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Home > Woodturning Tips Precious Metal Leaf, Adding Decorative Embellishments
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Woodturning Tips - Precious Metal Leaf, Adding Decorative Embellishments by Steven Russell
Overview
Decorative embellishments have taken the woodturning world by storm in the last few years. These decorative effects may include metal leafing, carving of the surface, colouring work, inlays with crushed stone, inlays with gemstones and precious metals, deconstruction of the finished form, patination, segmented forms and more. Long gone are the days when woodturnings were considered only as functional items for the home or workshop. Artistic and highly embellished woodturnings have raised the bar for woodturners as a whole, catapulting the art form into new and greater heights. One of the easiest embellishments you can add to your woodturnings to change the visual and tactile quality of the surface, is decorative metal leaf.
Types Of Metal Leaf
The process of applying delicate metal sheets to the surface of an object is known as metal leafing, or gilding and dates back to around 2500 B.C. There are numerous precious metal leaf materials available including gold, silver and platinum. Due to the high cost of genuine precious metal leaf, composite metal alloys are available that are difficult to distinguish from the more expensive genuine metals. These inexpensive alloys allow everyone the opportunity to use metal leaf on their woodturnings.
Metal Leafing Tips
Metal leaf can be applied to the interior and exterior of turned decorative pieces. Dyes can also be used in conjunction with the metal leaf.Metal leaf should not be used on the surfaces of any woodturning designed for food storage.A sizing or adhesive is required to make the metal leaf stick to the desired area. This can be easily brushed, or sprayed on and allowed to dry until tacky. The sizing should never be allowed to fully dry. If the sizing fully dries, the metal leaf will not stick to it.Once the sizing has dried to a tacky state, the metal leaf can be gently applied to the treated surface with a static leafing brush, or by hand.The metal leaf will only stick to areas treated with the sizing, therefore when applying the sizing to the surface of your woodturning, make sure the desired areas are fully covered.The metal leaf sheets are very fragile and must be handled carefully. Broken pieces, or leftover scraps should be saved as these can be used to leaf small areas, or to fill in textured areas.
Applying The Metal Leaf
When applying the metal leaf, do not have drafts or other wind blowing around your work area. This will make application of the metal leaf onto the surface much easier.A small soft brush, or burnishing cloth is useful for flattening the leaf on the surface after application. Be careful to apply the brush very lightly to the surface to prevent damage to the metal leaf.Once application of the metal leaf has been completed, allow the surface to fully dry. Lightly brush the surface to remove any unsecured leaf and prepare the surface for the sealer coating.A sealer is necessary to protect the metal leaf and should be applied when the surface has fully dried. The length of time necessary for the sizing to fully dry will vary, according to the product used, temperature in your workshop and the underlying substrate.Experiment with various colours of leaf on your woodturnings for the best visual effect. There is a new variegated leaf available that features a multi-coloured appearance, adding to the visual beauty of the leafing.
Closing Thoughts
The application of precious metal leaf to a turned surface imparts a touch of elegance to your work that is easy to achieve. If the genuine precious metal leaf is not within your budget, many types of inexpensive man-made composite metal leaf are available that will allow to you achieve the same look for a lot less money. Metal leafing allows unlimited artistic freedom in its application and use and is an easy skill to master.
About the Author
Steven Russell is a professional artist, demonstrator and writer. His studio, Eurowood Werks specializes in hand turned bowls, platters and hollow forms with unique visual and tactile treatments. Steve's website, Woodturning Videos Plus, http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com offers educational DVD videos and eBooks for woodturners of all skill levels. To learn more about woodturning, visit his resource library at http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/education-articles.html which offers tips and tricks to master the art of woodturning.
In addition to his studio work, Steve frequently writes educational articles for international woodturning magazines, which are published in more than 75 countries around the world. As a highly sought after demonstrator, he has performed more than 1,760 woodturning demonstrations throughout the United States in the last eleven years.
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