Letter Gilding

[John Tappy <john.tappy@xxxxxxxxx>]

Stephen,

The angle of the sides of your letters is quite important. (I realise
you have already cut them and so can't change them).  If you are going
to guild letters it is normal to cut them at a much shallower angle than
if you are leaving them plain. In the first place the reason for
guilding is that you should see the gold, whereas if you are leaving
them undecorated you are relying on the shadow caused by the cut.  This
also makes it considerably easier to guild.

I have just finished a stone for my step daughter which my wife, her
mother, has guilded.

She used transfer gold leaf, (you loose less, though it is slightly more
expensive) and yes, you do guild each side ot the cut separately and
then go over it as necessary to fill the places which haven't been
covered. (called 'faulting'). You do usually need a special fine brush,
called a tip for applying the gold, but with the transfer gold this may
not be so necessary.