You have to hand it to Daler Rowney for coming up with a brilliant name for their new gilding paste. For those of you who remember Sean Connery and the Goldfinger movie the link will be particularly appealing. But Daler Rowney have made Goldfinger the hero this time and rightly so. For the first time, I actually look forward to gilding. Let us take a closer look at this useful product.

Goodbye Gold Leaf

If you have worked with gold leaf foil you will know how frustrating it is to deal with. Time-consuming and expensive too. My attempts to add gold leaf to my picture frames all ended in tears. So when I got my eager mitts onto a tube of Goldfinger paste I was hoping for the best. As you will see from the evidence the results are excellent. No more gold leaf foil nightmares.

What is Goldfinger?

It is a metallic paste that resembles fine gold leaf particles held together with a binder. You simply smooth the paste over the surface you want gilded. It goes on easily and covers well. One coat is usually enough. Once the coat has dried after several hours you can buff it lightly with a soft cloth. The final touch is a coat of varnish made for the job by Daler Rowney. A thoroughly professional-looking job can be achieved by a beginner. What is not to like?

Different Colours and Uses

There are a variety of gold shades including Green Gold, Sovereign Gold and my favourite, Antique Gold. There is also silver and copper to choose from. The 22ml tubes go a long way, but I use it for small areas, such as the inner moulding of a frame. You could gild an entire frame very reasonably for a special painting and very quickly too.

The paste can be used on many surfaces such as furniture, wood, leather, paper and more depending on your imagination. My mind turns to medieval iconography and illuminated manuscripts for example.

Ease of Use

The paste can be applied with a brush, a cloth or even your finger. You may want to wear a latex glove as there is a possibility of skin irritation. I found the paste cleaned off easily with soapy water. As always preparation makes for an easier job so masking tape is required for precise lines. Peel off the tape while the paste is still wet to prevent any damage later when you lift off the tape.

Overall a simple product to use and quick results can be achieved. I am sure you will find many projects that can benefit from a touch of Goldfinger.

Watch the video demonstration and try it out for yourself.