I've  used imitation gold leaf extensively. I've used for automotive finishing & not for glass, with one exception......I always start off with imitation gold leaf, but explain that there are options for using real gold leaf & the degrees of carats. For some just gold letters & color borders with sign paint on the glass is enough, so imitation gold works just fine. Now one advantage that imitation gold leaf, using the last example, has, is that can be applied outside rather inside, exposed to elements, if top coated with a clear coats which generally will be 3 coats depending on how much cut & polishing will be done to achieve a mirror finish(the clear coat, not IGL). In that instance, IGL will appear shinier will keep that sheen even when exposed to the elements. Variegated imitation gold leaf, has a matte & shiny side & under clear coat is phenomenal with either side you use. Imitation gold leaf is used widely in interior decorative arts, is used for texturing with a transparent color top coat, IGL used as a base, i've done this  a great deal. On furniture restoration,  a lot of early 20th century pieces had gold trim and accents to flourishes being used bring out the shape but was never shiny unlike the chipped glass & glass gilding of that same time. Some of those was painted with gold paint which used gold powder. To achieve that same effect IGL works best. IGL is pretty much the gold standard sign/furniture restoration if the client wants a distressed look, which is becoming very popular again. For automotive application, IGL is used along pinstriping & looks really nice. However, in a lot gold leaf applications for automotive finishing, Lettering with an engine turned effect 21 carat gold leaf & up has to be used, higher the carat the better the engine turned effect will be. In all instances a heavier gold size is used, which is enamel based, OneShot & House of Color sizers being the most popular. I will back up Paul on his final assessment & opinion of what he demonstrated in the video. I've never tried using the sizer he uses so that was interesting to see, but to see IGL used in his experiment & to see the end result, I concur IGL just would not be good for learning or used on high end glass design. As always another great video by the Happy Gilder. I hope this helps....Happy Gilding!

One of us must have no taste at all, because I find your drawing beautiful! :)

Finally someone did this video!! It was so hard to get this information, I kept trying with imitation gold and always get the cloudy finish, I thought I had a problem!

Now I will use it just for practicing before moving to real gold.

Really thank you!!

Well, dang.  LOVE the mirror finish... for obvious reasons.

Good job Paul !

Great comparison, thanks for sharing.

loved this, man! thanks for the great quality vid - very helpful!

Thank you 🦾

I wish this is something I'd seen back when I was getting started! I tried to do some work with imitation gold that I picked up from the art supply store. I struggled with it for weeks before giving up, and I thought it was because I was doing something wrong. It was more than a year before I tried again, which was when I found your channel!

Thanks 🎉

its like freshy squeezed orange juice compared to cordial.Some of us freaks like both in their own way :)

Thankkkkk you for this video!

Cape Verdean here and loving the video and the kit shirt!

This was good to watch. I was weary of attempting to learn gilding with expensive gold leaf, so I have experimented with imitation leaf and it has been a frustrating experience. I would watch videos of people gilding real gold leaf and would find it to be impossible to imitate with imitation leaf, but I wasn't sure that this was due to my amateur status, or due to the material. This video makes me think it is not just me sucking, but that I have been trying to learn with cheap crap.

EXCELENTE!!

This has been really interesting to watch. I came here as I’m using imitation leaf at the moment in glass to see what tips you had. The leaf I have seems far more thin and like actual gold leaf, if you breathe near on it practically tares into pieces or floats away and ends up mirror sharp when dried. So seeing how thick this one is was a surprise.

Its so good.

Thank u so much to show us things that we want to do, but we can't try because real gold is too expensive just for try.

Hi. Thank you so much for sharing your experience buddy.

Thank you for this! I wanted to start out using imitation gold leaf to practice since it was my first time and I have been having a hard time with the creases. It looks like its a quality issue rather than user error (for the most part)  Now that I've done it a few times I think I'm ready to graduate to real gold!