Palladium Leaf

[Blazinbeads24-7]

Iv'e recently been using palladium leaf on my beads. I find it very hard to work with. It seems to be getting everywhere, and once it gets onto something like my work station it is very hard to take off. This stuff is VERY expensive and I dont want to waste any of it. Does anyone out there know the best way to work with this stuff. Thanx

[RSimmons]

I treat it pretty much like I do silver leaf. When I'm going to add Pd to a piece I put the leaf on a graphite marver on the bench top and cover it with a piece of the separator paper from the package until I'm ready to use it. It doesn't stick to the paper and this keeps it in place in the ventilation air stream so I don't have to worry about it getting blown around. When you are ready to apply it just slide the paper off horizontally (as opposed to picking it straight up) and the leaf should stay pretty much in place. This works for me most of the time.

Robert

[PixieFireBeads]

Also, you need to handle it with tweezers.

[patienthand]

HI,

Good idea about the paper over top till its picked up on the work. Another little tip... I rarely use a big section of the leaf. So, with the leaf sandwiched between paper leaves, I will use an exacto, or any sharp edged thing and scopre across the leaf, between the paper( id dont cut through the paper) Its sort of like folding and scoring paper to make it tear straight principal.. Then lift the paper and pull away the smaller section with tweezers... dont sneeze.. been there done that.

Aint it fun?

Candice King

[e. mort]

Hi, I use it with boro from time to time. The tip I can offer is to have your marver just slightly damp, and then put down your paladium leaf with the paper still under it. The dampness will hold the paper and the leaf to the marver, but allow you to pick up the leaf still. The paper will burn away. I have tried just laying it on the marver, but I find that it ends up getting burnished/stuck to the marver, and as you say it is too expensive to have a paladium plated marver. Oh, and I also keep it covered with a small dish so the breeze won't hit it.