Review on 2 oz Speedball Metal Leaf Adhesive for Mona Lisa Painting by James Hardin

I've been in the gold leaf business for about 25 years and have only used this product occasionally during that time - and only when I need fast delivery (more expensive brands aren't so readily available at craft stores, etc.). While the product itself hasn't changed much, the bottle finally received an "upgrade" from a metal cap (which was rusty and dirty) to a plastic cap a few years ago. Despite this, it still has major problems that make it impractical to use more than a few times. What he really needs is a silicone, rubber or other flexible guide with a lip around the inner lip of the bottle to prevent the contents from migrating or squirting out and settling in the cap grooves etc. This would also help better control the amount of glue on the applicator brush as it's like being able to wipe excess glue off the bottle walls without forming a dried crust around the inner neck of the bottle which then gets caught in the liquid glue and eventually causes problems. Without such preventive measure, the glue invariably dries: 1) around the inside edge, and this dried glue easily falls back into the liquid glue, which cannot be fished out. 1) settles between the cap and the threads of the bottle, where it dries out and makes it difficult to open the bottle without force - and force opening can easily result in spills. 2) It also makes a mess when you open it, because even if you open it gently,. Glue that is still liquid, which is stuck between the edge of the bottle and the cap, spreads everywhere. As said it can also ruin your project because some of the glue on the top inside rim as well as the outside rim and cap of the bottle will dry out and become gummy and if you don't carefully remove the dried rubber glue from all those places it will first end up in liquid glue. These areas are difficult to clean and acetone works best for cleaning the glue, but since acetone is a solvent it can degrade the plastic of the bottle over time, making it difficult to open and close tightly afterwards. Also, the curved area inside the neck of the bottle is incredibly difficult to clean without something like a cotton swab, and the last thing anyone needs is cotton fibers in an adhesive sheet! This problem of dried rubber pieces of glue sticking to the inner and outer bottle mouth and inner cap often results in everything getting caught in the liquid glue, which means you leave small bits of dried pieces on the bottle when using the brush (similar to what happens with paint per liter). or a gallon-sized can of paint after it has been opened and used several times). Of course, this can ruin the smooth surface of any item you leaf through. This happens all too often in my book, and I methodically clean the bottle neck and cap before each use. Finally, the stickiness of the liquid is not as reliable as it should be. I've found it to be so sticky at times that it's difficult to remove from areas I don't want to apply glue to and even catches any lint that might be airborne if I dry it in front of the sheet let In other cases, even after applying it evenly and waiting for the required time to set, the canvas won't really set evenly, meaning you'll have to reapply more glue where it WILL NOT set, and this will ruin the continuity of the finish. I suspect this product contains both latex and ammonia based on its viscosity and gummy consistency once dry. Ammonia can also explain why panel materials tarnish more easily with this adhesive. This is also an issue that makes this product mediocre in my opinion. Overall I just feel that after 30 years of making this product more attention could have been paid to both the bottling and the formula.