Silver leaf disappears

[CeeGeeJewellery]

I think I'm doing something wrong here but not sure what it is. I have some fine silver leaf that I've been using without a problem for silvered ivory stringer, but if I try and use it directly on a bead it all just disappears. I guess I'm burning it all away, but how do I stop this happening? I'm rolling the bead in the silver, rubbing it onto the surface with a burnisher, and then applying glass over the top. Is the silver too delicate or am I doing it wrong? Would I be better off with silver foil? Any suggestions much appreciated!

[Lush!]

If you want to encase the silver you need to keep it really cool while covering - the heat from the encasing glass will probably melt some of the silver away, and you can even still melt it through the encasing layer.  You would definitely be better to use silver foil for this.

Why not use your leaf under frit instead - burnish it on, melt it completely in, then roll in frit.  This can give some brilliant effects.

[CeeGeeJewellery]

Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely give that a try.

[Mary]

You have to keep it out the flame once it's applied to keep it looking like silver. Not easy, but effective if it works.

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

If it does all look as if it has burned away it is usually still there. If you are working with colours that are ok with reducing you can waft the bead in a reducing flame to bring some shine back