Add Gold To Silver Jewelry With Keum Boo
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- Recommended Tools & Supplies:
Safety Glasses (w/ magnification);
Gold Foil For Klum Boo;
Agate Burnishers;
Hot Plate;
Gum Tragacanth;
Applicator Bottle (Needle Tip);
Brass Brush;
Tweezer;
Manicure Set; and,
Tungsten Carbide Tipped Burnisher
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In this video, Prof. John Ahr of the Online Jewelry Academy introduces viewers to the Korean technique of Keum Boo or the permanent application of high karat gold foil to sterling silver without solder. This is a simple way for jewelry designers at any level, to incorporate gold into their designs. Adding a bit of gold can highlight a design element while commanding a higher price for the piece of jewelry.
The sterling silver object you intend to Keum Boo can be either cast or fabricated. But, before you start, you must frost the surface of the item. That means that you must raise a layer of fine silver on the object through depletion plating. The OJA has a video on how to frost sterling silver in its playlist.
To perform this technique you will need two burnishers. In the video you will see Prof. Ahr use both an agate and a tungsten burnisher. You will also need to make a natural glue using a small amount of distilled water and a pinch of gum tragacanth. Various tools required for performing this technique are: a hot plate, sharp scissors, a brass brush, tweezers, and a paint brush. Additionally, you will also need high karat gold foil. All of the aforementioned items can be purchased from most online jewelry supply companies. Be sure to look for the best price.
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Great demo video on the Keum-boo technique! As one who incorporates Keum-boo in nearly all the work I do, I thought I would share some of my insights I arrived from some experience and experimentation. Firstly, if you want to experiment a lot, I would suggest starting with 24K gold leaf. The 23.5K gold foil supplied by Rio is a very nice material to work but at $8/square inch, it’s also a tad expensive. 24K Gold leaf may be considerably thinner, but it’s also effective in applying durable gold highlights to silver pieces. At just $0.15/square inch, it’s very economical so you can experiment a lot with your technique and get better results! The biggest advantage to using the thicker gold is you can cut/form specific shapes; 24K gold will result in a more “organic” highlights. Here are a few more notes from working and experimenting with Keum-boo:
*24K gold and gold leaf can be applied to 925 sterling and 935 Argentium silver without depletion-gilding fine silver on the surface. Using 23.5K gold might be tarnishing slightly with heat and impeding fusing the gold to the surface of non-frosted silver. You can also apply multiple layers of 24K gold leaf to silver, resulting in a more durable and deeper gold coloration. The color is deeper because often thinner gold leaf will partially diffuse into the surface of the silver.
* The application of even heat is pretty critical to getting a strong bonding of the gold. When the silver is too cool, the gold does not bond well, and may peel off in parts, later. When the silver gets a little too hot, the gold may completely diffuse into the surface, producing a lighter alloy which doesn’t tone as much. This is Electrum or “white gold”, which can be an interesting effect too. Applying gold to highly curved pieces is also tricky, but putting bent copper under the piece to conduct heat more evenly helps. It also helps in consistent heating to use a “hot plate” surface that is one piece, vs. a coiled heating element.
*You can also bond 24K gold wire to silver using this method. I like to hammer out the wire partially so it has a wider area to bond more evenly. Very tiny bits of 24K wire can be hammered out very thin (8-12 microns), yet still very easy to handle and apply to silver with heat. You can get gold dots and other shapes that add detail to your work.
*Burnishing: sometimes a lot of burnishing can result in marks that are later difficult to polish out around the gold, especially if you don’t want to remove any gold to the piece. Try using pressure with tight, circular strokes instead of long strokes which leave burnishing marks across the surface; in some cases this will achieve a cleaner final result.
Thanks for sharing your detailed comments about the Keum boo process. I'm sure that many of the OJA's viewers appreciate your detailed descriptions as they relate to your experience with the process.
Thanks for your support! : )
Thanks John. Not trying to upstage your demo with my details...it's just that gold leaf is a great (cheap) way to experiment with the technique...
Thank you Big John!!!
I call you Big John, because of your Big Heart ,Talent and Teaching Skills. Thank you, Cory
Thank you John.
Hands down the best teacher!!
Awe shucks! Thanks for the nice compliment.
Thanks for your support! : )
Great tutorial, nicely presented, thanks.
