The State Federation Porcelain Art Clubs of Texas

Texas State Federation of Porcelain Art Clubs

2 months ago

Just read a great article. Thank you artists for sharing your knowledge. You are so wonderful!

Copied from PPIO Topic of the Week: GOLD
Rinda Dunson - I need info on Roman gold I have a bunch of boxes of it but it doesn't always turn out right
Magda Roch Same with me
Rinda Dunson Liquid bright works better for me !
Alice L Wofford I tried to post the entire message but it was too long ....unless it posted and I don't see it.....so am dividing it up into several posts. Bear with me
Alice L Wofford One of the subjects that scares china painters, old and new, the most is gold; the types, terminology, the applications, media used with it and the problems that occur with it. Most of the fear is caused because gold is a mystery to so many people. Once the mystery is solved then gold becomes just another tool used to enhance our art. Hopefully the following will help dispel gold’s mystique for you.
Gold is a luster, not a paint. As such it sits on top of the glaze and does not become part of it like our mineral paints do.
To add to the confusion, there is also a luster named Gold Luster. Plus such lusters as Halo Gold, Weeping Gold and Crackling Gold just to name a few. These are all much thinner in viscosity and have less gold content to them.
Golds and other lusters are also called metallics. This is because there are various amounts of metals in their composition. To add to the confusion, there is a paint we use called metallic paint but which has no metal in it. Instead it is made with finely ground mica and is called metallic because of its sparkle.
All forms of gold have gold in them but they vary in the amount in the content. It ranges from 10 - 24% for Liquid Bright Gold, Liquid Burnish has between 15 and 22%, Roman Gold contains approximately 30 - 45 % although most are between 35 and 40% and powdered gold is 40 - 45%.
Gold comes in liquid, paste, pat and powdered forms. The liquid form is either Liquid Bright Gold or Liquid Burnish Gold. Pastes and pats can be Roman Gold - both fluxed and unfluxed, White Gold, Green Gold, Rosy Gold, Lemon Gold and others. The powdered form is almost always Roman Gold. And there is a Gold Leaf which can be fired. I have used the Gold Leaf only once but not well so will not try to give instructions on this.
Marci Blattenberger First, only reconstitute a small section of gold, especially if you're using the pat on the piece of glass.
Everytime you reconstitute it, it's gets a little harder to do the next time, so if you thin the whole pat instead of thinning a small section…
Alice L Wofford
LIQUID BRIGHT GOLD
Liquid Bright Gold should NOT be shaken. Any settlement in the bottom should be left alone. If it gets in the gold, the settlement dulls and streaks it.
Liquid Bright Gold comes in the correct viscosity for pen work, but to apply with a brush or otherwise you need to let it thicken, not too much or it will be hard to apply. This thickening also helps to avoid runs when applying. To thicken the gold, set out a few drops on a clean tile and allow the suspension medium to evaporate a little. If your gold gets too thick you can thin it with a drop or two of Gold Essence, Gold Facilitator, Lavender Oil or Lemon Essence. Do not use Turpentine. I have seen some who can and do use turpentine, but these are experts. If you do not know what you are doing you can make a huge mess with turpentine. Be careful not to thin it too much or you will starve the gold and it will look dull or in a lot of cases, it will have a purplish area develop after firing.
When applying gold with the brush be sure you have a good saturation on the brush so as not to leave streaks. As you brush on the gold, have your strokes slightly overlap for good coverage but do not go keep going back over what you have applied. It isn’t necessary to apply the Liquid Bright Gold in a perfectly even coverage since it will flow together in the firing. You just want a nice coverage without very thick or thin spots in it. Also, have a nice soft brush not one with acrylic hair or dried clumps.
Liquid Bright can also be applied with your finger for rims of cups, saucers and plates, sponged (also called stippled) or stamped.
To stamp gold, spread a little gold on your clean tile and allow it to thicken until tacky. To know if the consistency is correct you will feel a pull when applying the stamp. Try not to move the stamp as you work or it will leave a smudge. If you do it must be cleaned off and reapplied. To avoid smudging, after loading your stamp apply with a smooth even pressure then lift straight up off the china.
Sponging is done in the same manner as stamping. Any type sponge will work depending on the texture desired. You can also use steel wool and cotton to get different textures.
CAUTION: Liquid Bright Gold’s suspension mediums are Mercury Oxide and/or Toluene, the same as in all lusters. These are very dangerous and prolonged exposure should be avoided as they can cause problems. You will get a gold high first, then nausea and a headache. If you have respiratory problems, they can be affected. Use Liquid Bright Gold only in a well ventilated area. Also vent very well during firing and DO NOT breathe the fumes.
Alice L Wofford LIQUID BURNISH GOLD
Liquid Burnish Gold is similar to Liquid Bright Gold in that it is a liquid, the amount of gold content isn’t as high as in Roman Golds, it is applied and thinned in the same manner and the warning about the suspension mediums should be observed here too.
However Liquid Burnish Gold must be shaken before and during application to keep the gold particles mixed and burnished after firing. Liquid Burnish Gold is easier to use for pen work, scrolling and making fine lines than Roman Gold.
You can make your own Liquid Burnish Gold by adding 6 - 8 drops of Liquid Bright Gold to a pat of Roman Gold.
