Specialty Gilding Size

Sepp Leaf Products offers a range of specialty gilding sizes developed for specific materials and applications where traditional oil or water-based sizes may not be suitable. These specialized adhesives allow gilders, restorers, and decorative artists to work on surfaces such as stone, ceramics, paper, leather, and other flexible materials, while achieving reliable adhesion and professional-quality finishes.

Kölner Stone Rapid Size is a specially designed adhesive developed for gilded chiselled, carved, or sand-blasted lettering on stone. It is widely used by monumental masons for gilding letters on headstones, memorials, monuments, and house number plates. The product is applied undiluted in a smooth coat directly onto the stone surface. After approximately 15 minutes of drying time (depending on coating thickness, temperature, and humidity), a second coat may be applied if needed or gilding can begin once the surface is fully dry. Once dry, the surface provides up to eight hours of open time for gilding, making it especially suitable for on-site work. The Rapid system produces a high-quality glossy finish with excellent durability outdoors, often outperforming traditional oil sizes on stone lettering. It is available in Clear and Yellow, with the Yellow version providing an ideal undercoat beneath gold leaf. This system is intended specifically for lettering applications; for gilding larger surfaces the Kölner Instacoll system is recommended. When working on horizontal or laying stones, longer drying times may be necessary because rainwater can collect in recessed lettering, potentially increasing weathering compared to lettering on vertical surfaces.

Kölner Ceramic Size (KT-5) is a gilding adhesive designed for small areas on ceramics and porcelain. It is particularly useful for repairing damaged gilding on decorative objects such as plates, jugs, cups, and other porcelain items, allowing restorers to reapply gold leaf to worn or damaged areas while maintaining a high-gloss finish.

The Kölner Miniatum system is designed for mirror-gloss gilding on paper, leather, and other flexible surfaces. This system is widely used for manuscript illumination, calligraphy, lettering, and decorative gilding on flexible materials. Miniatum sizes are easy to handle: the adhesive is applied to the surface, allowed to dry, and gilding can be performed within the next 24 hours using either loose or patent gold or silver leaf.

Miniatum Clear Paper Size provides a transparent adhesive layer suitable for mirror-gloss gilding on paper and similar surfaces. Miniatum Yellow Paper Size offers a similar adhesive system but with a yellow tone that can enhance the warmth of gold leaf. Miniatum Ink is designed as a complementary product to the Miniatum system, allowing fine lines to be drawn using calligraphy or drawing instruments which can then be gilded with gold or silver leaf. After application and burnishing with cotton wool, the finished metal surface can achieve a mirror-like shine.

These specialty sizes provide professional gilders and decorative artists with highly specialized solutions for challenging surfaces and unique gilding techniques, expanding the possibilities of metal leaf application beyond traditional gilding methods.