You are terrific. Thank you for the excellent lesson
Another super video :-) Thanks so much. I've got all the equipment for keum boo and I really must pull out all stops to do the job. I think you've given me the incentive I needed :-)
Oh Hilary! You've made me so happy today. I love it when I can inspire another creative person to challenge themselves to make something beautiful.
Thanks for your support! : )
Just after watching your video I remembered that I have a strip of reticulated silver that I am going to make into a ring. It is still flat and I'm going to put some gold onto it before shaping it. I was going to use gold size but the obvious way to do it is keum boo. I've watched your video on reticulating silver and also the one on depletion gilding. What would I do without you? :-)
You're too sweet Hilary. I've never used keum boo on reticulation silver before wrinkling it. You'll have to let me know how it turns out.
I am really happy to say that today I did my first successful attempt at keum boo using the information from your video, Prof. Ahr. I took copious notes from the video, assembled all the equipment plus two circles of fine silver and, keeping the pieces of gold foil small, I added pieces to a lightly textured surface. I used a gold foil that is recommended for enamellers, not the gold leaf that I use for water gilding which is 23.5 carat gold. The enamelling foil is thicker and easier to handle. I am going to try gilding the reticulated strip of silver next, now that I've got used to working with a hot plate!
That's great news Hilary. I'm so glad that you achieved success in your studio. Thanks for letting me know.
I've always wanted to try Keum Boo but was somewhat intimidated. You make everything so simple to understand. Thanks. I am working on reinventing my designs. The Keum Boo might just do the trick.
Hi Claudia, I'm glad that the video has inspired you to up your game with a little bit of gold. It's easy. I'm sure your projects will turn out great.
Thanks for your support! : )
As practitioner of Tae Kwon Do I visited Korea may years ago, with my interest in Jewellery my host took me to visit a Keum -Boo artisan the items he created are truly magical, his heat sauce was special flat rock that he heated in a fire,and cut the gold with a knife one example was adding gold to fish scales cutting each piece to fit
Wow! I'll bet that was a really inspiring visit. I would have loved to see how a master does it old school style. Thanks for sharing that story.
Thanks for your support! : )
Another great video - thanks! Now I have a new technique not to be afraid to try!
Hi Alice, I'm glad that the video has given you some new found courage to pursue your creative ideas.
Thanks for your support! : )
Thanks for sharing!! Great Teacher!!
I'm glad that you enjoyed the video.
Thanks for your support! : )
This is awesome. Thanks 🤙💪
I’m so glad that you liked the video. Thanks for watching! 😀
Thanks for your help mate :)
Happy to help. 😀
thats awesome pendant
Awh he's encouraging
Hello, How many times should I pickle my sterling silver pair of earrings before starting the KeumBoo process.
Is one time enough? if not should I warm the metal again after the first pickle and repeat the process a certain Number of times ? Sorry for my English as I am a French fan ....
Here is a link to a video that will help you: www.onlinejewelryacademy.com/frosting-silver-video.html
You must heat, pickle, and brass brush at least 7 times to raise the fine silver on a sterling silver piece. Thanks for watching the OJA's videos. 😀
Is the arabic glue a must? I saw the technic made without as well and I'm wondering if it really does have added value. also, I'd like to use it with oxidized silver, hoe can I oxidized after applying the gold? thank you for the great teaching and help.
I believe that the Gum Tragacanth is essential to achieving superior Keum Boo results. You can purchase it from an online gourmet supply company. When doing Keum Boo, you must apply the gold foil to a clean fine silver surface (as mentioned in the video). You oxidize the silver after you've finished applying the gold by dipping the silver piece in a solution of Liver of Sulfur. The OJA has a number of videos on depletion plating or raising fine silver and the use of Liver of Sulfur. You can find the complete OJA playlist on our website at: www.onlinejewelryacademy.com
Thanks for your support! : )
Did you wire brush after? Or can you polish ? Or tumble? I see people who say to make your own keum boo that’s thicker than store bought... so a raised texture can be seen... like a leaf, or branch. How do you feel about that? Thanks!!
Hi Huskyfluffy, I only brass brush my pieces. You don't want to polish contrasting metals because it makes them difficult to see. That may be why some folks like to make a thicker gold foil. Try it with the gold foil that's available through suppliers first and see what you think. Have fun.
Thanks for your support! : )
Hi, Can I oxidize the surface after I have added the gold? I want to darken the textured spots on my sterling and don't want it to be shiny. Thanks
Yes! It will enhance the contrast. I highly recommend it. 😀
I usually use 24 gauge sterling sheet for pendants and earrings. Is that thick enough or should I go to 22g?
