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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

Click here to join the conversation:

https://heritagebuildings.forum/share

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#Gilding #GoldLeaf #GildingTechniques