General review
Gold foil adhesive
This adhesive, which belongs to the wet adhesive group, forms a tacky surface upon drying. Despite being water-soluble, it is used in most self-adhesive labels.
Regarding gold leaf, you must first apply the adhesive with a brush or, for large-scale work, with a spray gun (airbrush), spraying it onto the surface. After about 40 minutes, depending on the thickness of the application, the surface becomes sticky.
After this step, you should carefully place the gold leaf onto the adhesive surface without tearing it, then use cotton, a tampon, or a very soft brush—preferably a ball eraser—to press it down so that you end up with a shiny, golden surface.
It should be noted that gold leaf adhesive has a milky color, which, when applied to the intended surface, should be free of white spots and not wet once it has dried. At this stage, the adhesive becomes completely transparent and colorless.
If the gold leaf is applied before it is completely dry, it will oxidize and turn black.