It's your choice as an artist what gauge you use. Personally, I don't use 24 gauge very often. I prefer to use a gauge that will resist bending. 😀
Thank you for shering is cool.
Glad you liked the video. Thanks for watching!😀
Thank you for sharing this video, but what is the measurement of a pinch of gum tragacanth powder and how much of distilled water I should mix with it?
About 1/8 teaspoon of gum tragacanth to about 1/4 cup of distilled water should work. Mix them a day ahead of time. 😀
@@OnlineJewelryAcademy Thank you so much for your reply. I will give it a go now. Happy Monday!
I have found some rock containing silver sulfide in the mountain, please tell me how and with what acid can I convert silver sulfide into silver metal, with what materials should I dissolve it and with what materials should I precipitate it 🙏🙏
Sorry, I can’t help you with that. But you might find a relevant video on RUclips. Good luck. 🍀
Im Korean yet I didnt know about this method until I googled fine silver bezel with gold leaf lol. So can I use this method to cover the fine silver bezel with gold foil? Thanks
NO! The heat from the hot plate will most likely crack your stone. Notice that all of the examples in the video do not have any gold foil on the stone settings. I set the stones after I finished the Keum Boo. Please refer to my other response.
Thanks for your support! : )
Can keum boo be worked on with non metal clay? Or does it have to be metal clay for it to work?
Klum Boo is the application of gold foil onto a sterling silver surface. Therefore, you must work with metal elements.
Can multiple layers be done? Can the frosted piece then be tumbled to bring the entire piece to polish like the burnished gold?
The edges of the gold foil with overlap well. But, you can't apply multiple layers to the item. You can tumble your piece. I personally prefer to burnish mine. : )
Flying Chef why can’t multiple layers be done. I personally have added layers.
Why do I need this glue? The metal bonds with the heat?
This traditional Korean technique was taught to me by the metal artist Komelia Hongja Okim. If you know an alternative way to perform Keum Boo, that's great. I learned to use the gum tragacanth to anchor the gold before burnishing it to the surface. And, I was taught not to apply layer upon layer of gold. But you are free to add as much gold to your work as you like. : )
It's interesting you learned Korean Keumboo technic but unfortunately that's not durable. I bought my grandmother silver rings nicely decorated with 24k gold long time ago but soon I found my grandmother was wearing the silver rings missing that gold decorations and I knew that was a kind of riff off since I paid much more money for those rings. Anyway, I hope somebody developed a better technic to decorate silver with gold permanently! Maybe soldering or imbedding gold into silver is more durable.
Keumboo Jane isn't intended for objects that receive a lot of wear. I wouldn't put it on a ring. Notice in the video that I used it to decorate the top surfaces of pendants. Sorry you feel like you got cheated on the rings that you gave to your Mom. She must love them if she wore them so much that she rubbed off all of the gold. You can use inlay techniques if you want to make the gold permanent on a silver surface. Good luck with your creative pursuits.
Thanks for watching!
How will it adhere to bronze? Is the process different?
The process is only intended for silver.
Thanks for your support! : )
John, how do you safely eliminate the scratches in the silver around the gold pieces, without losing the gold?
Hi Gabby, I didn't polish the piece of silver that I used for the demonstration in the video. If you work on a polished piece of silver, the burnisher won't leave any scratches behind to deal with. Besides, an slightly matte oxidized finish will help make it easier to see the gold on the piece. Play with it and see what you think.
Thanks for your support! : )
REALLY????? How can a scratch not "be' just because the metal is polished? I want to believe you, please tell me how, oh wonderful master of all thing jewelry (and others I'm sure!). Thank you thank you thank you.
Hi Gabby, The samples in the video/photos were not perfectly mirror polished before I started working with the samples. But, if you work with a highly polished burnisher (and don't make any mistakes) your project should end up without a scratch on it. I hope that answers your question.
Thanks for your support! : )
Phew! I thought there was some magic happening that I hadn't heard of before! thanks!
I think what you're seeing here is not scratching, but that the frosted surface of the silver is becoming slightly burnished where the burnisher touches it, that is becoming more shiny! This might have been more clear with higher magnification on the close-ups, moving the light around If you want to start this process with a matte finish and end with the same, you might have trouble, might have to etch one more time? The gold should be pretty resistant to pickle but I'm just guessing
Can I use steel instead of silver?