ROMAN GOLD - Roman Gold is either fluxed or unfluxed. Fluxed gold is used on the blank china while unfluxed goes on over a painted surface. If your pat or jar does not have unfluxed written on it then it is the fluxed type. Fluxed and unfluxed gold look alike, are applied in the same manner, fired the same, look alike when they come out of the kiln and have to be polished after firing. Do not mix the two types.
Roman Gold is a heavy brownish paste - the darker the colour the more gold content - which fires to a dull yellow brown. After firing all the paste or pat golds must be burnished to bring out their gloss. It comes in pats, paste and powdered form. The powdered form can be obtained in Australia, Europe and Japan but must be imported to the U.S.
Pats are small amounts of hardened paste on a glass square which comes in a plastic case. To use this, add a few drops of solvent to the hardened gold and work it with your palette knife until it has a creamy consistency. You can also warm it a little to soften the pat before adding the solvent although this can cause it to even harder before working with it next time.
Paste gold is a creamy consistency which comes in small jars of 1/8, ¼, ½ and one once troy weight. The paste can be used straight from the jar for small areas but it is recommended to add a solvent and have it thinner for larger areas. The solvents used with Roman Gold are Gold Facilitator, Gold Essence, Luster Essence (these two are interchangeable except that the luster essence dries slower) Lavender Oil, Lemon Oil, Nitrobenzene and Nitroorthotoluene, which is a derivative of the Nitrobenzene. I do not recommend using the last two solvents as they are very dangerous to your health, causing breathing problems and tumors. If you should decide to use either, take all necessary precautions to avoid skin contact and limit the amount of exposure to the fumes. The MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for both of these is available online
Roman Gold can be applied with the finger, brush or sponge. When applying get a good smooth coat on to assure that you have complete coverage. Some artists recommend warming your piece slightly before applying Roman Gold to make application easier. It also make for a better bond between the gold and glaze.
Remove the unburnished china from the kiln with a cloth. Avoid touching as much as possible since your fingers will leave oil spots. What your hands are clean? Ah, you forgot about your natural skin oils. And the warmer the china the more oil it will absorb plus this will not disappear...even with another fire. I have a pair of white cotton gloves I wear when removing and burnishing my gold.
Burnish with sand, baking soda, a fiberglass brush or fiberglass cloth. Rub gently in a circular motion until the sheen comes out. Do not rub too hard or you can get scratches or even remove all the gold. Be careful when using fiberglass as it will leave small particles of glass that can get in your skin. Always wash the china after burnishing to remover the excess materials. It is easier to burnish gold when the china is warm.
Alice L Wofford POWDERED GOLD - Powdered gold is loose particles of pure gold. It is mixed with fat oil and then a solvent is added until you have a creamy paste. Once it is in this state it is applied in the usual manner.
Powdered gold can be used added to Roman Gold to increase the content and make a stronger gold. It can also be dusted over tacky Roman Gold for the same reason. After dusting it must be brushed with a mop to remove excess powder. Allow to dry overnight or longer then gently remove any extra loose powder with a piece of cotton and denatured alcohol.
There is also a powdered gold that is imitation gold. When mixed and fired it will turn black. So always be certain which type you purchase. Normally this type is not sold by any of the china suppliers; it is usually found in estate sales or such. Also at craft stores
FIRING
All gold can be fired immediately after application. However to insure that you don’t have any runs or skips it is advisable to allow the gold to dry first. If you allow your gold to dry before firing be sure it is in a dry and dust and lint free area.
Good results with your gold require more than just the correct temperature. The kiln must be vented to allow sufficient air flow for all the fumes and smoke from the solvents to be burned off. This is usually when all coils are red hot or around 800 F (300 C), although I usually wait until it is 1000 F ( 370 C).
Poor ventilation usually results in cloudy gold.
Another good reason to allow your gold to dry before firing is since many of us have our kilns in our homes and do not have good ventilation, by allowing the gold to dry we get fewer fumes since most of the suspension medium has dried out. There will always be some left in and that is what you smell as gold or lusters fire. I like to burn a vanilla candle starting about 20 minutes before I turn on my kiln to eat up the majority of these fumes. There is still an odor but not as much. I also run my air purifier before, during and after firing, no matter what I fire.
Alice L Wofford PAINTING ON GOLD
You can paint over both Liquid Bright Gold and Roman Gold. To paint over the Liquid Bright Gold, first fire the gold hot, paint your design with a heavier coat of paint than normal and fire at least one cone or at 50 degrees cooler than the gold. If you fire at the same temperature, then the paint will melt into the gold and you will not see the design.
To paint on Roman Gold, you work the same as on the Liquid Bright but the difference is that you put on two coats of the Roman Gold first firing in between. Once you have your design painted and fired then take an Agate burnisher and polish the highlights in the painted areas. You can polish or leave unburnished the gold around the background on the rest of piece.

