Working with gold leaf?

Steve,

It pretty much has to be encased. I have had some luck wrapping it on at double thickness and then marvering it. Reheat your bead just a tad and then into the kiln. You can't work it much after that without encasing. I find that even when it is covered with clear and you over work it, it kind of disappears under the clear too. That's really a shame, because it is hideously expensive.

Juanita

E Bay Items

May fate bless us all according to our deeds.

I bought some gold leaf to play around with, and the shop owner said that she didn't like the stuff because it disappeared in the flame, unless it was encased as soon as it went on the bead. I thought that was odd, but when I tried it just now the same thing happened to me. It was there, then it wasn't, except for a few random flakes.>

TOOOOO HOTTTTT

must do this delicately and the LAST THING that you do -- if not - use a very very soft flame -- I've even managed to learn to use it NOT as the last step -- it's possible - see my beads for examples... LOL

but you must really back down on your flame... see

is some encased gold leaf - inside and outside -- don't let anyone tell you it's impossible - I do it ALL the time! LOL the operative words are "stay cool"

Cheryl of DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass

What Cheryl said, for sure. It's absolutely possible to keep the leaf (at least gold leaf, silver is really delicate) on the surface without burning it off. You need to have your flame very soft and work way out. It's best to have the bead very warm (deep orange glow) but nowhere near molten. Heat it evenly, roll the leaf on, and burnish it with something smooth and rounded. The back of a spoon works well, or there are some nifty smooth, curved dental spatulas out there, too (my personal favorite). It NEEDS to be burnished or it will burn off as soon as the flame touches it.

Also, just a chance here....be sure that it's REAL gold leaf...22K or better, and pure silver leaf, as well. There's a lot of aluminum stuff out there that appears to be real but isn't, and it leaves a mess.

With practice and control you can even decorate the bead after the leaf is applied, but it takes a lot of care.

KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs Store:

>>

OOOOHHHHH Karen I LOVE that bead!

Cheryl of DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass

Well now, these are gorgeous! But did you put the gold leaf on last, say on the hollyset bead? Or did the holly berries and so forth come after the gold leaf? If you managed to get the leaf down in between all that outer detail work -- well, I'm in awe! And the heart bead is just the effect I was trying to get, so maybe encasing is a good idea after all. Thanks!!

- Steve R

I wondered about burnishing. I'll try it next. Oh, and this is real gold leaf -- at $48 a pack it had better be! I plan to win the lottery tonight and quit worrying about the cost of supplies....

I can't tell you how encouraging it is to be able to get help like this. There's precious little in the world of books that covers specific little technique problems, and this newsgroup is an amazing resource!

- Steve R

Hi Steve,

Have you checked out

There is a great glass area there.

I wondered about burnishing. I'll try it next. Oh, and this is real gold leaf -- at $48 a pack it had better be! I plan to win the lottery tonight and quit worrying about the cost of supplies....>

You are paying way too much

I get mine from

(not a glass supplier - who will mark it up)

click "shop online" which is nearly hidden in the maroon bar at top left of page. Then go to "gilding supplies" adn click "gold leaf".

I - unlike many people - use the "patent" leaf (the stuff that is attached to the paper) -- I know - supposedly ALSO impossible... ok - occassionally I do start a small fire on my bench... LOL But I got damn crazy chasing loose leaf around on a marver - the heat makes it MOVE!!!! The trick to patent is - let the bead cool almost to where you would put it in the kiln.... i.e. NOT cherry red - or even orange hot. Roll FAST and LIGHT across the surface of the leaf - and it will pull it right up off the paper. DO NOT PRESS DOWN and do not hesitate -- just go whoooosh rolling across the surface-- repeat if necessary for more pick up. Then I marver on my graphite..... IF the paper starts to smolder or burn - SMACK it with the flat side of your handled marver to put out the fire.... lol

Cheryl of DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass

Well now, these are gorgeous! But did you put the gold leaf on last, say on the hollyset bead? Or did the holly berries and so forth come after the gold leaf? If you managed to get the leaf down in between all that outer detail work -- well, I'm in awe! >

did bicone base -- rolled in Gold leaf burnish -- and applied the leaves and holly... you may bow low to my greatness... ROTFL

The encased gold I call the "murano" effect - it's used a lot in Italy- also - you should see some of Dale Chihuly tapes where the use HUGE SHEETS

-laid on a marver - and roll those big hot globs of glass in the leaf - then encase in clear. agggghhhh it's a beautiful effect even in his monster pieces. (and, obviously

- he learned it from the Italian connections he has).

Cheryl of DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass

vj found this in rec.crafts.beads, from snipped-for-privacy@aol.combeads (Cheryl) :

]IF the paper starts to smolder or burn - SMACK it with the flat side of your ]handled marver to put out the fire....

LOL!

I have a solution to the flyaway thing!!! I think Cindy Jenkins metions this in her first book.

I slip my leaf between a folded sheet of graph paper. I got a tablet of lightweight paper at Staples. Once you've used a sheet or two, you'll have extra rouge paper (the tissue that's between the gold). Pull out a sheet of the rouge and fold it over and over into a matchstick.

Now, with the gold between the graph paper, you can cut it to any width you want. Use the rouge stick to nudge the gold off the paper (it sticks to the cut edges) then you can lay the strip of graph paper over the gold while it's waiting on your marver. Just before you're ready, slide the graph paper off and roll.

-- KarenK Desert Dreamer Designs

Store:

I tried the various tricks and techniques that you good folk suggested, and my beads improved dramatically! The gold leaf stays where I want it, it doesn't burn off in the flame, and the results are much better. I even took a stab at a faux "quartz and gold" bead, using white, translucent white, and very light tan as a base with baking soda "aging" before adding veins of gold. Looks pretty much like quartz gold ore to me. Now I just need to find a use for all these one-off beads that are piling up around here. Hmm, Christmas is just around the corner....

Thanks everyone!

- Steve R St Louis

Gorgeous. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (yes I'm shouting) the encased heart!!!

I'm sure that many of us here could help you use up those one offs!!! :^)

Lisa

After what I've seen other people posting, I'd be ashamed to show my own fumbling efforts! Strangely enough, the beads I've had the most success (and most fun) with are little dinosaurs and fish and things like that. When I get frustrated trying to master various other things I'll make a few of them just to relax. I've gotten my "significant other" a top-of-the-line digital camera for Christmas, and if I get brave I may put out a few pictures for feedback. (At some point I also need to take a break from beads and build a stained glass window, but that's a whole other problem! The folks on that side, at rec.crafts.glass, aren't NEARLY as understanding and helpful as everyone here has been!)

- Steve R St Louis

Steve R -- I accept all fumbling efforts, especially when made with gold leaf, LOLOLOLOL. Send it to me and let me make something out of it, and send it back to you.

Becki "In between the moon and you, the angels have a better view of the crumbling difference between wrong and right." -- Counting Crows

Don't be hard on rec.crafts.glass, most of them seem to be professionals that work in glass. They spend less time on "touchy-feely" kinds of things and are more down to business. I have found them very helpful and occasionally funny as long as you stay on topic. They do have a low tolerance for exceedingly vague questions, like "what glass is good for sky?" and stuff like that.

That having been said, RCB is friendlier and I am more likely to post on RCB and lurk on RCG.

Gorgeous. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE (yes I'm shouting) the encased heart!!!

I have a similar one - with tracings on the outside - listed right now at justbeads...

of DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass