On Dec 11, 9:29 am, Ecnerwal
wrote:
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.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

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.