Alice L Wofford OTHER TIPS FOR GOLD
Always clean and dry your china with denatured alcohol or acetone before applying gold. If you prefer wash your china in dish detergent and warm water. Rinse very well, making certain you get all the soap off and dry completely with a lintless towel.
Keep your workspace as dust free as you can. Dust that gets in gold fires with little white spots. Moisture will also leave white spots so try not to breathe on the gold. And certainly don’t sneeze or cough on it.
Don’t buy cheap Liquid Bright Gold. It is slimy and quite often it will wipe off after firing, no matter how hot it is fired. It also doesn’t cover well.
Never put gold on over wet paint. Gold can be applied near wet paint as long as it doesn’t touch.
Gold can be put on next to any wet luster as long as the wet luster is dry. Again, it is next to but not touching wet luster.
Never put Liquid Bright Gold on raised paste. Use base for raised gold instead. Raised paste is only used with Roman Gold. Remember that base for raised gold and raised paste are two different products.
Never apply Roman Gold to bisque as it turns black. Use Liquid Bright Gold and it will look like Roman Gold on the bisque. If you want a shiny gold on bisque apply a coat of flux or base for gold and fire first.
Gold can be fired hot. It doesn’t start breaking up until a cone .010. Exceptions to this are when applied over the colour green. Some greens will accept gold some will make it crack... make tests.
The reason most people think gold cracks at a lower cone is the base substance. All base substances (raised paste, structure powder, base for gold, etc.) start to float at cone .017. Therefore the gold should only be fired to cone .018 when applied over any of base substances or it sinks into the base.
To keep gold from running, put a wax pencil line around the edge of your design, or pen in the outline of the design with gold first then allow to dry before applying the rest of the gold.
If you have a run, allow the gold to dry then scrape with a razor before firing. Clean the area with denatured alcohol on a Q-tip. Do not have the cotton too wet or allow it to touch the gold.
Clean smudges or finger prints off before you fire. Be sure to check the back of your piece, too.
Gold can be removed in three ways. One is Whink, a form of hydrofluoric acid, red iodine ....NOT the white type or a gold eraser. To remove gold with an eraser, don’t use the eraser alone. Scrape with a razor blade first then go over the area with the eraser. I have also found that rubbing with the red plastic sander will remove the majority of the gold then I can use either the gold eraser or the Whink or iodine to remove the rest. I much prefer to use iodine but once in a while much use the whink.
It is hard to apply gold to black china or any dark colour. Either outline the design with yellow china paint and fire then apply the gold or take white carbon and make the design on the china.
You can use resist, Friskit, auto striping tape, contact paper or masking tape to mark areas you don’t want gold on. Allow the gold to dry completely before removing or you risk smudging.
On a very detailed piece you can get an antique look by patting on Liquid Bright Gold and firing to cone .022. Next take a scrubber and remove highlights then refire to cone .018.
You can get some very pretty effects by putting different coloured lusters over fired Liquid Bright Gold.
To make a thin, very intricate design with Base for Gold and not have to cover it you can take the base and mix it with glycerin then add a little powdered gold to the mix. Once it strings apply the design. It takes very little powdered gold and keeps from making a mess as you apply the gold over the base later.
DEFECTS IN GOLD
Dull or smoky -- poor ventilation, sediment from the bottom was mixed with the gold or the china was not completely clean.
Purplish colour -- applied too thin, contaminated with oil, usually from fingers or the gold had too much solvent added.
Spotted -- lint, dust or moisture particles in or on the wet gold.
Breaking or cracked -- application was too heavy then fired wet, applied over the colour green, fired above cone .010, fired too hot for the base substance.
Wipes off -- poor quality of gold, too much solvent, under fired.
Burnisher turns black -- Roman Gold under fired.
Breaking or fuzzy edges -- applied over oil, grease or moisture.
WaymanandPatty Spangler Thank you Alice L Wofford and Marci Blattenberger for sharing your wealth of information! Such gracious artists!
Lola Miller - I have a 2gram bottle of Hanovia Blushing Gold. Can someone tell me what it fires like and how to use it?