No. It won’t work. 😕
Can it be a hotplate or does it have to be a burner?
According "pijnto", you can use a heated rock to warm the metal. So, I don't think it matters if you use a coil burner or a flat hot plate. The process is probably a lot less stressful to perform on a flat surface.
Thanks for your support! : )
I am using a hotplate and it has worked very well indeed :-)
Hi Hilary, This is Don. Thank you for letting us know about the error we made on our last release. I am currently reposting a corrected version which does include that information. John got the material from an Etsy store called Raw Brass. It is in China so it might take a while to arrive after ordering. The corrected video should be up in about 30 minutes. RUclips doesn't let us modify videos very much once posted so a correction like this requires re-posting the corrected version. But I am much happier to find out about this early enough to actually fix it.
so it just can be used for silver?
Correct. The sheet metal and casting that I worked with in the video were both frosted pieces of sterling silver.
Thanks for your support! : )
LB dental, According to Charles Lewton Brain, Keumboo process can be used to attach gold to gold, steel, platinum, palladium and other gold alloys. the fact that it bonds to steel is apparent when a steel burnisher gets too hot and the gold attaches itself to the steel! There is a very interesting paper written by Charles, in the Ganoksin archives giving more detail. it is well worth reading. www.ganoksin.com/article/keum-boo-technique/
Can you polish the piece or will it come off
You can tumble the items but you cannot polish them. Polishing would wear off the gold. : )
@@OnlineJewelryAcademy thanks can you tell me what is the best way to keep silver 925 from tarnishing? i have made a cuban chain but everytime i wear it needs to be polished again
I clean my silver jewelry with a mild silver polish and thoroughly dry it before putting it back in my jewelry box. I store my silver pieces in plastic bags along with a 3M anti-tarnish strip. You can purchase them directly from the manufacturer or from most jewelry suppliers. : )
@@OnlineJewelryAcademy thanks
@@OnlineJewelryAcademy Do you tumble with steel shot?
What happens if you try to do it a second time after it’s cooled down. Will that ruin the first piece?
I think this is pretty cool. I see things like this and it makes me wonder about the first person to discover these techniques. Thanks, professor Ahr. 👍
Hi Barbara, Great question. Nothing will happen to the gold that you've already adhered if you reheat the silver to attach more gold. Just be sure that the silver surface is clean. You may need to pickle between applications. I share your curiosity about the past. I often wonder what the world was like in ancient times. I'm sure it was just as dysfunctional as it is today.
Thanks for your support! : )
What John said is true for the gold used in his demo, which is 3.6 microns thick. However, if you use thinner gold leaf like I do, the gold may completely diffuse into the silver with a second heating. Also, if you solder a piece around gold fused this way, some of it may also diffuse into the silver as well. Experiment to see what happens...
can i use gum arabic?
I have never tried to use Gum Arabic for this process. I suggest you try a little experiment. If it doesn't work, you can always start over with Gum Tragacanth. : )
@@OnlineJewelryAcademy what is the substitute for gum tragacant?
Also, here's a link to my Flickr album showing some of my Keum-boo work using 24K gold leaf: goo.gl/UtZDHu
Thanks for sharing the link to your Flickr album. It was fun to see examples of your work.
Hi there. Great video. I just wonder if it will be possible to thin 24K gold on a rolling mill such as to work for Keum Boo. Have difficulties to get adequate gold foil in my country. Gold leafs are to thin to be used. I tried it but it tears apart when planished.
Hi Josef, I have never tried to thin 24K gold down to a thickness suitable for keum boo. I'm sure it can be done. But, I'm sure that there is something to the process that I'm not completely aware of. Be sure to do your research before you start down that path. Good luck with your creative pursuits.
Thanks for your support! : )
Many thanks. I will try it out. Keep you posted on the outcome of this experiment. Best regards. Josef
I have hammered out 24K gold wire so it will attach using the Keum-boo process. But I think it's very hard to get gold sheet thin enough to be cost-effective using a simple rolling mill. When gold leaf is made, the sheets must be hammered (for a long time) between pieces of vellum to get very thin.
Thanks a lot for the suggestion. I will try out hammering.
You can read about this in old books, I think it used to be a trade by itself! Hard to imagine just doing it on the fly Rolling foil a ten-thousandth of an inch thick??!!! I don't think your roller is that good Can you roll some gold between sheets of something tough?
💝💗💖
Hi Pam, I'm Glad that you liked the video.
Thanks for your support! : )