QuestionHello Thomas ,
I hope you can help me , i actually design and make jewlery from homw , i wanted to learn how to lacquer and duip flowers for then to be able to use them as pendants .I really dont know how to start , where to look .I want to find a way to do this from home can you please help me ?
Thank you very much
AnswerHi, Nadine.
Since you mentioned gold dipping, I assume you want to plate the flowers with gold.
If you are wanting to electroplate on flowers, you will need to do what is called electroforming. The following links help. The second one does tell something about the process.
ELECTROFORMING KIT FOR GLASS BEAD MAKERS..perhaps flowers
http://www.glassdiversions.com/electroforming/ef_kit.html
The kit shown above is for small projects but should work just as well for a small floral items.
Better equipment is much more costly, as seen in this page:
http://www.shorinternational.com/model.htm#Electroformer
As you can read at the page of the previous link, the process is not totally simple and not without costs. : ) Essentially, you are coating the flower with a electrical conducting layer. This layer is then covered with a gold plate to make a gold flower which look like the original. To save on gold use, generally a plate of copper is used first to add strength then just enough gold to provide the color needed.
If you simply want to coat and preserve the flowers in a form suitable for a pendant, I am sorry but I have no experience with this. My work is almost all with metals and mixed medias but so far not with any form of floral or plant preservation of this sort.
Sorry, I so wish I could help but do not have that knowledge.
Thanks for asking. God Bless and Peace. Thomas.
August 28,2008
