dust。 A paint of the final colour desired may be put on if required。

Application of the adhesive and laying the metal leaf: The size， as gilding adhesives are known as， can be oil-based or synthetic。 It needs to be applied evenly on the prepared surface。 Care needs to be taken to ensure that the coat is not thick as otherwise it result in patchy orpowder metal an uneven finish。 Also， thick coats of the adhesive can cause air pockets to form， leading to the metal leaf not bonding securely at that particular point。 After application of the size， time needs to be given for it to dry。 Ideally， follow instructions of the size manufacturer。

The application of the metal leaf can then be started。 Ensure that the leaf is first cut to the proper size if the surface to be gilded is small。 For larger surfaces， a number of metal leaf pages may be required。 The actual placing of the metal leaf on the surface should be started from one end of the object and should proceed slowly ensuring that the leaf laid is smoothly evened out all over。 This is a complicated process and care needs to be taken。

Fixing faults: If the metal leaf is not cut to the proper size， there may be an over-hang at the end。 While the over-hang/extra leaf can be carefully cut off， the open gap/s left in the object due to the leaf not getting folded properly or it being cut short can be filled in by pressing small pieces of the leaf into the spots。 Running a wooden roller softly over the metal leaf laid will help consolidating it in place。

Cleaning and Finishing the product: The final cleaning of the product can be done by softly brushing and cleaning the metal laid， using cotton roll or lint free cloth。