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Charbonnel Yellow Gilding Bole
Charbonnel Yellow Gilding Bole
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€592,17 EUR
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Charbonnel Yellow Gilding Bole — the bed for water gilding, in a 1 L or 25 kg tub
Gilder’s bole in paste form, yellow in colour, prepared in the workshop with rabbit-skin glue and spread in thin coats as a bed for the gold leaf. It is the basis of water gilding (bole gilding), the traditional technique used on frames, icons and wooden pieces; on altarpieces, according to the practice documented by Xavier Ferragut in a conference paper of the Spanish Group of the International Institute for Conservation (GE-IIC). It is the technique that allows the gold to be burnished. Sold without glue: the binder is supplied by the gilder.
What is it used for?
- Bed for the gold leaf in water gilding on prepared wood: frames, icons and wooden pieces.
- Water gilding on prepared plaster, indoors.
- Yellow base over the whole surface in altarpiece gilding: in the practice documented by Ferragut (GE-IIC), two coats of yellow bole are usually applied over the whole surface and two coats of red bole only in the areas to be burnished.
- Bed for silvering: in that same trade practice, for silvering usually only coats of yellow bole are applied, so that a red ground does not make the cuts in the silver show.
- Adjusting the tone of the gold: the colour of the bole shows through slightly and gives the gilding its final tone; the three colours in the Charbonnel bole range (yellow, red and black) can be mixed together.
Why choose the Charbonnel yellow bole?
- Manufacturing process: the Charbonnel bole range is a very fine clay paste, ground in the old-fashioned way on granite rollers, with a formula that gives a stable, perfectly homogeneous paste. Made in France.
- Allows the gold to be burnished: water gilding on bole can be burnished, for a more intense shine; mordant gilding cannot.
- Control over the preparation: you make the mixture yourself, with your own rabbit-skin glue and at the stated concentration (5–8 g of glue per 100 g of water).
Presentation and storage
- Presentation: 1 L or 25 kg tub of yellow bole paste.
- Sold without glue: the rabbit-skin glue is prepared separately.
- Storage: in its original container, closed when not in use, in a cool, well-ventilated place, away from direct sunlight and heat sources.
Charbonnel is a brand of Colart France (Le Mans, France).
The limits, stated plainly
- It does not work on its own: rabbit-skin glue is essential for the gold to grip. It is prepared with 1 volume of bole + 2 volumes of warm rabbit-skin glue solution (5–8 g of glue per 100 g of water), in a bain-marie at 60 °C.
- Scope: it is intended for indoor water gilding on prepared wood and plaster.
- It needs a prepared support: it is applied over a support, ideally wood, prepared with several coats of Meudon white (calcium carbonate) and rabbit-skin glue, sanded between coats; the technique also accepts gesso or shellac as a preparation.
- It needs time: 3 to 4 thin coats, about 2 h between coats, each one dry before the next; 24 h of drying before polishing the bole with a brush and laying the gold leaf.
- Thickness matters: in the practice documented by Ferragut, with too little bole the gold gets scratched when burnished and with too much the layer can burst when burnishing.
Safety
Mixture not classified as hazardous under the CLP Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging): no hazard pictogram, no signal word and no hazard statements (H) or precautionary statements (P). The label carries these EUH statements (supplementary information under CLP):
- EUH208: Contains 2-methyl-1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (MBIT). May produce an allergic reaction.
- EUH211: Warning! Hazardous respirable droplets may be formed when sprayed. Do not breathe spray or mist.
Contains a biocidal product: IPBC (iodopropynyl butylcarbamate). Risk of skin sensitisation.
Avoid contact with eyes and skin. Keep away from strong acids and strong bases. Store only in the original container, closed, in a cool, well-ventilated place, away from direct sunlight and heat sources.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to add glue to it?
Yes. It is a paste that is prepared by mixing it with twice its volume of warm rabbit-skin glue solution; the glue is essential for the gold to grip. The glue is not included: you will find the rabbit-skin glue in the catalogue.
What proportion of glue and at what temperature?
1 volume of bole + 2 volumes of warm rabbit-skin glue solution (5–8 g of glue per 100 g of water), in a bain-marie at 60 °C.
How many coats and how long do I have to wait?
Apply 3 to 4 thin coats, with about 2 h between coats and each one completely dry before the next. Then allow 24 h of drying before polishing the bole with a brush and laying the gold leaf.
Can the gold be burnished on top?
Yes: it is characteristic of water gilding. The bole is polished with a brush before the gold; the gold is burnished afterwards. In the practice Ferragut describes, the gold is burnished with an agate stone and the bole is wetted with water alone, without glue, when the leaf is laid. If you are not going to burnish, mordant gilding is a different technique: you have the water-based gilding mordant.
Yellow bole or red bole?
The colour of the bole shows through slightly and gives the gold its final tone, and the colours in the range can be mixed together. In the altarpiece practice documented by Ferragut (GE-IIC), yellow is usually applied over the whole surface and red only in the areas to be burnished; the author himself points out that the colour has varied over the periods (red bole over the whole surface on Baroque altarpieces, black bole for silver on early 20th-century frames). The full paper, “Dorado y estuco bruñido sobre retablos”, is published by the GE-IIC. For red, you have the Armenian red bole (1 kg).
Can it be used for silvering?
In the trade practice Ferragut describes, for silvering usually only two coats of yellow bole are applied, so that a red ground does not make the cuts in the silver show.
What ground goes underneath?
It is recommended to use a support, ideally wood, prepared with several coats of Meudon white (calcium carbonate) and rabbit-skin glue, sanded; the technique also accepts gesso or shellac. As a traditional glue-and-filler ground for water gilding, the catalogue has the Ammannitura by Divolo Firenze (Bologna gypsum and rabbit-skin glue).
What does it contain, and do you have another yellow bole?
A very fine clay paste; Charbonnel bole is ground in the old-fashioned way on granite rollers. It contains titanium dioxide (1–3%), MBIT (2-methyl-1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one, < 0.1%) and the biocide IPBC (iodopropynyl butylcarbamate). The catalogue also has the Bólex yellow ochre by Divolo Firenze; choose the Charbonnel when you want to prepare the mixture yourself with your own rabbit-skin glue and set its concentration.
Any questions? Message us on WhatsApp, visit innovart.art or email us at info@innovart.art and we will advise you.