Alice L Wofford - it has a pinkish to reddish cast. The tint depends on when it was formulated. Originally it just had a touch of pink. But later the blush had more of a reddish cast. You might find some green gold by Hanoverian at estate sales. This has a greenish cast just as the name say
Vida Klocke - Alice is an expert on the subject. Thank you for sharing!

Dorothy Graves Can you use the scraps of real gold leaf to fire on pieces? If so do you use fat oil as an adhesive?
Alice L Wofford I have never used it. However I have seen an artist do it and she used the real stuff. She put it on with fat oil before firing
Alice L Wofford I should have mentioned that you can use the imitation gold leaf but only if you glue it on and don’t fire it. If fired you end up with a black mess.
Pam Hutchins Early - I fired real gold leaf on some jewelry pieces. You can use anything with flux in it.
Alice L Wofford - thanks. Hadn’t heard this. But it would make it easier
Marci Blattenberger - as Pam pointed out, the flux is crucial... Flux is the glue that fuses everything to our china. Without it, things would just rub off after firing.
Most China painting products ( paint, luster, Roman gold etc) have flux already mixed in... Gold leaf does not... So it needs flux under it to fuse it after firing. ... See MoreSee Less

Texas State Federation of Porcelain Art Clubs

3 months ago

Greetings to everyone,

Hope this post finds everyone safe and well.

I wanted to reach out to everyone and discuss the refunds from the State Convention. I ask that if you are a president or an officer that you forward this to all your members and friends.
Mary Sue has been in quarantine thus we are a bit behind. She has not been able to go get stamps and we had to order more checks.

I apologize, I hope you can understand that with the COVID-19 pandemic I do not want to ask Mary Sue to go to the post office or to leave the house for any reason.

We will certainly get the refund checks mailed as soon as things get back to a little bit of normal.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. My cell phone number is 806-790-6268 or by email at drasco2020@gmail.com

Thank you again for your understanding. I am really looking forward to the 2021 Great Gatsby Convention.

I do want to let everyone know that due to this quarantine, it has caused everything to be pushed behind with next years renewal of membership. So please have patience with this process. Our yearbooks could run a little late as well as getting each club their roosters. I do want to let everyone know that everything will come in electronic form - email. So if your club has elected a new president please send me your clubs name, president name and an email to send all information to. My email is: drasco2020@gmail.com

I think everyone knows that I will be president one more year. I am going to sneak out of my house to go look at a new venue for next years convention, so keep me in your prayers for safe travels and healthy. I think I have found a better venue, queen beds not doubles, food pricing a whole lot better, and much more space to move around. So I will announce on Tuesday, if I pick this venue. So if you watch on Facebook, I will do a tour of the venue and get your opinion. So Tuesday after lunch, watch for me on Facebook.

I do need 1 huge favor, if you painted me a vase, I desperately need a good picture of it. We are trying to feature these in the PAC Magazine for the summer issue. I would so much appreciate the help!

Lots of love to everyone,

Stay in, stay well and be kind to all,
XOXOXOXO,

Donna Rasco

President for another year!

