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I finally told someone their fancy gold leaf repair looked cheap
At a friend's dinner party, they proudly showed me a restored family bible they paid a lot for, covered in bright gold leaf on the spine. Everyone was oohing and aahing, but I had to quietly say I think using real gold leaf for that kind of daily use book is a bad choice. It wears off too fast and the fake look of the bright gold takes away from the book's real age and character. Am I too stuck on using materials that last?
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tessa_hernandez957mo ago
My cousin's restored vintage motorcycle had this shiny new chrome that just didn't match the old engine... it felt like a costume. Same with those flipped houses where they put in gray laminate floors that erase all the original charm. @aliceb15 is right, it's about the repair shouting over the original story. We see this with phone cases too, clear plastic that yellows fast but people buy them for the look. It's like we're scared of things showing their age, so we cover them up with stuff that won't last... and then we do it again.
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aliceb157mo ago
Honestly read a thing from a bookbinder saying that super bright new gold leaf on old stuff just looks wrong. Tbh they said it's better to use a toned-down finish or even colored foil for stuff that gets handled, because the shine calls attention to the repair, not the book. That bright look you described totally fits what they were talking about. It's more about showing off the fix than keeping the book's real feel.
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