In Reply to: When if ever is a stencil appropriate or can be used when leafing on glass posted by Robert Beverly on August 04, 19102 at 22:17:39:

Assuming your question is related to reverse glass...the short answer is "Yes, it can be done".

The long answer is...BUT, there can be problems. The biggest problem area for me it the ridge left by the build up of paint against the stencil. It is much harder to get gold leaf into those ridged areas. Maybe other people have figured out how to successfully get around the ridge. Hand lettering and silk screening are better alternatives as far as I am concerned. You might "get away" with the process on larger letters, but below about 2", I'd say you are asking for complications. Also, remember the original glass has to be very clean and free of oils. It is possible that the transfer tape and event the masking can leave traces of gunk on the glass when you remove it. Putting down gold in those areas might result in odd imperfections.

Surface gilding is a different story. We did/do that all the time. We cut the letter and outlines in mask, weed out the letters, leaving the outlines. Apply the stencil to the panel. Gild the letters, then peel the outline. You can be sloppy on the outsides of the outlines into the masked areas, but need to be careful along the edges of the gold letters.

Good luck,
Mike Jackson
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