Gilder's Balm

$24

Quantity

Finally, a product made by a gilder for gilders to apply lightly to the skin to charge the gilder's tip before picking up the leaf.

Gilder's Balm is handcrafted with 100% natural ingredients and centuries of herbal wisdom. It is formulated specifically for use during the gilding process. Natural and organic plant oils and beeswax are further enhanced with the sacred and symbolic aromatics of frankincense and cedarwood essential oils.

The balm is light and easy to use, and does not leave any sticky residue on the skin.

60g / 2.11.oz recyclable aluminum tin.
Three-year shelf life.

How To Use

Rub fingertips across the surface of the balm and then massage onto the back of your hand, your forearm or face (wherever you prefer to brush the tip against).

Then brush the gilder's tip squirrel-hair brush over the area the balm has been applied to before picking up the leaf.

Reapply as often as necessary.

PS: We have heard of some customers also using it as a natural perfume!

Ingredients

Olea europaea (Olive) oil *, Ricinis communis (Castor) oil* , Cera alba (Beeswax), Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Boswellia carterii (Frankincense) essential oil**, Cedrus Atlantica (Cedarwood) essential oil**.

*Certified organic
** therapeutic grade essential oil

Please note: this product is made with natural ingredients. This can result in slight variations in texture, colour and aroma between batches. The consistency of the balm will respond to changes in temperature.

Shipping

The available shipping service, shipping cost and estimated delivery time is based on your selected location and will be displayed in the checkout. We aim to dispatch all orders within 3-5 Business days.

"This balm works very nicely for anyone needing a helping hand with their gilder’s tip in picking up the leaf. Smells nice too :). 👍"

Charles Douglas, Master Gilder

Alchemy

The art of watergilding is an ancient craft. Over millennia, leaves of gold leaf have been laid down upon clay bole and gesso to create works of extraordinary beauty.

Those of us who have fallen in love with this wonderful artisanal skill slowly discover its mysteries. The ritual of preparing our panels or frames with cloth, rabbit skin glue, layers of gesso, sanding, layers of clay bole… all this is a meditation. This is alchemy.

And then the gilding begins.

We take up our gilder’s tip, the squirrel-hair brush we use to pick up the gold from our suede pad, cut with a gilder’s knife, we know this is a careful and precise art. No room for rushing. Don’t breathe too deep.

The masters of this craft tell us there is benefit in applying a thin layer of balm to our skin: the cheek we lay our brush against. An arm. The back of a hand. We know this helps charge the tip to pick up the leaf.