Silver leaf. uck

Idmonstre · #1 2011-11-27, 10:27pm

Ok. So i bought all my lampworking supplies from my friend and she just happens to have a lot of colors i would have never gotten myself...
What do you guys suggest i do with those transparent purples because i have TONS of it. Also, any ideas for silver leaf? It seems a nightmare to work with and makes for very ugly results. are there some colors it works well with in particular?
-Thanks!

DesertDreamer · #2 2011-11-27, 10:50pm

Silver leaf with ivory gives you silvered ivory for all of the cool organic effects. I also like it for turning transparent orange into navy blue. (Honest! I don't know why it does that, but it does.)

Deborah · #3 2011-11-27, 11:10pm

Try this bead for with silver leaf - The Blue Bead

Enjoy!

SGA · #4 2011-11-28, 7:55am

Silver leaf takes a gentle hand. I use my micro tweezers to move it around and try my best to keep it between it's two protective layers of (typically) orange paper and on my flat graphite, ever so carefully sliding it out from between the papers to rest on the graphite so I can roll my bead. The best way I can do this is placing it on the graphite, putting my fingertip on the top piece and sliding gently to the side. Either it should slide off the silver, or the silver should slide off the bottom paper. After that take the very tip of a pair of tweezers if necessary and hold stationary while you wiggle the other paper off. I use a set of tweezers to keep it down until I'm ready to use it then. But be careful. My micro tweezers don't seem to stick to the silver. My other regular sized tweezers do. Mandrels also stick. Best is to leave the top paper on, a tool on top so nothing blows away and then use the tool to slide the paper off when you're ready to apply your bead (slightly cooled so you won't distort the shape) to the silver.

Convoluted. I'm sure someone else can explain it better.

There are many uses for it. Typically it's used between layers for particular reactions or to make stringers. The ivory/dark speckled stringers you see are possible with silver. It's used mostly for organic beads. Sarah Hornik to my knowledge does not use silver for a good majority of her color schemes. It's possible you may not ever want to use any metals, and still have very gorgeous beads.

You can always garage sale the purple if you're not going to use it. I know many here will snap it up for Beads of Courage hearts.

eta: You know, I just went to look at my Sarah Hornik PDFs, and there's a lot more silvered ivory than I recall. However the colors are vibrant enough it's sort of easy to miss the addition of silver accents.

Elizabeth Beads · #5 2011-11-28, 8:12am

Purple hearts for BOC! Layer over white, clear, periwinkle or pink if the purples are too saturated. You can also sell both the glass and the leaf in the Garage Sale.

Val Cox · #6 2011-11-28, 8:26am

A little silver leaf with your pink Frits and cane create a gorgeous metallic gold. Or use a little with your transparent purples to create shades of green where it touches the silver. Just be sure your flame has a neutral setting, not a propane rich flame, or it will become very muddy. Good luck! Val

Idmonstre · #7 2011-12-03, 5:19am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deborah

Try this bead for with silver leaf - The Blue Bead

Enjoy!

hmm, from what it said that's (though beautiful) actually using silver foil.. which i already have loads of uses for. if only silver leaf was more like silver foil...

Idmonstre · #8 2011-12-03, 5:22am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Val Cox

Just be sure your flame has a neutral setting, not a propane rich flame, or it will become very muddy. Good luck! Val

hmm! i think the flame may have been my problem! i tend to work in a slightly reduced flame in general for some reason.... and i'm guessing that's why i always get the stupid sutty browny poop ick.

houptdavid · #9 2011-12-03, 9:31am

The transparent purple you can use to PPP with
Use it as a base for larger beads
Use dots of it over white
Use it for blown vessels, it's fairly stiff

m**2 · #10 2011-12-03, 6:46pm

The paper in the package is your friend. Keep the leaf on or between sheets of the paper.

Cut the leaf and the paper to the size you need at the same time.

Moisten a graphite marver and pick up the leaf from the paper. Don't get the paper wet when doing this. The leaf will stick to the moist graphite until you pick it up with a hot bead or other piece of glass.

Pia Kaven · #11 2011-12-04, 7:30am

Yes, water is like glue for silver leaf! Please sell what you dont need here in GS, and buy what you might need with the money!

Lisi · #12 2011-12-04, 4:02pm

I loved silvered dark ivory! I use it for my Silvered Waves series, which are the bottom two. The top set is the color swirled over the waves of silvered ivory for a different effect.

Carolyn M · #13 2011-12-04, 8:54pm

Silver leaf is a PITA. When I accidentally bought it instead of foil, I just used multiple sheets and mad a gazillion silvered ivory stringers. I still didn't like them as much as my foil stringers though!

PerfectDeb · #14 2011-12-05, 12:14am

Quote:

Originally Posted by m**2

The paper in the package is your friend. Keep the leaf on or between sheets of the paper.

Cut the leaf and the paper to the size you need at the same time.

Moisten a graphite marver and pick up the leaf from the paper. Don't get the paper wet when doing this. The leaf will stick to the moist graphite until you pick it up with a hot bead or other piece of glass.

even easier - leave the leaf on the paper and lay on your marver, just roll the bead in the silver paper and all, the paper burns away and the leaf stay neatly in one place

Anne Londez · #15 2011-12-05, 10:09am

Am I the only one to prefer leaf to foil ? I find it gives much more subtle effects and the silver doesn't ball up. I use both though, depending on what effect I want.

Moth · #16 2011-12-05, 11:27am

Anne, I like leaf too, even though it is more delicate to handle. It's just silver foil with the volume turned down a little bit.

Allison Turner made that Ruby Gold and Silver beads tutorial like 6 or 7 years ago over at Wet Canvas and if I try to make those beads with foil the rubino goes all livery....if I use leaf it stays nice and pink but still gives the blue/green reaction.

Different uses for both. Sometimes I want the heavy reaction of foil for silvered ivory stringer, but most of the time I like the more subtle patterns that come from the leaf.

I have both and use them both.
~~Mary

MelanieG · #17 2011-12-05, 9:35pm

I pretty much only use silver foil for SiS. Whenever I am putting silver on a bead, I usually reach for my silver leaf. If I anchor it to my marver with water, it doesn't fly away and as long as I don't touch it with wet fingers or stupidly put it in my mouth to hold it, things go fine