Gilded surfaces

The adhesion of polymers to glass is best if the surface is clean. This becomes a problem when setting up the conservation strategy consolidation before cleaning has to be favoured, for example, if the distinction between dirt and paint is difficult or for gilded surfaces. Cleaning before the application of a polymer is preferred, e.g. when broken pieces need strong joints. 

Dipping, a process also known as flush gilding or wash gilding, was used to coat the surface of objects made of base metals with a thin layer of molten gold. Copper and its alloys were gilded by dipping in pre-Columbian South... 

Budden, S. (ed.) (1991), Gilding and Surface Decoration, UK Institute of Conservation, London. 

Scott, D. A. (1983), Depletion gilding and surface treatment of gold alloys,. Hist. Metallurg. Soc. 17, 99-115. 

The electrochemical replacement of one metal by another was noticed by Pliny in antiquity. He mentioned that iron looks like copper if it is smeared with vinegar or alum previously ground in a bronze mortar [275], Metal replacement seems to have also been used in the Roman era for tin-plating bronze, as well as underlying the recipes for the preparation of iron surfaces to receive amalgam gilding that are given in the 9th century [276],... 

Chemical Gilding.—When metallic surfaces are to be gilded, the gold is applied either in the state of an amalgam, which is termed wash-gilding, or is deposited by chemical affinity from its solution. 

Homogeneity is further complicated in silver objects of art by the frequency with which the surface was decorated with gilded areas. The measured values for gold concentration, therefore, must be carefully assessed to ensure that they are not related to gilding rather than the ore source or refining technique. 

One alternative and analogous technique is to use structured packings instead of random packings to complete the condensation. Another (47) is to use a "fine (i.e., high-surface-area, low-capacity) gild instead of the random packings. 

The objects examined in this study were fabricated from flat sheets of cast and hammered copper partially scooped out to receive the glass frit (cham-pleve process). Firing in air oxidizes the copper surface and fuses and bonds the glass to produce the characteristic enameled surfaces. The objects were gilded over the unenameled copper, as well. These objects are rich in color and in symbolism. 

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