Gelatin diamonds

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Posted by Marco on July 23, 2003

2-3 years ago I purchased a packet of gelatin diamonds from Rick Glawson. I haven't gilded glass since then and I've forgotten how many diamonds per pint. Could someone please remind me? Also, they've been wrapped in plastic for these few years. As I remember, the capsules would become hard over time and difficult to dissolve. Would these diamonds have much shelf life left?

P.S. I'm a regular lurker here and have learned a lot. Thank you all for your generous sharing. I am Keeper of the Craft and hope to pass it on.

Jeffrey P. Lang

Marco,
I have had my diamonds for a few years myself & they have been working fine. I was told they could go stale, you can tell when they get very brittle.
My notes from rick stated,
"4-6 per pint of water."
Jeff

Mike Jackson

I am posting this for Jeff...I am not sure of the source but maybe it will help identify some strengths.

Mike Jackson for Jeff

Jeff Lang

Mike,
Thanks for posting that data sheet. It came from Pioneer Supply in Pittsburgh when I bought my first supply of gel caps back in the late 80's.
I wanted to show for the exact reason you stated.
Jeff

Mike Jackson

We have an envelope here with a few sheets of diamonds in it....quite a few years old now, too. The note I wrote on the envelope says 6-8 per pint. We probably used 7 most often, based on that. I'd say six is the middle number you should try and adjust as necessary. We live in a dry climate, so I doubt ours absorbs too much moisture throughout the year. The stuff is CHEAP, so it would probably be a good idea to buy new stock once a year--but you never know how long your supplier has had them on their shelves.

There are quite a few lurkers at this site. Nice to hear from them when they have questions!

Good luck,
Mike Jackson

Pat Mackle

I haven't seen these gelitin sheets that you are discussing, but I have a question. Are these sheets embossed with indented diamond shapes? I recall back in the 70's seeing a fragment of something called window pain acid which was supposedly LSD on a sheet of gelatin. I think it was dyed green. Does anyone else recall this or is it just a flashback? Peace.
Pat

Mike Jackson

You can get 20 sheets for $4.25 at Cook's Market. They might even be available at you local grocery store....I've never really looked. In LA, I bet they are available in a lot of specialty cooking stores.

http://www.cooks-market.com

Mike

Ron Percell

We ordered from Cooks Market a couple of months ago and found thier stock to be old(yellowed)and brittle, not quite as good as Rick Glawsons inventory.

After further investigation, they are a third middleman from the factory in europe.

Lee Littlewood

Hmm, we use 4 diamonds per pint (16 oz) of water and it seems to be just fine. I cut the big sheets up into groups of 4 and store them in a bottle with some dessicant, they don't seem to get stale. To prepare for use, I like to let the gelatin swell in a few ounces of water (maybe a half cup) in a mason jar, couple of minutes to whatever while I round up the rest of the kit. (I've even left them overnight; in the morning they are like ghost balloons in the water.) Then put the jar into the microwave, blast for 30 seconds or so, swirl and look for any visible bits left undissolved. If need be, microwave a bit more, just don't boil it. Then add water to the pint line convieniently marked in paint on the jar, screw the top on, and head off to the job.
We used to use 00 caps for gelatin, see LeBlanc for his description and photos. They started getting hard to find - word was the feds didn't like people using them for LSD, amphetamine, whatever. Had to go to veterinarian supply place, it felt nicely sleazy (the buying, not the vet or feed&seed places. They've always been nice people and kind to strangers). An old signguy in Boise (Art something, his brother was also a signperson) gave us a quart of empty caps that had to be 10 years old, left in an open container - they WERE stale. Even so, if they soaked for an hour or so they mostly dissolved, leaving just a few pieces swirling around, and I always filter the size thru cotton so there was no problem. The gelatin worked fine.
On amount - LeBlanc suggests two 00 caps per pint, more for silver leaf. Gale Humble (Ventura Signs) learned in Chicago and used "the big end of a 00 cap" per pint. So there is a 3 to 1 ratio between experts... My feeling is that less is better as long as the gold holds, and the big danger is whether the second gild will lift the first. Once it is under varnish I don't see why the amount of gelatin would affect longevity. I've also heard guesses that a hot water final wash is helpful because it pulls some of the gelatin out - so maybe it is more effective sometimes than others. ??

Ron Percell

I'll have to side with you Lee, less is more. I will only use 2 diamonds to reduce the amount of visable size in my finished products.

When following Ricks earlier suggestions, the gild would have streaks of gelatin, warm baths of size however would not reduce or eliminate the trace amount of size, but rather provide a stronger gild.

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