# varnish acrylic and gold leaf



## emjay (Oct 19, 2020)

Hi! Recently completed a painting using both acrylic paint and imitation gold leaf. Lots of articles recommend using an isolation coat before varnishing, but many warn of the ammonia tarnishing the gold leaf. Alternatively, it's highly recommended to varnish imitation gold leaf so it does not tarnish with UV exposure. How exactly do I go about varnishing both acrylic and gold leaf portions without tarnish? Do I simply not use isolation coat? Materials I currently have on hand; Golden Soft Gel Gloss for isolation coat, and Golden UV Satin Varnish.

Any help would be much appreciated!


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## Steve Neul (Jul 28, 2020)

On acrylic I don't see any reason "brass lacquer" wouldn't work. If you were using oil you might have some lifting issues but acrylic should be compatible. You might test the lacquer on some acrylic first to be sure.


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