Copper Leaf

Sheila D. · #1 2009-09-03, 6:52pm

Okay,I'll admit it... I'm a newbie. I was trying to use copper leaf and all it did was turn a gunmetal gray. What's the deal? I tried it on a couple different colors and tried a little cooler heat too, same thing. I don't have any of my lampwork beads in my store yet, but check out some awesome beadwork jewelry at stonedesignsbysheila.etsy.com

NMLinda · #2 2009-09-03, 7:32pm

Copper will do that if you leave it un-encased. If you encase copper foil, it turns a gorgeous deep red when it cools. It won't stay copper-colored, however. I haven't used leaf, but have seen discussions in other posts that it goes into solution into the glass underneath rather readily. If you put it over an enamel layer, it turns a gorgeous blue-green.

Thing about copper is that it releases toxic fumes when heated to lampworking temperatures. You'll want to be sure you have superb ventilation when you use it, and maybe wear a good respirator in addition.

Linda

crystalflipz · #3 2009-09-03, 8:55pm

Put it over opal yellow and then etch it. It's like night and day - what goes in and what comes out of your etching solution.
If you can find copper mesh or copper tubing, it will turn a lovely red when encased.
Opal yellow with copper foil and pale ivory stringer etched

Copper core with dichro and clear

Kalera · #4 2009-09-03, 10:21pm

I put it on white and then boil it for a lovely mottled turquoise.

Sheila D. · #5 2009-09-04, 7:46am

Thanks for the info. I was hoping to get a true copper color,oh well!

clan tabby · #6 2010-09-22, 8:32am

Bumping this thread. Is there no way, then, to get copper color, or even reddish, out of copper foil or leaf? When I tried it, it instantly turned charcoal when I rolled & burnished it onto bead. When I encased it, I got some bubbles, but was still left with charcoal smudge.

Anyone have any ideas how to get copper color out of copper (or anything else, for that matter)?

Moth · #7 2010-09-22, 10:25am

Copper leaf will turn to ashy looking paper when you apply it to the bead. That is just what it does, you aren't doing anything wrong.

If you roll your base bead in any color of enamel (but white is best), melt that in, then reheat it to pick up the copper leaf, burnish the copper leaf as best you can into the enamel, then boil it pretty good and encase it you will end up with beautiful mottled 'copper green' speckles. It really is a lovely effect.

As far as getting copper colored shiny metal in a bead from leaf you use silver foil on a non-reactive base (ie dark ivory would be a bad choice, sky blue would be better...something that doesn't react with silver) then encase it with medium topaz or a similar dark amber color the silver leaf will take on the color of the encasement and look coppery.

If you take actual pieces of copper, like mesh or thin sheet metal cut into shapes, get it glowing hot, let the glow just barely fade and encase it quickly with screaming hot clear it will show that beautiful cranberry color people have posted here.

You can't get shiny copper foil color from shiny copper foil. Sorry!

Good luck and have fun.
~~Mary

philomena · #8 2010-09-22, 12:18pm

I'm sorry, but I need to say it.
Please don't burn Copper foil without an excellent ventilation system.

The copper compounds you generate by excessive heat are very very dangerous.

When you ask around many beadmakers (without ventilation) that worked with Copper foil talk about paroxysmal dyspnoea. It feels like have an asthma attack.

Kathrin

MelanieG · #9 2010-09-22, 12:36pm

To add to Mary's comment about encasing silver foil, you can also get silver foil to turn a coppery colour if you encase it with Light Brown Transparent, Pale Green Apple, Straw Yellow or Mojito. There are probably other colours that work, too, but these are the ones I know.

clan tabby · #10 2010-09-22, 1:09pm

Thanks for all the input! I've been playing at getting gold out of silver foil using tsp. uranium yellow, so I guess it's time to play with other transparents. For some reason I never get as stressed out encasing with colored transparents as when I'm using clear, maybe it feels more "playful" & less "serious", so this sounds like a fun idea.

Kathrin, thanks for the warning. I'm extra careful when I'm using metals, but I really did not like how the copper turned to black ash; it looked downright unhealthy!

Ok, lunch break is over; back to the torch!

Sheila D. · #11 2010-09-22, 1:11pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by clan tabby

Bumping this thread. Is there no way, then, to get copper color, or even reddish, out of copper foil or leaf? When I tried it, it instantly turned charcoal when I rolled & burnished it onto bead. When I encased it, I got some bubbles, but was still left with charcoal smudge.

Anyone have any ideas how to get copper color out of copper (or anything else, for that matter)?

Boy...I was surprised when I saw this thread! I still haven't used copper foil very much since then,but my favorite copper color is dense Goldstone.I make my own,much better than the stringer you buy.It is a true copper color,not gold.I was searching for this look because I use alot of antiqued copper metal in my jewelry.

DesertDreamer · #12 2010-09-22, 2:07pm

One more thing (and sorry, I don't have a pic). If you do the leaf-over-enamel method, cook it until you see the blue-green develop, then trail rubino stringer over it, the rubino turns a really lovely shade of purple-y garnet.

essiemessy · #13 2011-02-23, 4:34pm

I bought some copper foil, too, without really finding out what could be done with it. No matter - it's a heavy enough gauge to use in other artwork if I ever get time

I had a go at this yesterday, cooking the snot out of a strip of foil wrapped on plain white. I only encased half the bead to see how the colours would be. The encasing is sooty, only because I didn't get out of 'boiling the glass' mode before adding the clear, which is from my nasty clear stash anyway..

There are possibilities with this, but I'm not quite sure what to do next. I'm quite happy to just sit on the idea for a while - at least until I get more proficient and knowledgable about the different glasses themselves.
I do like the colours that came from this melt tho, I have to say

scoutycat · #14 2011-02-25, 10:00pm

You actually can get shiny copper cased in glass, but afaik it's kind of a crap shoot. Your copper needs to be clean & *never* touch the flame. You can't really clean leaf without destroying it, so you need to use foil, wash it in something (salt or baking soda in water, etc.). PUt it on a marver or something, and drop a gather on it & then case the other side. I don't know how to get consistent results ( i suspect it's mostly a matter of getting the copper really clean - if I was interested enough to bother I would try pickling) , but this will work sometimes.

SadiesJewels · #15 2011-02-25, 10:33pm

I have some interesting copper leaf scroll beads ... well I like them anyway!

I'll see if I can find them ... first search didn't do it.

Kevan · #16 2011-02-25, 10:40pm

I like to use the copper and silver together. First the copper with the silver over it. Heat the copper until the leaf disappears and it's all sparkly in under the flame then put some silver over that and it goes all bluey greeny.

Uh...except where I did it the exact opposite way, silver first, copper on top in spots.

Same here. This is Silver Cinnamon and Raku frit wrapped in silver foil and then some touches of copper leaf. You get a more verdigris color than when you use it with enamel.

This is turquoise with white enamel wrapped with the copper leaf.

You just have to cook the bleeding hell out of it.