Gold Leaf Recovery

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Farideh

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2021
Messages
5
Location
Portland, Oregon
Hello, I am Ceramic Potter. I recently received several Gold Leaf books (very old, 24 ct, guessing 60-70 yrs) for use in my ceramic work from a friend. First, leafs would not separate from its sheets, and even after difficult process of gilding, they failed to adhere to the surface (low temperature kiln run to cone 018). Is there any way of recovering and using them Or are they no longer usable?
 
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If the gold leaf is stuck to the laminates, something was either spilled on them or the laminates have molded. It sounds like scrap to me. The gold leaf are so fragile that they will tear with the least amount of pressure. I can't think of anything that will loosen the gold. In my understanding, gold leaf is prepared and shipped on a type of paper vellum. The vellum used actually has more value than the gold leaf it contains. The vellum is rice paper that has been treated with lye and persimmon juice. I imagine that over time, decomposition may cause the vellum to degrade and release some kind of protein that may stick to the gold. I don't think it will be salvageable as gold leaf. The link is a youtube video on how gold leaf is produced.
 
Hello, I am Ceramic Potter. I recently received several Gold Leaf books (very old, 24 ct, guessing 60-70 yrs) for use in my ceramic work from a friend. First, leafs would not separate from its sheets, and even after difficult process of gilding, they failed to adhere to the surface (low temperature kiln run to cone 018). Is there any way of recovering and using them Or are they no longer usable?
No
The only way I have found to release gold foil from paper is with Hcl..Place it Au side down and drip the Hcl on the paper. The paper will break loose and float. Then comes the process of removing the paper without breaking up the foil. Good luck, it's a very difficult and fragile process. You will always have a degree of paper pulp that you just cant get out. If you try the, foils will fall apart and turn into a gold glitter mixed in with a bunch of pulp
 
No
The only way I have found to release gold foil from paper is with Hcl..Place it Au side down and drip the Hcl on the paper. The paper will break loose and float. Then comes the process of removing the paper without breaking up the foil. Good luck, it's a very difficult and fragile process. You will always have a degree of paper pulp that you just cant get out. If you try the, foils will fall apart and turn into a gold glitter mixed in with a bunch of pulp
Thank you! I will give it a try.
 
In pottery and ceramics gold paints are commonly used to gild the items, we treated quite a lot many years ago, gold leaf tends to be used where heat can’t be used to fuse the gold onto the item.
 
If you think you have leaf sheets, or maybe 2-3 stuck together, and you're interested in jewelry work, look up keum-boo. It's a Korean process to attach gold leaf to fine silver--it uses gentle heat and an agate burnisher.
 
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