Hi
Can anyone please tell me if there's a tutorial on using silver foil? I fancy buying some to have a try with but have no idea how to use it! I've trawled through the search and found gold foil - how to handle and cut it but that's not really what I'm after... Thanks. ;)
There are some threads about it here and there, but I don't know about a tutorial - it really isn't very hard to do simple things with, though. We used it a bit in my lesson and it's something I'd be fine with doing more of on my own.
Things we did - silvered ivory stringer. Dampen the end of an ivory rod (to help the foil stick to it) and wrap the foil round. Then melt it all into a blob and pull stringer. Which is the part I'll find tricky :p
We also made a bead and added the foil directly to the surface, burnished it on with a tool, melted it in a bit and added decoration to the top. Basically, just make sure it's sticking properly when you put it on.
Heh, I've done this all of once! But it really was very simple. Just make sure it's fine silver, same as with wire or it'll just go all black.
(Someone tell me if I've got anything wrong!)
I use silver foil or leaf here.
http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2160.0
Quote from: Mary on January 12, 2010, 08:32:16 PM
I use silver foil or leaf here.
http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2160.0
Thats great, what a lovely bead and the tutorials great, so where is the best place to buy silver foil and does it only come in large amounts?
Yes, that was my next question as well. :D
Mand, I think I got my foil from Tuffnells - it comes in books like leaf...but you can actually lift a sheet out with your fingers, tear it and put the rest back without it sticking to your fingers or anything that you touch!
Don't think it's that expensive and from memory, I think Tuffnells do some kind of silver pack so you can get a couple of quid off. Can't get onto Tuffnells site to check at the mo though, sorry.
xx Hazel
Ah, great! Thanks for that. ;)
Have looked on Tuffnells website and am a bit confused (I only have a little brain ;)). There is silver leaf, silver foil and something called "palladium" - wossat then? Would silver leaf - the cheaper one - be OK to use to make silvered stringers?
Yes ;D
Silver foil is about twice the thickness of silver leaf - and twice the price. Leaf is just fine for silvered ivory stringers.
Palladium is another precious metal, it has (I believe) a higher melting point than silver so it doesn't react and melt into the glass so much - its nice encased as it stays kind of sparkly.
Mand, if you go for the thinner silver leaf, DON'T try to pick it up with your fingers or tweezers 'cos it will stick! I slide a piece of ordinary paper underneath the silver leaf,keep it between the 2 sheets as I cut a strip off, move it to the marver with it still in there, then pull the top layer of rouge paper off, roll it into a little sausage (don't laugh!) then slide it off the bit underneath with the "sausage". Don't breathe or sniff too close to it, it will float away in the air & you'll be scrabbling around on the floor trying to pick it up. (Yes I have done it several times :D)
These instructions may already be elsewhere on the forum but I couldn't find them - hope this helps. :)
I cut the top cm of the book off, so that left me with about 1cm strips of it which are easy to manouvre onto your marver to roll your bead or ivory rod onto.
Finished my first 'book' of strips the other day, need to cut another. Make sure your scissors are dry.
Thanks everybody. ;D