Want the goods on gold?
Is your gold too thick?
Gold that is too thick is the main reason keum-boo doesn’t adhere. If you have rolled yours on the last setting of your mill, sandwich your gold between brass or copper plates and roll it again.
Is your gold and/or silver clean?
Charcoal residue can prevent the gold from adhering, so be sure to clean your metal before trying to fuse it.
Do you have bubbles?
If so, use a pin or the tip of a craft knife to poke a hole into the gold over the bubble. Burnish toward the hole, pushing the air out as you heat and adhere the gold. Once the gold is fused, it’s unlikely that you’ll see the tiny hole.
Is your gold too stiff and won’t stay where you put it?
When you’re working on curved surfaces, it’s helpful to anneal the gold first. It’s easy to melt the thin gold sheet if you use your torch directly on the metal. Instead, heat a charcoal block, and then place the gold onto the heated spot until it’s annealed. Quench the gold when the dull red color disappears from the charcoal.
Does your gold still refuse to stick?
If it becomes too frustrating to adhere the gold, you can use a little saliva on the back of your gold to hold it on the silver bead where you want it. Let it dry and then heat up the charcoal block and bead, being careful not to overheat the gold. Then burnish the gold. The saliva acts as an organic binder to hold the gold in position long enough for you to burnish it in place.