Charbonnel Red Gilding Bole

Charbonnel red gilding bole — the layer the gold leaf sits on in water gilding

Gilder’s bole in very fine clay paste, ground the old-fashioned way on granite rollers, in an orange-red shade. It is the layer on which the gold leaf sits in water gilding. It is not applied as it comes: it is prepared with rabbit-skin glue, in a proportion of 1 volume of bole to 2 of glue solution.

What is it used for?

• Layer the gold leaf sits on in water gilding: it is the base on which the leaf is laid.
• Water gilding on interior wood and plaster, with the support already prepared.
• On wood prepared with several coats of Meudon white and rabbit-skin glue, sanded between coats.
• Giving the gold its final tone: the colour of the bole shows slightly through beneath the gold leaf.
• Adjusting the hue by mixing it with the other colours in the Charbonnel bole range.

Why choose the Charbonnel red bole?

• Manufacturing process: very fine clay paste, ground the old-fashioned way on granite rollers, which gives a smooth, stable and homogeneous base for the gold to sit on.
• Orange-red shade, which gives the gold its final tone and can be mixed with the other colours in the range.
• Made in France.
• Why the bole layer matters: in water gilding it is the layer that makes burnishing the gold possible, because it acts as a cushion between the preparation and the gold leaf (Martínez Hurtado, “El dorado. Técnicas, procedimientos y materiales”, Ars Longa 11, 2002, PDF).

Presentation and storage

• Presentation: 1 L or 25 kg tub, in paste form.
• Store in the 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 the Colart group, made in France.

Before you use it

• It does not come ready to apply. Without rabbit-skin glue the gold leaf will not hold. It is first mixed with twice its volume of warm glue solution (5-8 g per 100 g of water), in a bain-marie at 60 °C.
• Interior water gilding, on wood or plaster. Humidity alters animal glues and, with them, the bole layer (Martínez Hurtado, Ars Longa 11, 2002): it is reserved for work that lives indoors.
• It needs the support prepared beforehand: coats of Meudon white and rabbit-skin glue, sanded between coats. Once that preparation is done, the bole is applied on top.
• Incompatible with strong bases and strong acids. Kept out of contact with them, and stored away from direct sunlight and ignition sources, it keeps as indicated above.

Safety

• Mixture not classified as hazardous under the CLP Regulation (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures). No pictograms, no signal word and no hazard statements (H statements) or precautionary statements (P statements).
• EUH208 (supplemental information statement on the CLP label): Contains 2-methyl-1,2-benzisothiazol-3(2H)-one (MBIT). May produce an allergic reaction.
• Contains a biocidal product: IPBC (iodopropynyl butylcarbamate). Risk of skin sensitisation.
• Avoid contact with eyes and skin. Do not eat, drink or smoke during use. Work with adequate ventilation.

Frequently asked questions

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