Gold Leaf Tutorial

     One of the most striking features of a custom paint job is most certainly gold leaf. I am constantly asked how it is I do it. To be honest it is a pretty common trick and nearly every custom painter has his or her own way of doing it. It has been around since before medieval times, and examples can be seen on everything from cathedrals to edgings on paper. It has applications in the sign painting industry, fine art, custom paint, and the craft industries.

    There are very many different way of applying gold leaf. In this tutorial I will explain it the Root Bros. way. We learned from the best and have spent over 7 years perfecting it.

 

In this tutorial we will be demonstrating on the hood sides of the Spirit of Sayler park. The first step is to layout the lettering or the area you will be gilding. We use a Stabilo pencil.

The second step is to apply the Size. Size is an adhesive that is used to bond the gold leaf to the surface. We usually add a bit of gold colored enamel sign paint to the size to tint it so if the leaf nicks or scratches it won't be so noticeable.

 



to ensure the leaf will stick good we leave the size to "tac up" for nearly 6 hours. At this point you can test it by toucking the size with the back side of your knuckle. It should leave no prints. then you can very carefully apply the leaf. Some leaf has two sides so make sure you apply them all the same side up.

 



 

Once the leaf is applied you can brush off the excess very carefully with either your hand or a velvet cloth.



We then added a black outline and a slight drop shadow.

 

If  gold leaf is left exposed to oxygen it will quickly tarnish. It is important to coat it with a clear coat. We always spray multiple coats of urethane clear coat over the entire piece to ensure a smooth glossy finish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome Race Fans

       Welcome to the new Root Bros. blog! This page will be a great place for us to showcase some of our designs, builds, and paint jobs. Along with ongoing discussions pertaining to HOT RODS, VINTAGE RACE CARS, and VINTAGE MOTORCYCLES. My brother David Root and I have been painting hot rods and race cars since we were 10 years old, beginning with the restoration of our 1958 Mantz ¼ midget that our father Andy helped us complete. Since then we have painted everything from custom bicycles to Top Fuel drag cars.

      Some of our more creditable work can be seen on the vintage INDECISION A/FX, Spirit of Sayler Park sprint car, and the Push and Cane Top Gas dragster. Throughout our lives my brother David and I have been obsessed with racing. Growing up in Southern Indiana my brother and I were lucky enough to get to experience the greatest racing in the world! From watching sprint cars battle it out every Saturday night on the local 3/8 mile dirt oval to watching John Force pedal an uncontrollable nitro burning Funny Car down a ¼ mile at Indianapolis Raceway Park we’ve seen some of the most adrenalin pumping action that racing has to offer.

      My brother and my goal has always been to create INOVATIVE and ENERGETIC new designs that appeal to racers and hot rodders for generations to come. Thanks for stopping by and checking out our page. And stay tuned for more ACTION!


David and I built this bike for the 2014 Cincinnati Cavalcade of Custom's Pinstripers Panel Jam. It auctioned off for $3,000. All proceeds benefited The Cincinnati Shriners Hospital

We painted this 1950's Hillegass sprintcar, the Spirit of Sayler Park, in memory of the Soudrette racing family