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The process here is called Keum-boo, the application of 24karat gold foil onto fine silver under high heat which causes the gold to actually bond with the silver. Too little heat and time and the gold flakes off, too much and it absorbs completely into the silver and almost disappears.
Preparing the gold foil to apply to the fine silver.
The first piece on the open kiln, it's a good thing to do on a cold day. This is an agate burnisher. You can use a regular burnishing tool but the gold tends to bond to the metal when it gets hot.
The gold has been burnished down into the fine silver, you've got to carefully get into the whole design, any pieces left unattached will be brushed off.
A bunch of finished pieces. This process anneals the fine silver and makes it very soft again so it either needs to be tumbled or work hardened. I use a delrin hammer and bench block, they don't move the metal.
Cool huh?
This has been a wild day for weather, big winds, blue sky and then hail, snow flurries blowing sideways and finally back to a very cold (for California) clear day.
Two more days to the ocean.
Peace to you and yours
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