Anyone used Baroque Art Gilders Paste from CSUSA

[Brian Brown]

I got some silver paste, and there are no instructions. Has anybody ever used this and what are your thoughts? I read in some posts here that rub and buff is hard to use, and even harder to remove. How does the BAGP go on, and how well does the excess come off? How do you apply it? Do you put finish like lacquer or shellac on before using the paste or do you put BAGP directly on the raw or dyed wood? Do you lacquer over the top, or does this paste go on after the final finish? If you don't lacquer over the top, does it dry hard? Can or should it be buffed? If buffed, do you use wheels other than normal your normal buffing wheels to avoid contaminating the regular wheels? Sorry, for so many questions, but I would like to have some success right out of the chute.

[Steve Mawson]

Brian,
I rub it in hard with a paper towel. I only leave it in the grain of the wood so it only shows in the grain. I put a light coat of lacquer on before the gilding cream also usually over some dye which makes the color stand out more. Currently I have not buffed any but believe you could, others may have a different suggestion. Hope this helps.

[Bill Bulloch]

We used it in a class with Nick Agar making his Viking Sunset Bowls. Nick applies it with his index finger. He'll rub his thumb and index fingers together until he can see his finger prints through the paste on his index finger. He wants it to go on thin and even.

[John Keeton]

I haven't used BAGP, but I have used Rub'N'Buff and do it similar to Nick Agar. As is nearly any wax, it is responsive to mineral spirits for removal, but only from a smooth surface. Anything that is in the grain or in texturing is difficult, if not impossible, to remove. From the manufacturer - "Formulated from Carnauba waxes, fine metallic powders, and select pigments for a finish no paint can duplicate. Rub onto clean, dry, or previously painted surfaces or on post-fired ceramics with a finger or soft cloth, then gently buff to a beautiful luster." If I was concerned about permanency on the surface, I would consider a sealer coat of lacquer, though that will somewhat dull the luster.

Depending on your application needs, you may want to consider Golden Iridescent Open Acrylics. I have found them to produce a metallic look more pleasing to my taste. Since they are acrylic, they are "permanent." They are not buffed, and are subject to abrasion. So they are applied as a last step. But, since embellished turnings aren't typically handled a lot, I do not consider that a hindrance to their use. I like the look better, and the clean up is easier. It takes very little - only a drop or two on a paper plate, so if you go this route, get the smaller 2 oz. tube. I have the copper, gold and silver and use them often on textured work.

[Dale Miner]

I use it.

Bill Bulloch described how to apply. It is much easier to apply than remove.

For a gilded band on a bowl, it is best to turn the bowl with the band a few thousanths of an inch above the rest of the bowl surface. With the band higher, applying without contaminating the surrounding surface is much easier.

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

John glad to see you've seen the light on using some of the Golden acrylics. I've recommended them for years now.

[Bill Boehme]

I bought several different colors at SWAT after watching one of the Craft Supplies employees demonstrate how he uses it. The ones that I bought were dried out and hard as a brick. It really chapped me. I have used Rub 'n Buff and really love how easy it is to use. I also bought some of the Jimmy Clewes grain fillers and love how it works, but some of the colors were a bit dried out and rather stiff. If I knedw what thinner to use, I could rejuvinate it. The Baroque Art material also has a thinner if I can find a place to buy it.

I have found that I can get a wonderful effect by first rubbing in Rub 'n Buff and then using Chestnut dye on top. After the due is dry, I lightly mist it with alcohol and it produces a beautiful reticulated effect.

[Bill Boehme]

I bought several different colors at SWAT after watching one of the Craft Supplies employees demonstrate how he uses it. The ones that I bought were dried out and hard as a brick.... The Baroque Art material also has a thinner if I can find a place to buy it...

I received a phone call from one of the nice folks at Craft Supplies who saw my post about the problem that I experienced with the Baroque Art Gilder's Paste. He said that if it dries out, it can be rejuvenated with ordinary mineral spirits. Talk about service ... what other business would go to the effort that Craft Supplies did to make me a happy customer?

Anyway, I did it and it worked. The can of patina color was very dry since I had it for more than a year and I was concerned that it might not be able to soak up the mineral spirits. To speed up the process, I used a screwdriver blade to grind up the hard chucks and blend them with the mineral spirits. In the end I had a nice creamy paste, but next time I will be better prepared to do this the right way. One thing that I learned that I should have done is to put a nitrile glove on each hand. So, now I have one blue hand. When the material has dried to the point of being rock hard, be prepared to do this work outdoors or some place where you don't mind getting color stains. My wife DID mind getting blue stains on the granite counter top in the laundry room. Apparently that room is not part of my castle. Things did clean up OK with mineral spirits. I wound up with about 90% of the original contents inside the tin and the rest on my hands and other surrounding things. It's such a pretty shade of blue, I can't understand why Mrs. B. didn't notice that fact.

[Justin Stephen]

I received a phone call from one of the nice folks at Craft Supplies who saw my post about the problem that I experienced with the Baroque Art Gilder's Paste. He said that if it dries out, it can be rejuvenated with ordinary mineral spirits.

So Craft Supplies is monitoring what we are saying right now? Creepy. They are like the NSA of woodturning!

[Brian Brown]

I read on the BAGP site about using thinner to rejuvenate the paste and was going to post it but apparently CSUSA beat me to it. Great customer service is is the typical MO for CS. Any thoughts on whether I need a separate set of buffing wheels to avoid contaminating the wheels I use for ordinary buffing?

[Bill Boehme]

.... Any thoughts on whether I need a separate set of buffing wheels to avoid contaminating the wheels I use for ordinary buffing?

It depends on whether your artistic inclinations are aligned more closely with Malevich or Michelangelo. . Since Abstract Impressionism isn't my cup of tea, I personally wouldn't use a buffing wheel on Baroque Art Gilders Paste. I prefer to put just a very tiny amount on my fingertip to apply it and then if I decided to buff it (which I can't imagine doing), I would carefully use a soft cloth. A buffing wheel would smear the pigment all over the piece. I think that would ruin both the buffing wheel and the piece being buffed.