I'm trying to add gold leaf to my lentil beads and encasing them in clear and have two problems:
First -what does everyone use to manipulate the goldleaf? I've become goldfinger and all my tools are now encased in gold.
Second-any suggestions on how to melt in the clear encasing glass without cooking the goldleaf undeneath?
Pictures of your beads would be much appreciated. :)
I have dry hands, so I pick the leaf up with my fingers, lay it on a marver and then roll the bead on it to pick it up. I burnish it in with the straight part of my tungsten pick.
To encase with clear I make sure I get a good blob of hot clear ready to go while keep the bead warm in the ambient heat from the torch, and then encase quickly. If I am doing a smallish round bead I use on wrap of glass to encase. On a bigger or longer bead I use a linear encasing, being very careful to keep the leaf out of the direct flame. I then melt the encasement slowly. There is usually some breakup of the leaf, but I like that effect.
I've never used gold leaf, but when I use silver leaf, I dampen a finger and make finger mark on a graphite marver and put the leaf on top - this is sufficient to hold the leaf in place, then I start to make the bead and roll the bead over the silver leaf on the marver, then burnish it out of the flame
Get a piece of paper and lay it on the surface of the leaf. then tip the book of leaf over so that the paper is on the bottom and allow the leaf to fall onto it. Place another piece of paper on top of the leaf. You should now have a gold leaf "sandwich". This makes the leaf easy to cut to size - cut through the whole thing. Make sure your scissors are clean. It's worth rubbing along the blades with some sort of alcohol based cleaner then thoroughly drying them - nail polish remover is good, especially at this time of year when scissors are being used for sticky tape and Christmas wrap.
I find that the leaf is less likely to stick to wooden things - bamboo tongs (like you get in fancy Chinese takeaways) are good, as are bamboo skewers - so these can be used to move the leaf around when it has been cut. I find the perishing stuff will stick to anything metal, will always stick to me, even though I have skin like a mummified cat, and will float away if you even attempt to breathe at all while in the same room.
Don't even consider working with leaf anywhere near a fan heater. You must be very cold, very dry and without breath. ;) Dead, preferably. ;D
So funny, but true Sal ;D
Wet toilet paper, stick leaf to paper, roll bead over to pick up ;) Just make sure your paper stays wet and you shouldn't have any fire problems
Quote from: SilverGems89 on December 15, 2013, 09:01:15 PM
Wet toilet paper, stick leaf to paper, roll bead over to pick up ;) Just make sure your paper stays wet and you shouldn't have any fire problems
...especially after a Meat Phall......... (sorry, I'll get me coat..... ;))
Quote from: Redhotsal on December 15, 2013, 09:20:20 PM
Quote from: SilverGems89 on December 15, 2013, 09:01:15 PM
Wet toilet paper, stick leaf to paper, roll bead over to pick up ;) Just make sure your paper stays wet and you shouldn't have any fire problems
...especially after a Meat Phall......... (sorry, I'll get me coat..... ;))
HAHAHA Sal! ;D
Bamboo tweezers for me :) Helen Gorick has a lovely gold leafed pen ;)
I use a damp small paintbrush to pick up a piece of leaf once cut as Sal suggested. Then I can transfer the leaf to my slightly damp marver.
I'm posh, me. I use damp kitchen roll ;D. Will try the paintbrush technique, Pat :)
Thanks everyone. Lots to be trying out. Back in the shed so...
Thanks Sarah :P Yes it has a life of its own, bamboo tweezers and tissue paper to manipulate it onto a marver. It's when you've spent 20 minutes painstakingly placing several pieces on a marver for a set and then a teenager barges in shouting mum and said pieces of gold leaf waft around into the air and disappear, that you cry :'(
Quote from: Helen G on December 16, 2013, 10:08:04 PMIt's when you've spent 20 minutes painstakingly placing several pieces on a marver for a set and then a teenager barges in shouting mum and said pieces of gold leaf waft around into the air and disappear, that you cry :'(
YES! ;)
This is the funniest thread I've read in a long time!
Has anyone used the vacuum box to hold the leaf? http://lbazcreations.com/ps/lampwork-glass-tools/27-baz-box.html
Just wondering if it's worth the cost. Thanks!
If you have problems with it sticking to your fingers use guilders whitening, or if you can't find that then corn-starch or talc, a thin dusting over your fingers to help stop it sticking (but not too much else you'll start getting it into the glass).
If you really want to be fancy and go down the route of using guilders cushions and knives I did a tutorial a few years ago on handling leaf using some of the traditional gilding techniques http://www.steampunkglass.com/page19.htm (http://www.steampunkglass.com/page19.htm)
Not sure how worth it the box is, I'd imagine you might be able to use an old biscuit or sweet tin, put the marver in the bottom of that with the gold inside to help stop any drafts? ??? I'm guessing they're going to be a fair few of those tins being emptied over the next few weeks! ::) ::) ::)
Apparently back in the 1700's when real gold was used on shop signs and buildings gilders would set up little tents around themselves to cut down on draughts - people from other trade guilds thought they were just being secretive trying to and hide their guilds secrets!
Rip your computer to bits, nick the fan, get some mesh wire, cover top of fan. Connect to one of them square batteries (9v). Try to put goldleaf on mesh, watch it disappear up extract.....remove battery put wire mesh on other side of fan, retry with gold leaf - now it should be sucking not blowing.
;D
:D
Quote from: ARBeads on December 17, 2013, 03:12:36 PM
Rip your computer to bits, nick the fan, get some mesh wire, cover top of fan. Connect to one of them square batteries (9v). Try to put goldleaf on mesh, watch it disappear up extract.....remove battery put wire mesh on other side of fan, retry with gold leaf - now it should be sucking not blowing.
;D
Great idea! And I'm sure I'll get it wrong the first time! LOL