I make a lot of silver and gold pieces with pierced designs and
have been using the same water soluble glue to glue my paper patterns
onto the metal for the last 10years. I ran out of the white Lepages
glue that I have been using and can’t seem to find it in the stores
again. I have tried 3 different water soluble glues now and none of
them will bond the paper onto the metal so the pattern doesn’t lift
while I am piercing it out. Does anyone have a glue to suggest that
works for them? This simple problem is causing me major delays in
getting my work done and I am starting to develop a collection of
useless glue that I don’t really want to have…
Why glue? Put your design on paper that has a sticky back. You can
buy a package of 8 1/2 x 11 sheets at Staples. It won’t move as you
saw around the pattern.
I do detailed piercings from paper patterns and I use rubber cement.
Just about anywhere that carries stationary should have it. Coat both
metal and paper separately, allow to them to dry, then using tweezers
position the design onto the metal. If you get it wrong no biggie,
peel it off, rub the rubber cement off and try again. When it all
over just peel off the and rub off any excess cement left.
If everything is clean when I apply the paper I rarely get the
problem with the pattern coming off while piercing, but if it does, I
just peel up that part, clean the whole area reapply glue to both
sides again and good as when first applied. This problem only happens
to me about 1 time out of 10 though.
If I’m careful I can actually reuse the patterns, I keep them for
reference.
I use two part fast drying epoxy. This seems to keep the paper from
lifting on the work. When I am finished with my pierced work I soak
the piece in Acetone to remove the glue. I have tried water based
glues as well as the instant glues and none seem to work as well
when you are doing a lot of cutting.
1st is good ole high-quality rubber cement you have to let it dry
thoroughly, though or it will slide all over
2nd, and better, is to paint the surface with white tempera (poster)
paint and allow to dry. You can then use carbon paper or even a
scribe to trace the design onto the metal. Doesn’t gunk up the
sawblade and never slides. Don’t paint it on TOO thick or it can
flake off, just a nice thin layer gives a wonderful matte paper-like
finish.
I have tried 3 different water soluble glues now and none of them
will bond the paper onto the metal so the pattern doesn't lift
while I am piercing it out. Does anyone have a glue to suggest
that works for them?
I like to use a “UHU stic” glue stick, which is available at many
art supply and stationary stores in Western Canada. I use tracing
paper, both for its design layout advantages, and because I have
found that when properly applied, the tracing paper will not lift
even during extended piercing. It is important to use a black, fine
tip waterproof pigment or archival liner pen, such as that made by
Staedler, to ensure that the ink will not smear when the glue
permeates the tracing paper. Apply the glue stick liberally to
clean, grease-free gold or silver sheet, and to the back of the
tracing paper upon which you have drawn your design.Care must be
taken at this stage, due to the fragility of the tracing paper. It
helps to use card stock as a surface upon which to apply the glue to
the back of the tracing paper, so that you can cover the entire
surface, including the edges, of the tracing paper with the
glue.Wait a few seconds to allow the glue to become slightly tacky.
Then carefully apply the glue-covered side of the tracing paper to
the glue-covered surface of the metal. Ensure there are no gaps or
wrinkles. Gently press the tracing paper to the metal with your
fingertips. Next use a perfectly smooth, hard object, such as the
bottom of a drinking glass, a printer’s brayer, or a mirror-polished
burnisher to gently and thoroughly “burnish” the paper to the metal.
Be sure to burnish down the edges of the paper. The burnishing
creates a strong bond. Wait a couple of minutes for the glue to dry,
then pierce.After piercing, I remove the remnants of the tracing
paper & glue with a citrus cleaner. (If you can’t find a citrus
cleaner at a local hardware store, use Google to search Canadian
pages for “citrus cleaner,” to locate a nearby supplier.) I have
never had the tracing paper lift from the metal using this method.
Usual disclaimers concerning the products suggested.
Have you ever tried double-stick tape on your piercing designs? I
just started using it last year and have found it a vast improvement
over rubber cement or other glues. When using it, I usually cover the
area I’ll be sawing with parallel strips of tape, attempting to make
sure that the seams line up well with no overlapping. (A tiny gap
usually doesn’t cause a problem.) I then cut my pattern from the
paper, leaving about a millimeter around the edges, and transfer it
to the taped surface with tweezers. I burnish it down with the back
of a fingernail, and then the excess tape is cut away with an X-acto
to prevent filings from sticking to it. After sawing, it just takes a
little figeting to catch the edge of the tape and peel it away - no
waiting for glue to dissolve.
I use this in combination with sketches reduced to one-pixel-thick
lines in Photoshop, and have gotten great results in designs
demanding exact precision.
Anyway, hope that helps! Thanks also for including your URL. I
visited Writing-on-Stone park in southern Alberta a few years ago,
and looking at your wonderful work reminded me of the experience.
Rock on!
Not watersoluble but easy to use was the method I was originally
taught.
The design would be on ‘airmail weight’ paper (can you still buy
that?) Then we used liquid hot bees wax, painted onto the metal,
paper gets put on the hot wax, gently rubbed down and let cool. The
very thin paper virtually becomes part of the wax as it absorbs and
sinks into the wax. Very secure and easily removed with a bit of
heat again.
I then cut my pattern from the paper, leaving about a millimeter
around the edges, and transfer it to the taped surface with
tweezers. I burnish it down with the back of a fingernail, and then
the excess tape is cut away with an X-acto to prevent filings from
sticking to it.
Is there a reason why you don’t just saw through the paper without
cutting the design out?
Some of the people on newsgroups have suggested a spray on glue
(comes in pressure packs) that is got from art suppliers and is for
mounting artworks (I think). I’m just going from memory and it was a
while ago that I read it. I’m sure that it was in pressure packs and
from art suppliers though. They say that it will allow the template
to be lifted later but will hold things down for cutting.
Some of the people on newsgroups have suggested a spray on glue
A jeweler I used to work for used spray glue (aerosol can), like
mounting glue used in framing. She would burn it off (the pattern
paper and the glue). It was really hard to get the glue off any
other way, and of course burning it off is really bad for you, so I
don’t recommend that.
My husband uses the spray glue in is art, and I wouldn’t touch it.
It is nasty, smelly, definitely not water based, and the overspray
gets all over everything. I like to stick to water based glue, if
only for my studio environment.
I’ve always used Elmer’s-type white glue for all sawing, including
intricate work. I dab the glue with my finger on the metal (not the
paper!) so you don’t get too much glue. Also, the metal must be VERY
clean. If it’s already highly polished and I don’t want to use
anything abrasive to clean, I use a regular eraser!
I would like to thank all that replied to my inquiry about what
people suggested using to glue paper patterns on metal for piercing.
The results were UHU stik-3, laundry starch-1, rubber cement-3,
elmers white glue-2, sticky back paper-2, epoxy-1.
Just goes to prove, again, how great Orchid is and how as we all
know, but forget occasionally, there are many different paths to the
same place. I have personally chosen UHU stik, seems to keep the
pattern from lifting, not as messy as white glue, its water soluble
and readily available.