How do you gold leaf translucent handles?

M

MT Borg

Joined
Jun 14, 2007
Messages
224
I have noted here that with the artificial (or real) tortoise shell scales that gold leafing is applied the back side of the scale highlighting the lighter colors. As the gold leaf seems to be fragile, how do you get the gold leaf to adhere and then have the scale adequately stick to the metal handle.

Would one be better off mixing the (imitation) gold dust stuff with epoxy? Thank you for all replies.
 
A most common approach a few years back was simply to use gold foil paper, and yes it was the real inexpensive stuff that is often seen at Christmas time. By the way real tortoise shell is illegal to be used. Frank
 
Gold foil ( really it is brass) is placed behind the simulated shell as a reflector.

True gold leaf is applied by first putting a sticky coating on the surface, called sizing, and then placing pieces of thin gold leaf sheet on the sizing and burnishing them on by rubbing. When we say thin, we really mean thin. Leafing sheets are around 1/10,000 of a mm thick.
 
MT…… I use real 23kt gold leaf as a backing under translucent horn scales on folding knives. I tried some traditional sizings, but found them to be a "weak link" in the handle scale / liner connection. After applying the gold leaf to the underside of the horn scale with sizing, I then epoxied the scale to the nickel silver liner. Prior to pinning, the horn could be easily popped off the liner, leaving the gold epoxied on the liner. So I now use a thin coating of epoxy as the sizing (I always pin the handle material to the liners as well, with or without gold backing)

I read somewhere that the old Sheffield makers used to just lick the back of the scale and slap on the leaf! They also didn't use any glues between the scales and the liners.

Here's a photo of one of my knives. In the sunlight the gold really shines through.

J

JDWARE KNIVES

 
Wow Jeff, that looks fantastic!

Interesting way you pinned the shield. Never seen it done that way, but it looks nice. What steel did you use?
 
I have found that using one of the "It looks like gold plating" spray paints works well behind materials like celluloid. You know- the paints with the shiny caps. The actual paint looks nothing like the can caps, but it works extremely well for coating translucent materials.
 
Strigamort said:
Wow Jeff, that looks fantastic!

Interesting way you pinned the shield. Never seen it done that way, but it looks nice. What steel did you use?
Click to expand...

Thanks Strigamort. I make the shields from old silver coins - usually early 20th century Mexican 10 centavos, sometimes US Mercury or Roosevelt dimes. They're pinned through the liners before the knife is assembled - the pins are ground flush inside the liner, and domed over on the shield side (helps hold the handle material in place, too) The steel is 440C

J

JDWARE KNIVES
 
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