Day 8
Technique: Gold leaf imprint, removing the top layer with tape
Win: Almost
Challenge:
• Getting the gold leaf to settle into the grooves of the cutter, and then removing the top layer with tape.
• Making tiles with two holes on each side so they could be linked into a bracelet.
Lessons Learned:
• Sometimes the right tools really do matter. I only had thin cellotape available, and it didn’t lift the top layer of gold leaf as cleanly as I had hoped.
• I used imitation gold leaf (the real version was more than R1000, while this was about R12). I wondered if that might have affected the result, although I suspect the real answer is simply that I need more practice with the technique.
Confidence Level: 1/10
Notes:
• I may need to read more about how to make polymer tiles stronger after baking. Almost all the holes cracked at the edges, which meant the tiles couldn’t be linked with jump rings.
• I tried to glue the edges back together, but they weren’t strong enough to hold.
Reflection:
Today felt a bit like trying to build a tiny golden mosaic while the pieces kept deciding they would rather become confetti. Not every experiment behaves, but even the stubborn ones leave clues behind. I now know I need to look more closely at tape, leaf application, and how to reinforce holes in baked tiles. Day 8 may have scored low on confidence, but it quietly handed me a useful list of things to explore next.
Tiny Experiment for Next Time:
Try making a slightly thicker tile and adding a small reinforcing ring of clay around each hole before baking. That extra support may help the tiles stay strong enough to link with jump rings.
But, Day 8 didn’t fail. It simply wandered into polymer clay engineering a bit sooner than expected.