gold leaf

It all depends on what you are trying to match. There were glues used, ( "rabbit glue" is one I used in Vegas, a half a century ago, on places where there was no chance of anything/body rubbing against the finished work),

There is also a gelatin size, that was used, (often with over-painting of spar-varnish where it may get some wear). A different type of gelatin size was used on glass.

"Oil-gold size" (a type of varnish with drier in it, or could be straight linseed oil w/driers, often spar-varnish with Japan Dryer - the recipes varied according to the individual gilder's preference), and the gilder often added a little chrome-yellow or vermillion, or orange bulletin color to the size to make it easier to judge application thickness and coverage,

The above barely touches on the multitude of sizes to lay the leaf with.

Then, you need to address the leaf, itself. 23k, 20k, 14k, 12k, or 10k gold? silver? palladium? Composition leaf? Glass or patent? They all have their different properties.

Gold for glass gilding was/is formed in 3-1/8 x 3-1/8 squares, (and they say "Three molecules thick - about one millionth of an inch") in a paper book, jeweler's rouge holds the leaf to the paper. It is removed form the book by lifting it on the bristles of a specially designed brush of badger or sable hair.

"Patent Leaf" is about the same, though in some instances, not quite as high a quality leaf, maybe having some blemishes of holes, thickness, etc. - Patent leaf is adhered to a thin tissue that slips out of the book bringing the leaf with it - the leaf is adhered into the size directly using the tissue as a handle.

However, if it truly is "composition leaf", you must determine what material. Copper and aluminum are of the more "modern" composition leaf types, often with variegated pattern on each leaf. Beautiful stuff, cheap, and not at all transparent.

Tell us more about your application, please.

Flash