Five questions about KREUL Primer for metal leaf
01/02/2023 |- KREUL Primer for Leaf Metal
- Ideen für Kreative
What glue do you need to gild with metal leaf?
For this, we have developed KREUL Primer for Metal Leaf. This is available in two consistencies, liquid and pastose. And there's a marker, too. The perfect product for your own gilding project depends on the surface of the object you want to gild.
KREUL Primer - liquid
Our classic primer comes in liquid form and is suitable for absorbent surfaces like wood or concrete. With KREUL Primer, the surface remains visible. The special adhesive is suitable for gilding large areas as you can easily spread it over the area you want to gild with a paintbrush. You can use it to gild relatively fine details with a quill nib. We show you great ideas with KREUL primer for metal leaf here.
KREUL Primer for Leaf Metal - pastose
The adhesive with pastose consistency is perfect for non-absorbent, smooth surfaces. You can use this KREUL primer in pastose consistency to decorate, for example, Christmas baubles or acrylic glass. The viscous adhesive is ideal for gilded structures. You can apply it with a spatula to get 3D effects. You can also use KREUL Primer with pastose consistency for gilding with stencilling or masking techniques. We tell you how you can use KREUL primer in pastose form to create gilded artwork with 3D effects.
KREUL Primer for Leaf Metal - marker
You can best add fine gilding details with our handy marker. For this reason, we have filled a marker with specialist liquid adhesive. The KREUL primer is perfect for gilding lettering, for filigree patterns and working on paper. You can even use it to gild place-cards for weddings, etc. We show you these ideas here.
How long you do you leave KREUL Primer to dry before you can place your metal leaf?
Kreul Primer stays sticky. Even when it's "dry". So you don’t need to rush with placing the beaten metal. To begin with, KREUL Primer looks milky. As soon as it turns transparent and the surface underneath becomes visible, you can start placing the metal leaf. The marker dries very quickly – within 30 seconds, but stays sticky. When you use KREUL Primer, you can usually apply the metal leaf to the surface after around 20 minutes.
How long does KREUL Primer keep after you have opened it?
We can’t give any precise details as how long the primer keeps depends on how the product is stored and whether clean brushes are used. We recommend that you put the lid back on the jar as soon as you have finished gilding and store the jar at room temperature. Even better, store it in a cellar or similar where it is a little cooler and there are no temperature fluctuations. It is important to protect the primer against direct sunlight, so don’t store it at a workplace near a window. Provided KREUL Primer is stored correctly, it keeps a very long time, often even for years. If the usual consistency or smell changes, you can't use it any more.
How do you clean your brushes after you have used them for gilding with KREUL Primer?
Apply liquid KREUL Primer with a soft synthetic brush. After gilding, simply wash the paintbrush with warm water and soap.
You can also apply KREUL Primer in pastose form with a spatula or a palette knife. Use a wet cloth to remove any adhesive residue from these tools.
If you use a nib to gild with the primer, you can clean this after with acetone.
If the tip of the KREUL Primer Marker gets clogged up, you can clean it with white spirit. You can replace clogged tips with
KREUL Replacement Tips.
Does Kreul Primer also prevent the corrosion of gilded objects?
Unfortunately not. The special adhesive for gilding with metal leaf is not a varnish and glue in one product. KREUL Primer is used to stick metal leaf to the surface of an object. Only an additional coat of varnish can protect the gilding against later tarnishing. For this, we have developed KREUL Coating Varnish. You can find tips on KREUL Coating Varnish here.
