Silver leaf suggestions

[juji]

I have just recently purchased my first supply of silver leaf. As it is an expensive material, I don't want to waste too much on trial and error beads.
I have made some silvered ivory stringer and played with that but I am looking for ideas on how to use the silver to get the best results.
Yesterday I made a bead with transparent light aqua, rolled it in silver and added more aqua. The silver disappeared!!!! :oops:
Any suggestions about using silver leaf would be much appreciated.

Thank you.
juji

[tt4st]

I'm thinking you got it too hot and burned it off. I use silver foil (it's heavier) and if you heat it too much after putting on the aqua - it will partially disappear.

[kramdas]

If I'm not mistaken, light trans. aqua is the color used to create a "window" through silver, meaning it is known to make silver disappear...try applying leaf to a trans. cobalt base that has been decorated with a thin rubino sringer and melted flat...burn off leaf and watch rubino react!

[RyanTheNumberImp]

After the silver is on, you cannot let the bead back into the flame. The glass you use to (quickly!) encase cannot be too hot either or you will burn off the silver.

Even after the encasing is on, if you overheat the bead it will disappear.

Its not as bad as it sounds, the heat radiating from the flame is generally enough to prevent the bead from cracking, just remember to keep it as cool as possible.

This is all assuming that you want the silver to stay intact under the glass. Melting it in for reactions is a completely different story.

[josielv]

Make sure and really burnish it onto the glass you are using! If you don't it will fly away!!
Heat up a blob of dark ivory pastel, roll it in the silver leaf, burnish it in, heat the glass back up and pull into a stringer. This get the silvered ivory most people have in organics!!

[lavendar420]

make a black base bead, roll in leaf, add a pattern of transparent colors over the silver, then melt it all in (the silver will mostly melt off). add some ivory to the mix for more fun.

[one hot beader]

Melt in the silver leaf over cobalt. then reduce it. you will get a wonderful clouded blue effect from the reduction and fuming of the silver!