Real leaves dipped in metal

"William Noble" wrote:I believe this is a casting process, not a plating process = put leaves in a

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Bill, what you are describing is certainly possible, but I don't think it's what the OP is after. It would produce a casting of the entire leaf. I have seen leaves that have had only the membranes removed, with the skeleton remaining. If this were then sprayed with a conductive coating and plated, I think it would produce the result the OP wants: a leaf skeleton in gold.

I believe the "filigree process" is biological, i.e. rotting, (or retting to sound fancy

) I recall doing this as a child, we soaked leaves in water for some time (don't remember how long, days certainly, maybe weeks, this not a one afternoon project) then gently rubbed off the gunk. We stopped there, but the leaf could them be coated with conductive coating and plated like Leo said, (probably not a "lay crafter" project) or they could be coated with a thin bodied "metallic" paint.

"Bob's my cat" fired this volley in news:31665795- snipped-for-privacy@e10g2000prf.googlegroups.com:

'tis. The leaves are fermented in an airtight damp press, similar to the Cavendish process for tobacco. Then they are layed out damp on a slightly resilient surface and "pounced" with a sparse-but-stiff bristle brush to remove the membranes between the veins, similar to how you'd do stenciling.

After careful drying - again in a press - they're painted or plated as desired.

LLoyd

This is a process called "lost wax" casting. The leaf is carefully cast into a plaster mold. Heated until the leaf is burned out and molten metal (silver, gold, bronze) is applied by a centrifugal casting machine. The fragility of the leaf makes the initial molding somewhat difficult, but with practice the result are repeatable. Simplified explanation. Google "Lost Wax".

-M

There is a crafts fair where someone sells jewelry based on this. I can't think of the name of the crafter, but it can be done.

Let me be clear. The leaves are metalicized, and you can see the main veins. It's more of a coating, and not a process that dissolves the non-vein parts.

Each item is unique (it's not a lost wax process).

The ones that I am familiar with are electroplated. Getting the original object to take the initial plating is one problem, doing a decent job on the plating as a whole and stopping at the correct point is another problem. Some of the solutions are fairly nasty, especially if going for gold plating, as far as I recall. Not unfeasible to do at home, but quite possibly more trouble than it's worth to do at home, considering all factors - toxicity of solutions, hazardous waste disposal, fume ventilation, etc. You'd want a dedicated locked space so children and pets can't get into stuff.

What the OP is looking for is vacuum metallization.

Thanks to everyone for the information; I agree that it isn't a lost wax process, as I'm familiar with that. Maybe I'll have to save this type of project for my retirement. ;-)

Thanks again! Y'all are very helpful. Now if someone would turn off the ice machine here in Iowa, I'd be happy. LOL.

N.

Plating small objects at home, except for chrome, need not be either difficult nor any more hazardous than some common household chemicals.

There are non-cyanide processes that work very well for zinc, copper, nickel, silver and gold. Environmentally-responsible disposal is possible. Instructions and materials for safe and responsible disposal are provided. Small objects can be plated in an enamel pot, plastic bucket or glass container. I use pyrex beakers because the shape works well.

There are no fumes, again excepting chrome.

Caswell's stuff comes with excellent instructions. It's no more difficult than cooking. It isn't cheap, but it definitely works and is capable of excellent results.

I'm not a shill for Caswell, just a satisfied customer for some years now. I don't do chrome. That is indeed nasty stuff.

chemicals.www.caswellplating.com

Thanks for the input, Don. I appreciate it. The project with leaves requires (for my use) that they be "stripped" of all the leaf material that is not vein, before coating. I think that's the sticking part here.

N.