Try Kevlar gloves, light or medium weight. You can get them from
suppliers like MSC and Grainger, both on the net. Mine ran about $2.50
US a pair from MSC. You can pick up items up to about 800oF with them
for a moment or so, just don’t do it with wet gloves as then you steam
your hands…
and
Charles
Charles Lewton-Brain
Box 1624, Ste M, Calgary, Alberta, T2P 2L7, Canada
I’ve been doing kumboo for a few years now. I tried using the hot
plate but found the heat too aversive. I now use the tripod method.
Using the torch from below gives good control for heating the piece
properly and allows time to burnish each gold piece carefully. Gloves
aren’t necessary. Keep dipping your burnisher in water to prevent
sticking to the gold. Frances
Visit me or “beam me up” at:
http://members.toast.net/frangro//index.html
Hello again - btw - To clarify my comment of holding the piece with
the gloves - I was referring to the Kevlar or the race car gloves.
Frances - you were one step ahead of my next round of experimentation!
I’m glad to hear the torch works well for you. Komelia heated her
larger raised vessels with the torch - and I was thinking to go that
route for the smaller work also, instead of the hot plate way. It
seems the benefit of the hot plate is that it allows the heat to
continue with a constant temperature while burnishing. I would think
that the heat would hold in the larger pieces (after putting the torch
aside to do the burnishing) longer than with smaller work. However -
it is worth experimenting with and one can go back and forth with the
torch as needed to keep the smaller work at the right temp for
burnishing. And yes, water dip for the burnisher is essential.
Cynthia