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Welcome to the Heritage Buildings Podcast!
In this episode, Vincent Reed sits down with Nigel Castell, an experienced gilder and antique restoration specialist, to explore the traditional craft of water gilding and gold leaf application.
Nigel shares his journey into antique restoration at just 17 and explains how he learned traditional gilding skills through hands-on, bench-based training. He takes us through the complete water gilding process, from preparing wood and applying rabbit skin size and gesso, to sanding, gesso cutting, preparing clay bole, laying gold leaf, and finally burnishing with agate stones.
The conversation also explores the differences between water gilding and oil gilding, the tools and materials used by traditional gilders, the challenges of working with gold leaf, and why these specialist craftsmanship skills are becoming increasingly rare.
Topics covered include:
• Nigel's journey into antique restoration and traditional gilding
• Learning gilding techniques at the bench
• Preparing wood, gesso, and rabbit skin size
• Gesso application, sanding, and cutting
• Yellow ochre and traditional clay bole
• Preparing and applying gold leaf
• Traditional gilding tools and techniques
• Water gilding vs oil gilding
• Repairing and gilding carved decorative details
• Burnishing gold with agate stones
• The time, skill, and cost involved in traditional gilding
• Preserving traditional craftsmanship and heritage skills
Whether you're a gilder, conservator, antique restorer, architect, heritage professional, or simply interested in traditional craftsmanship, this episode offers a fascinating insight into the techniques and expertise behind traditional water gilding, gold leaf, and historic restoration.
Below is a more detailed breakdown of the video with relevant timestamps
(Click the time on the left to jump straight to that section)
00:00 Podcast Welcome
01:17 Meet Nigel Castell
01:47 How He Started
04:37 Learning at the Bench
08:41 Gilding Process Overview
09:41 Cleaning and Prep
10:58 Rabbit Skin Size Basics
14:31 Thin White Primer
17:36 Hot Gesso Application
28:45 Coats and Period Styles
33:59 Sanding and Gesso Cutting
35:52 Puttying and Abrasives
38:46 Wet Sanding Gesso
40:21 Matte Finish for Gilding
42:35 Sealing Coat Yellow Ochre
44:22 Matching Period Yellows
48:54 Bole and Clay Basics
52:26 Applying Gold Size Coats
59:34 Sanding and Buffing Bole
01:04:25 Water vs Oil Gilding
01:12:51 Proper Gold Leaf Handling
01:15:42 Gold Leaf Book Basics
01:17:37 Gilding Cushion Setup
01:18:39 Gilding Knife Cutting
01:20:06 Handheld Tool Workflow
01:23:44 Wetting and Laying Gold
01:29:28 Overlaps and Fault Repairs
01:30:21 Gilding Carved Details
01:32:25 Costs and Time Reality
01:33:12 Burnishing with Agate
01:41:19 Craft Preservation Wrap-Up
Connect with Nigel Castell using the links below:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigel-castell-82a82a337/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butler_and_castell_restoration/
https://www.instagram.com/reepham_antiques/
Website: www.butlerandcasstell.co.uk
🔗 Learn more about the Heritage Buildings Association
https://heritagebuildingsassociation.com
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https://heritagebuildings.forum/share
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#Gilding #GoldLeaf #GildingTechniques
