FAQ;

Q: What is depletion gilding?

A: Deletion gilding is the method to eliminate copper from the suface of sterling silver.

Heat up the sterling silver with brushy flame and oxidize the copper on surface. Then cool it down slowly because it produses more oxidized copper.

Then pickle it to wash out the oxidized copper.

Rpeat this process several times until the sterling silver doesn't get balck under the flame anymore.

The video shows the process only once but I did it several times in fact.

 

Q: What kind of double sided tape do you use?

A: I use a film based tape. It's thin and burns easily.

Find it in your local shop.

 

Q: What is YAMATO Arabic Glue?

A: Usually they use tragacanth gum for Keum Boo. 

YAMATO Arabic Glue is made of polyvinyl alcohol and works as almost same as tragacanth gum.  

It's a common glue in Japan and available in any convenience stores and stationery shops.

Maybe you can get it in your local Amazon.

 

Q: What sand do you use for sand blasting?

A: It's garnet sand. I don't know what # grain it is but the diameter is around 1mm.

 

Q: I heard keum Boo is done after all solderlings are finished.

How do you set this Keum Boo piece on your jewelry?

A: There are some methods. I often use a support ring and rivets.

Please watch my another movie.

https://www.kaznesq.com/blog/how-do-back-setting-support-ring-and-rivets

These are the example pieces of Keum Boo in my shop.

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/leaf-motif-fan-shape-keum-boo-labradorite-oxidized-silver-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/japanese-fan-motif-keum-boo-cloud-pattern-garnet-oxidized-silver-pendant-necklace-party-scen

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/leaves-and-moon-keum-boo-japanese-art-oxidized-silver-pendant-necklace-yellow-quartz-lined-g

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/japanese-sword-sheath-inspired-gourd-motif-keum-boo-oxidized-silver-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/rutilated-quarts-onyx-lining-keum-boo-round-silver-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/iris-motif-fine-gold-keum-boo-and-oxidized-silver-japanese-traditional-style-art-pendant-nec

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/ruby-cab-wild-berry-keum-boo-oxidized-silver-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/japanese-art-motif-keum-boo-blossom-rectangle-oxidized-silver-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/cherry-blossoms-rectangle-keum-boo-silver-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/pine-tree-japanese-art-pendant-necklace-keum-boo-and-oxidized-silver

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/colored-leaves-square-oxidized-silver-keum-boo-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/art-nouveau-style-flower-keum-boo-pendant-necklace-oxidized-silver-and-akoya-pearls

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/akebi-motif-sugilite-picture-pendant-necklace-oxidized-silver-and-keum-boo

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/red-maple-leaf-ginkgo-and-chrysanthemum-flower-oxidized-silver-and-keum-boo-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/sunset-motif-biwa-pearl-citrine-keum-boo-oxidized-silver-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/rutilated-quartz-keum-boo-oxidized-silver-thunder-and-cloud-motif-pendant-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/made-order-gold-keum-boo-oxidized-silver-circle-ginkgo-earrings

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/japanese-bush-clover-keum-boo-pendant-necklace-amethyst-and-akoya-pearls

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/art-nouveau-style-gold-japanese-bush-clover-oxidized-silver-necklace-lab-made-amethyst

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/art-nouveau-style-ivy-openwork-keum-boo-amethyst-oxidized-silver-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/autumn-red-leaf-and-keum-boo-ginkgo-necklace-desert-druzy-pendant

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/ivy-keum-boo-circle-pendant-oxidized-silver

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/keum-boo-waterlily-carps-and-moon-necklace-gold-foil-and-oxidized-silver

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/japanese-bush-clovers-and-full-moon-necklace

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/made-order-art-nouveau-gold-leaf-earrings-oxidized-silver-and-keum-boo

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/gold-checkers-and-waterlily-keum-boo-neckleace-inspired-japanese-room-partition

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/thriving-leaves-rectangle-keum-boo-pendant

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/pearl-and-silver-pendant-japanese-patina-and-keum-boo-inspired-japanese-partition

https://www.kaznesq.com/product/gold-keum-boo-snowed-branches-necklace-featuring-akoya-pearls-and-green-zircon

 

 

 

Comments

Hello! I saw in one of your videos that you used pliers to river and you mentioned that you made a dimple in the pliers to use for the purpose. What type of pliers did you use and how did you make the dimples? Also what gauge wire do you usually use for the rivers?
Thank you!

Kazuhiko Ichikawa

Hello ,
Thank you for watching my video.
I use parallel pliers. Because you can crash the head and the tailof the wire straightly. I made the dimples using a round bur and a motor tool. The gauge of the wire depends on the size of the piece and weight and hoow many holes I can drill around the piece. Usually I use 0.8mm-1.0mm thick wire. I don't know the gauge because we don't use this unit in Japan commonly. By the way the wire is made of fine silver so that you can crash it easily.

Hello. Thank you for posting your videos on your technique. I love the look of keum boo and will have to give it a try as per your video. However, I have seen a couple of images of silver foil on copper, and really like the colours achieved. I believe this is the case with your Keum Boo copper pendant, oxidized silver pendant, abstract line art pendant? Is there any special technique for getting the silver to stick to the copper? Obviously the copper can't be depleted, should it be pickled in a certain way? Thanks for your advice. Your work is inspirational.

Kazuhiko Ichikawa

Hi,
Thank you for asking.
You are right. Keum Boo on copper is a bit tricky.
You don't need to do depletion gilding of copper, of course.
But it's a good idea to clean the surface of it by pickling first.
I always do Keum Boo on copper with a torch.
I guess you can't do it with a hotplate because copper is easily oxidized in the air.
And the silver foil should be a bit thick. At least 0.05mm. My favorite is 0.08mm thick.
To do keum Boo on copper, you need to heat the copper with a torch and watch out that flame de-oxidizes the oxidized surface. When the copper is de-oxidized, the surface looks beautiful copper pink so you can know it.
Then burnish (push) the silver foil.

It's difficult to explain by words.
I'll show the video someday.

Kaz

Thank you very much for your reply, I look forward to the video when you are able to post one. I think I know what you mean by the colour, so may just give it a try. Thank you again.

Kazuhiko Ichikawa

Hi,
I posted a new video of Keum Boo on copper.
Please check it out.

Thank you very much for your reply, I look forward to the video when you are able to post one. I think I know what you mean by the colour, so may just give it a try. Thank you again.

Thanks for sharing!!I was uncertain what the double stick tape was for. It looked to me you applied it to one side of your paper design, then to the gold foil, so you could cut out the foil. Is that correct??

Kazuhiko Ichikawa

Thank you for asking.
To stick a piece of paper on the silver/gold foil, the tape need to be sticky on both sides.
If the shape is simple, you can fix the paper on the foil with one side sticky tape but I suggest you should use double stick tape to fix the paper on the whole area.

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