Water gilded copper leaf is nearly impossible in my experience. Here is a piece I water gilded copper on about three years ago. It is a lousy gild with lots of cracks and areas which would not burnish flat because the copper leaf is so thick. To get a smooth mirror finish I had to get a leaf down wi...

Better yet, try a cerium oxide paste and scrub the gilding surface with it. IMO that will work as well or better than Bon Ami - I still use BA though! Otherwise, it is likely that there is some vapor trapped under the backup which is trying to release to the surface and is blocked by the backup. Hen...

I use the 1-shot low temp reducer whenever I thin 1-shot paint for air brushing. I've also used mineral spirits but I find that white spirits works very well to break up clots and thin the paint. I never put it into the can unless it has turned to sludge and I am attempting to save some of the paint...

I agree with Vance, the only real way to tell is to look from the edge. I have a stash of flash glass and after careful examination I found that one side was smooth and the other had some texture to it. I examined every piece and found that the smooth side was always the color side. I got all this g...

I like the idea. What about gilding/painting a design and then spray on over that. If it could be done without effecting the gild, etc.

Rich

Love to see your pictures of the cabinet, Terry. For me, one of the critical things is to be able to fold up and store the cabinet out of the way as floor space is critical so it cannot take up much room when not in use. So I am always interested in what people come up with for a chipping cabinet an...

Hi Lee, When I screened the 50-50 mix of 3/12 hr Lefranc I also brushed a test strip on the clean glass next to the drop shadow. I waited approximately 8 hr and examined the test strip. I observed a smooth layer yet it had a sort of off-white cast to it. I didn't care for that at all and almost clea...

I finally got around to taking a picture of the piece I did the experiment with screen printing a 50-50 blend of 3-hr and 12-hr Lefranc gold size (mentioned way back at the start of this thread). Below is a close up of that effort. I screened the gold size, waited for it to tack and then used a coup...

My experience with Lefranc 12-hr size is that it seldom sets in anything less than 24 hours I have found that my 12-hr Luna size set reliably in 12 hrs. It also goes on very smooth and drys clear. I like it much better than the Lefranc. I do note that the only way I can get Lefranc slow size to set ...

I understand Lee. I have read your wonderful post on the tests with LeFranc. I mixed them after talking with Noel Weber who I knew had done some of this kind of application. I screened it on reverse glass and used my dehydrator to reduce humidity. It did not dry clear, but had more of a milky cast t...

I have a pretty fresh (less than 1 yr) can of LaFranc 3-hr. It looks beautiful and flows nice and smooth. And almost never dries to tac in anything under 12 hours. It appears to be really sensitive to humidity, and to some extent temperature. When I put a dehumidifier near it I can get it to tac in ...

Another thing to consider, in addition to what Larry has laid out, is the type of substrate you will sandblast. Metal. glass, wood, plastic, tile, granite, rock of various ilk, etc. are all common and used for sandblasting. The substrate can have a big impact on your equipment needs from forklifts t...

Ya think maybe he's been in the saloon? Looks like the kinda place that swallows up a fella. I bet that sign blinds em on the way in an they can't find the door out ... not that they'd wanna leave ....

very nice sign by the kid. especially like the crackle finish

Finally got around to finishing the Cal-Oro butterfly. It took me a while because I became absorbed in finishing this dragon which was in flight during the Conclave. So, here is a picture of the dragon; carved and gilded kanji (Power and Chaos), Demar varnish with screen ink coloring and backed with...

Finally got around to finishing the Cal-Oro butterfly. It took me a while because I became absorbed in finishing this dragon which was in flight during the Conclave. So, here is a picture of the dragon; carved and gilded kanji (Power and Chaos), Demar varnish with screen ink coloring and backed with...

Amen!!

You guys rock.

Rich Hawthorne.

It is just a small electric heater with a fan. I like the small one because I can easily position it in the opening of my box. Nothing special. I think it cost me $25 at a home depot or something.

Here in Oregon we have relatively high humidity and for much of the year cool temperatures. I tried numerous times to glue chip in that condition but it just did not work well. So, bought a dehumidifier and put a little heater in place with the glass partially enclosed in a cardboard box. Works like...

A couple more pictures. First up the the sign some fella's made for Daine. As noted by Blake, we also did this cool little piece. My attempt now hangs in my shop. After that, guess I'll work on the Buttlerfly! Rich

A couple more pictures. First up the the sign some fella's made for Daine. As noted by Blake, we also did this cool little piece. My attempt now hangs in my shop. After that, guess I'll work on the Buttlerfly! Rich

Wow, very nice indeed Bruce. Yep, you have very good reason to be biased. Few could do this imo. I have a quick question on the brightline with the dots. You mentioned everything was hand painted so that includes the brightline as well? I am thinking it would be very hard, if not impossible, to scre...

Hey Rob, great to see you again.

Best

Rich Hawthorne

Indeed, very fine piece. Great to see your work Charlie.

Very nice Charlie. Looking forward to seeing that signature on it.

Nicely done. I've used W&B for years and enjoy working with Urban and Urban Jr. What a great tradition in their family and wonderful products for us. Thanks for posting. I too would love to do that piece for my private collection. I echo what Roderick has said.

Cheers!

Nice one Tyler. Stipple etched with variegated gold looks like to me. Is that right?

Nice shading job on the ribbon.

What kind of abrasive are you using? If it is anything other than silicon carbide it is probably dull and hence not cutting well (i.e., quickly).

I've done it many times and normally use slow size and loose leaf rather than patent. Keep in mind that the texture of the sandblasted glass will impact the look of the gild. As Larry said, water gilding it going to be brighter but because of the sandblast texture you will not get a bright mirror fi...

I don't know anything about the L&B 3 hour, have always used Rolco. But I did a test in May 2012 with my "new" L&B 12 hour [sort of a tan label, "Mixtion (gold size) - 12 hours (lead free)" bought in 2010] against my "old" L&B 12 hour (yellow label) from '0...

Does anybody have anything different to say other than, "I haven't finished my project...and I don't know what Whitfield's talking about"? Well, I haven't finished my project but I did use the film positives to burn new screens. Since then I have gilded new glass, repaired the messed up s...