In article
,
Nancy2 wrote:

Sorry to jump in here without any history in the group, but does
anyone know if the process to make leaves permanent (veins of real
leaves are made semi-transparent through a filigree process-they are
dipped in liquid metal and every leaf vein becomes visible) is one of
those dangerous-chemical-bath-metal-process things that the ordinary
lay crafter can't do at home?

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.

--
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