Kumboo and burnishing tools

Question: Any of you who do Kumboo on a regular basis… Have you
ever tried using agate, hematite, or tunsten carbide burnishing
tools? I have found that 24K wants to “stick” to tool steels - so I
was considering one of these…

Brian P. Marshall
Stockton Jewelry Arts School
Stockton, CA 95207
209-477-6731 or 477-6535

Brian, I just purchased a bunch of used Jewelry books. While checking
them over, I saw a recommendation to make tools such as burnishers out
of Jade. Sounded good to me. Teresa

Brian, When using steel burnishing tools it is necessary that you
keep the burnisher from getting too hot. I took the workshop with
Komelia Okim, and she advised us to dip our burnishers in cold water
repeatedly during burnishing to avoid the problem of gold adhering to
the burnisher. She used a stone burnisher, but we all practiced
during the workshop with our regular steel burnishers and never had a
problem as we dipped them in the cold water regularly. Hopes this
helps–Alma

Question: Any of you who do Kumboo on a regular basis… Have you
ever tried using agate, hematite, or tunsten carbide burnishing
tools? I have found that 24K wants to “stick” to tool steels - so I
was considering one of these…

The Koreans complain that it sticks to the steel, (especially
polished steel), which is humorous because the last place the west
used it as a technique before it got lost was on steel, in the west
the whole point was to put it on steel. I just dip my burnisher in
water now and then while working. Charles

Charles Lewton-Brain/Brain Press
Box 1624, Ste M, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2L7, Canada
Tel: 403-263-3955 Fax: 403-283-9053 Email: @Charles_Lewton-Brain

Metals info download web site:
https://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tree.cgi
Book and Video descriptions:
https://www.ganoksin.com/kosana/brain/brain.htm
Gallery page at: http://www.ganoksin.com/brain/gallery.htm

Hello Teresa, Several years ago I made burnishers out of jade, but
found that they will eventually scratch and exfoliate. I later tried
making burnishers out of agate, and they were fantastic. Will
Estavillo, http://www.natureshop-gallery.com

I once had to repolish a tool used for applying gold leaf. It was
made of two pieces of Montana moss agate mounted in the ends of a
length of turned wood about the size of a pencil. One was shaped much
like a jewellers metal burnishing tool and the other was a sock-like
shape with a 45 degree angle and a shortened “foot” section with a
very blunt rounded “toe”. I was fascinated by the tool, polished all
the scratches out and was told that it worked much better. Perhaps
these are available commercially - or someone in your local lapidary
club might be able to make one up for you reasonably. Regards, Karen

Companies which deal in gold leaf products sell agate burnishers in a
host of configurations. I just bought one but haven’t tried it yet.
Glad to know they work so well.

Rene Roberts

A great collection of agate burnishers may be found at Sepp Leaf
Products on Park Ave. in New York City. …as well as a huge variety
of different colors and karats of gold leaf from several different
countries. Don’t know if they have a catalogue of the
burnishers…they probably do. Elizabeth

Burnishing tools are available through
Sepp Leaf Products, Inc
381 Park Avenue South
NY NY 10016
212.683.2840
212.725.0308 fax
1.800.971.7377 orders

They offer 74 burnishers in many sizes and styles. Prices from $21.50
to 78.50 most in the $30 to $50 range. These are Feb '98 prices.

If another style is desired please contact me and I can create it for
you. Complete with handle and ferrule. In agate or hematite. Marcus
Amshoff

Does anyone know of a source for gold leaf other than Sepp Leaf?
Just so I can compare pricing. My instinct is that with their
address, their prices must be relatively high. Thanks
Shael

I would’nt mind having one of those. In the jewelery trade, we used
to use agate burnishers for working with platinum. Some suppliers,
like Giesswein (old trade supplier) carry carbide burnishers now for
the same purpose. I suppose those would work well for Kumboo.

Shael, I use a lot of gold leaf in my hot glass work. I buy it in
packages of 20 books from a company called Easy Leaf Products. They
are in the L.A. area, 1-800-569-5323. I’ve been buying from them for
about 5 years and have always been happy with their service. Sometimes
they’ve come down in their package prices if I’ve told them of a
competitor’s lower price. They offer gold from a number of countries
and manufacturers, in a variety of karats and colors, as well as
silver, palladium, and composition leaf. They also have the agate
burnishers, although their catalogue only lists 37 shapes. Current
catalogue prices on those are $23 - $41.

I haven’t shopped around a whole lot, but their prices have always
seemed to me to be at least as good as the other sources I’ve known
about. There has been some inconsistency in the weight/handling
ability of some of the brands of gold leaf that I’ve bought. When I
haven’t liked something, however, they’ve been more than happy to
exchange it for something else, even months after I’ve purchased it.

Since this question is under the Keum-Boo thread, I should add that
this company doesn’t carry the heavier gold foil that enamelists use,
and that we’ve been talking about for use in Keum-Boo.

Rene Roberts

    Does anyone  know of a source for gold leaf other than Sepp
Leaf? Just so I can compare pricing.  My instinct is that with their
address, their prices must be relatively high.  

I purchase mine from Daniel Smith, an Artist’s Catalogue,
1-800-426-6740, 4150 First Avenue South, PO Box 84268, Seattle, WA
98124-5568. I am also curious to see how their price stacks up. I
first started buying leaf from them for Manuscript Illuminations. They
sell 22KY in packs of 25 sheets 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" for $43.20. Nowhere in
the catalogue or on the package does it say what thickness. They also
carry aluminum, silver, copper, and some interesting variegated
leafs, as well as a complete supplies for water gilding: agate
burnishers ($30-$70), gilders clay, sizing, gilder’s knife, gilder’s
brushes, and rabbitskin glue.

I know that may not directly apply to kumboo, but I am a great
believer in the theory that you cannot have too many sources. Hope it
helps somebody somewhere someday. From sunny AZ,

Epaul Fischer
Gryphon Song Creations

Hi Shael, Pearl Paint has a pretty good selection of gold leaf
…there’s a branch on Canal Street here in Manhattan and one on Rte
17 in NJ somewhere ! Alison

Hi Shael, the NJ Pearl Paint is just north of Paramus on the south
bound side of 17. And they really do have a good selection of both
gold leaf & guilding tools. Hank