Designs & Signs
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"Glass Gilding"
Glass gilding by Designs & Signs. Gold leaf address numbers on a glass transom above a historical church entry. Designs & Signs practices traditional hand application of genuine gold leaf. Designs & Signs has installed many traditional gold leaf addresse numbers on public buidlings, historical sites, and private residences in Annapolis and Washington, DC. First gold leaf is layered by hand on the interior surface of the glass. The numbers are pounced in reverse onto the gold with paper pattern and charcoal, then painted (backed up) by hand. The shadow is added last, also painted by hand.
Glass gilding at a private residence in Washington, DC. Master Gilder, Brendon Brandon, applies traditional gold leaf by hand. Designs & Signs has gilded many glass transoms in Annapolis and Washington, DC. The gilding process is quite involved, requiring many steps and perfect timing. The gold leaf is applied to the interior surface of the glass. The numbers are then pounced in reverse onto the gold with charcoal and a paper pattern. The numbers are then backed up with black paint by hand. Once dry, a shadow is usually applied to the gold leaf address numbers.
Gold leaf on glass at Cafe Normandie, in the historic district of Annapolis, Maryland. Designs & Signs specializes in glass gilding and offers a wide variety of gold leaf signs and services. At Cafe Normanie the gold leaf was first applied the the interior surface of the glass, and then the letters were screen printed over the gold leaf. Finally once the back up paint is dry, the extra gold (outside of the letters) is genly removed from the glass window with a soft cotton ball. Designs & Signs President, Brendon Brandon, has over forty years gold leaf experience, installing a wide variety of gold leaf signs and gilded letters throughout the mid-atlantic region, and around the world.
Glass gilding at McGarvey’s Saloon in Annapolis, Maryland. This 22kt gold leaf was applied by hand and has remained in excellent condition for many years. First, gold leaf is applied to the interior surface of the glass, two layers of gold leaf (double gold) are always used when glass gilding. The lettering is then screen printed on top of the gold leaf. Once dry, this backup paint protects the gold lettering while the extra gold is gently removed from the glass with a soft cotton ball. Then the outline is applied with a fine lettering brush. Gold leaf on glass is a beautiful way to show off any storefront and unlike vinyl, when cared for properly, it will last a lifetime.
