Gold Leaf Electroscope

Got my Gold Leaf Electroscopes out this morning, ready for a lesson, only to discover that 4 of them have no gold leaf. Not a problem - I quite like fitting new gold leaf. It's a bit fiddly but not difficult.

Here is my 'how to' guide to fitting gold leaf.

Disclaimer - this is not the only way, probably not even the best way. It's just my way.

Remove any traces of old gold leaf or adhesive from the stem of the electroscope and clean off any grease with a little ethanol.

With the gold leaf (actually it's an alloy called dutch metal) between 2 thin pieces of paper, cut a strip 40mm by 5mm.

Cut a thin strip of sellotape and stick it to the top end of the gold leaf  then carefully position onto the stem. Reassemble electroscope and admire your handywork!

There's a guide here on the lovely TechKnow website which shows a different way to attach the gold leaf, using spit. I've not tried it, but it may be worth a try!