About Gold Mirrors
 Translucent Gold |
 Angel Gilding |
Pure gold mirrors are translucent - a reflective golden shimmer. The light transmitted through the gold is pale green. Our Mirroring Kits include 1" samples of translucent gold backed with clear lacquer and opaque Angel Gilding.
| Use Gold Chemicals to: | |
|
|
Angel Gilding turns a translucent golden shimmer into a brilliant, reflective gold mirror by adding a layer of silver over the gold. The name "Angel Gilding" is used to distinguish chemical or solution gilding from gold leaf gilding.
| Angel Gilding is gold + silver: | |
|
|
Q: Why do I have to mix the Gold Solution with the Gold Activator ahead of time?
Adding Gold Activator to the Gold Solution completes the chemical reaction necessary to cause the gold to deposit on the glass. As the gold ages, it changes from yellow to colorless or almost colorless.
Q: What is the shelf life of the Activated Gold?
Activated Gold has a shelf life of 2 to 3 days. After that, the gold begins to come out of solution in the bottle so there is less gold available to deposit on the glass.
Q: Is there a test to see if the Activated Gold has aged enough?
To test your Activated Gold, pour about 6 ml into a paper cup and add 3 ml of Gold Reducer. The mix should stay clear for about a minute. If it turns purple right away, the "aging" process is not yet complete.
Q: What can I make with Gold Chemicals besides a gold mirror?
You can make wonderful mirrors using gold instead of Palladium Sensitizer to super-sensitize the glass for copper and galena mirrors. See our Metal Layers page for details.
Many thanks to Lisa Blalock and Paulo Delima Bel Vetro Art Glass of for allowing us to display their gold/copper chandelier and to Larry White of WallJewelry.com for allowing us to display his glue-chipped and Angel Gilded sign. To see other examples of their work, go to the Customer's Gallery.