State Federation Porcelain Art Clubs of Texas ... See MoreSee Less

Texas State Federation of Porcelain Art Clubs

4 months ago

Asking a big favor? If you painted a vase for this years convention. Can you please photograph the vase and send to me in an email. I would like to use them for this coming years paperwork, publications and more. Thank you
drasco2020@gmail.com ... See MoreSee Less

Texas State Federation of Porcelain Art Clubs

4 months ago

Hi All,

As much as I hate to do this, I love you all and do not want to put any of you in harm.

I have chosen to cancel the convention for April 13th to 16th, 2020. I know this is really disheartening to many and to many a relief from the stress.
I do apologize for the delay, I had a few issues with the hotel and their cancellation policies. This morning I did get a call from them and they are allowing the cancellation with full refund.

Please remember to cancel your reservation with the hotel, cancel all other reservations that would be in your travel plans.

We will be refunding your reservation from the State Federation of Porcelain Art Clubs of Texas. We are in the process of processing refunds currently.

What I do ask, is to save a few dollars in refunding that if you wrote a check, that you allow us to shred the check. We will notify you as well that we are doing this. This will save postage costs and keep everyone at home in a safe environment. If we have deposited your registration money, we will be sending out a refund. Again, please have patience with our treasurer while she gets refunds sent out. Online registration will be done through paypal and we are in the process of doing that as well. For online payments, please allow 5-7 business days for the refund to post back on your account. This is a banking process that we have no control over.

I do want to Thank everyone who has supported me. You have all written the nicest things and have prayed for me on this matter. I have been asked all year to stay and be president for 2 years. My response has always been, no, it's too much work. Well, Nettie Mc Hone got me to stay as president for the 1st year and now Bertie Stephens and Vicki Dean have convinced me to stay another year as president. I hope you agree with their decision.

Being president for the last year has been such an honor and blessing for me. I have met and mingled with so many new friends and clubs, it truly has been a gift from above. I look forward to serving our wonderful art and the State Federation as president for one more year. We have so much to accomplish and so many goals to achieve, I will need the help and support of everyone!

As for the 2021 convention, I am planning to keep the Gatsby “Painting on the Ritz” theme. I am discussing more ideas and more functions to make the next convention even more grand than originally planned. Since we are missing a year I want to make sure the next one is truly amazing!

One of my goals for the next year is to work with our 2020 scheduled guest artists, demo artists, and vendors in an effort to offer some educational seminars, demonstrations, and vendor specials available to all on-line. I will travel and do all I can to help make certain we get the videos and information needed for this process. I know that we will have an amazing 2020/2021 and I look forward to tackling it with your help.

I would like to tour the state again and visit all the clubs including those that I could not get to this past year. In doing so, I would like to ask if the clubs in specific areas of the state would be willing to adjust their meeting dates for the time I am visiting in the area. This past year was a ton of fun however because of the dates and days that the clubs met I was forced to drive from Houston to Midland to Dallas and back to Houston for instance. I would like to focus on one regional area at a time to help save the expense of fuel and wear and tear on my vehicle. I would also like to ask that if anyone is willing or able to provide a room for me while visiting the area it would be greatly appreciated. I promise, I am not a night owl, I am quiet, and I don’t eat much. I will work with the clubs in each area to help coordinate the meetings and possibility of housing.

If you painted a vase or any item specific to the convention theme, PLEASE hold on to the items for the next convention. We still want to utilize everything and see your wonderful piece.

Again, I am very sorry for the news. Please know I have agonized over this for several weeks and although it, in my opinion, is the right choice, it is a very difficult decision to make.

Please stay safe and pray for our world!

Lots of Love and Hugs to all,
Donna Rasco Castle ... See MoreSee Less

Texas State Federation of Porcelain Art Clubs

4 months ago

I received an email with the concern of the covid 19, convention and our age. As of right now I have not called a board meeting to determine what we should do, however I am communicating with other board members. I would like to wait closer to April 1st before we make a decision on our convention.

I am also contacting the hotel about reservations as well as our contract on the convention. I will keep you updated on all details.

I do want to let everyone know, I am reading news, keeping up with the travels in Ft Worth, and trying to be alert of details that surrounds this virus. I will do my very best to do what is in everyone's best interest.

Thank you for patience during this time.
Lots of love to all of you.
Donna Rasco Castle
President 2019 - 2020 ... See MoreSee Less