[HBP#38] - Nigel Castell - Traditional Gilding: The Art of Gold Leaf

🎙️ You can also access the full Audio version of this Podcast by searching for 'Heritage Buildings Podcast' on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, PocketCasts, and your favourite podcast apps.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 skillsWhether 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 Welcome01:17 Meet Nigel Castell01:47 How He Started04:37 Learning at the Bench08:41 Gilding Process Overview09:41 Cleaning and Prep10:58 Rabbit Skin Size Basics14:31 Thin White Primer17:36 Hot Gesso Application28:45 Coats and Period Styles33:59 Sanding and Gesso Cutting35:52 Puttying and Abrasives38:46 Wet Sanding Gesso40:21 Matte Finish for Gilding42:35 Sealing Coat Yellow Ochre44:22 Matching Period Yellows48:54 Bole and Clay Basics52:26 Applying Gold Size Coats59:34 Sanding and Buffing Bole01:04:25 Water vs Oil Gilding01:12:51 Proper Gold Leaf Handling01:15:42 Gold Leaf Book Basics01:17:37 Gilding Cushion Setup01:18:39 Gilding Knife Cutting01:20:06 Handheld Tool Workflow01:23:44 Wetting and Laying Gold01:29:28 Overlaps and Fault Repairs01:30:21 Gilding Carved Details01:32:25 Costs and Time Reality01:33:12 Burnishing with Agate01:41:19 Craft Preservation Wrap-UpConnect 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 Associationhttps://heritagebuildingsassociation.comClick here to join the conversation:https://heritagebuildings.forum/share👉 Don't forget to like, subscribe, and share this video to support the heritage buildings community!#Gilding #GoldLeaf #GildingTechniques