Gilt edges (DIY)

Well, I did a fun little project today. I gilded the edges of my decks.

Thought I'd mention it in case anyone else here wants to do it. I know some people really like that effect and most decks don't have it.

I bought some metallic surfacer (brand name: Sophisticated Finishes) from an art supply store. It comes in different colors as well as gold, silver and bronze. It's not expensive either.

You brush it on with a sponge-tipped brush and let it dry (which doesn't even take long).


Easy peasy.

Note: I did keep the windows open (fume protection) and wore disposable gloves. It also says on the bottle to protect your eyes. I wore glasses though it didn't spatter or anything anyway. Better safe than sorry though.

Enjoy!

I have been thinking about how to do the same thing to some decks that I have "trimmed" the borders off of. The only information I could find was for processes that book binders use...not helpful.

Thanks for posting about this! I am anxious to try it!

valeria

That's good to know in case my Golden ever needs it renewed on the edges.

may i ask, did you hold the cards together (as a deck) and paint it like that, or did you do it in small stacks? or the near impossible, individually!?!
and last question, once dried, how did the cards go separating? did they stick together or still fall away from another easily?
thanks
KS

You're all welcome.

I propped each complete deck against a sturdy candle holder (and a couple of times, just held it in my hand). So, I did a whole deck at once.

I did three sides to start, let it dry for a while, then rotated it and did the last side. You can tell very easily if you're missing a spot.

It dried very well. There was some sticking but not a lot - more like in sections. Some individual cards stayed loose the whole time.

(If you're very particular, you might want to put the deck between two sturdy things or hold it in your hand to prevent any tiny bits from getting on the faces of the cards. I don't mind the tiny bit that got on (the edges of the faces of) a few of my cards because, you know... a little sparkly = more magical fun in my eyes. lol

Also, if you see it getting on the face and it's too much for you, you can gently rub it off with a bit of damp paper towel before it dries.

If you've got a steady hand and a lot of patience - and you want that effect - you could actually paint gilt borders on the faces one by one. Wouldn't interest me, but someone might like to do that.)

When it was dry I gently riffled each end of the deck (or each stuck together section of it) with my thumb. Then I laid each card down one by one and counted them to make sure I'd gotten them all apart. They come apart again very easily, so no worries.

It's really just like when you buy a book that has that effect and you can hear certain pages come apart as you turn them. They still come apart really, really easily.

Have fun, everyone who decides to try it!

thanks heaps for this m, i am going to do it on a couple of my decks, as i do love the gilt edges and never thought of doing it myself.
KS

My pleasure.

Have fun!

Lyric said:

That's good to know in case my Golden ever needs it renewed on the edges.

Click to expand...

Amen. I just got this deck and haven't used it but I know it would lose a lot of it's charm if it's edges were lost.

tear tear

tarotreader2007

**PEACE**

This is a very old thread, I know, but I was wondering how Mellifluous's deck wore after gilding and if anyone else has tried this. Also, what product I would need to look for in the UK.

Mellifluous, after a couple of years now, how has your home-gilding job turned out with time and use?