Ohhhh.....Shiny!!!

This isn't a great photo. I looked down while getting the blog entry started and this is what I saw.....My index and middle finger have many, many jab marks in from sewing needles.....No. Not from the rug. Those jab marks are on the other hand, ring finger. These are from an experiment that I am doing to remodel the steering wheel cover of my car. Don't ask. Just another harebrained scheme. (It's working so far...)

Then there is the red iron oxide paint and even a piece of gold leaf, stuck to my little finger....There will be a slight pause while I go get cleaned up. This photo was not staged in any way. This is the normal state of my hands.

"This is NOT gold! It's ugly red!" That was Tessie in complaint mode this morning. She wouldn't let the gold leaf thing go.

I grabbed a House of Miniatures kit for a couple of tiny tables/candle stands and put them together this morning. They were the simplest things that I could find upon which to use the Midas Touch.

I had to do the whole process with Tessie looking over my shoulder, arguing with every step. "Where's the gold?"

First you have to put an undercoat on the piece. It's usually red iron oxide or something similar.

Next, you have to put the size on. That's the glue that holds the gold leaf in place. It has to be on there for at least an hour before you can start leafing.....Somehow I question that part. The stupid gold won't stick to it until it has dried for an hour. It will stick to my hand if I get a bit of adhesive on my little finger. But on the table? No way. No how.

The table on the left is one that I had just sized. The one on the right is dry and ready for leafing.
To do the leafing, I pick up pieces of the leaf with a small stiff brush. I lay the leaf on the table and pounce it down into the size with the brush. Where the leaf overlaps, it won't stick and it is easily brushed away.

Sometimes you will have spots that absolutely won't take the leaf on the first try. Then you have to go back, brush with size, wait an hour and do it again.

These tables are not as fancy as the one that Judy did. The process was fairly fast to this point.

I will let them sit for twenty four hours. Then I will do a bit of antiquing and a protective coat over the top.

I am hoping that these two tables will be enough to satisfy Tessie. If not, she gets to do the next batch. She went through the process completely unscathed. Not one bit of gold on her when I finished. I, on the other hand, was picking tiny pieces of gold out of my hair and from between my toes.

The two tables only took about half a sheet of gold leaf. At least the stuff goes a long way.

I am going to go in with tweezers and clean up now. Remind me not to breath.....

See you tomorrow.