Aluminium leaf (often called imitation silver leaf) is a metal leaf made from pure aluminium that has been hammered into incredibly fine sheets for use in gilding. Aluminium leaf is available in both standard and superior quality and as both loose and transfer leaf.
The transfer aluminium booklets also have 25 leaves but each leaf in the book has been pressed (transferred) firmly to specially treated acid-free tissue paper that is separated by sheets of rouge paper. The leaf will stay adhered to its backing paper when removed from the book making it suitable for outdoor work or any other situation where loose leaf would be unmanageable or at risk of blowing away. To apply the leaf, it is pressed to the sized surface face down before rubbing over the back of the paper to release the leaf down onto the sized surface then peeling away the backing paper to leave the leaf. Transfer leaf is best suited for gilding flat areas and for exterior projects.
Aluminium leaf is non-tarnishing and will only require protection if the gilding is to be touched or handled or is situated in a high traffic area where it is likely to get scuffed or marked. We supply a number of lacquers and varnishes that are suitable for protecting metal leaf. In particular, we recommend Kölner Leaf Protect to protect the leaf from tarnishing, followed by a more hard wearing topcoat.
Aluminium leaf is available in two grades, the Superior grade is manufactured in Italy to the highest standards
Booklets are available in two different sizes - 140 x 140mm (approximately 0.49m2 coverage per booklet) and 95 x 95mm (approx. 0.22m2 coverage per booklet).
- Each booklet contains 25 leaves
