Comments on: Those Tiny Bubbles http://alohilanidesigns.com/those-bubbles/ Patsy Croft's Enamel and Goldsmith Blog Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:46:46 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Patsy Croft http://alohilanidesigns.com/those-bubbles/comment-page-1/#comment-2214 Patsy Croft Tue, 08 Mar 2011 22:07:23 +0000 http://alohilanidesigns.com/?p=382#comment-2214 Hi Erin, It is unusual to have this in all areas. I could understand it in all enameling on metals = then it would be likely to be layering to heavy. But in plique a jour also, as it is difficult to layer heavy, the enamel usually falls out. If your kiln temperature is true and you are firing at 1500, all should be fine. If you are firing too low you can get very fine bubbles. More artist do not see this unless they check with a microscope. Try to check your kiln temperature, then make a plate applying your enamels in thin layers, firing between and if you have bubbles send me a photo. If these are visible to me then your enamels could be contaminated. If this is the case you should see the enamels floating on the surface of the wet enamel in the jar before you wet pack them onto the metal. If you are enameling on sterling silver sheet and you do not deplete the metal enough you will get bubbles! They like to show up after many firings. Let me know if I can be of more help, Patsy Hi Erin,
It is unusual to have this in all areas. I could understand it in all enameling on metals = then it would be likely to be layering to heavy. But in plique a jour also, as it is difficult to layer heavy, the enamel usually falls out. If your kiln temperature is true and you are firing at 1500, all should be fine. If you are firing too low you can get very fine bubbles. More artist do not see this unless they check with a microscope.

Try to check your kiln temperature, then make a plate applying your enamels in thin layers, firing between and if you have bubbles send me a photo. If these are visible to me then your enamels could be contaminated. If this is the case you should see the enamels floating on the surface of the wet enamel in the jar before you wet pack them onto the metal.

If you are enameling on sterling silver sheet and you do not deplete the metal enough you will get bubbles! They like to show up after many firings.
Let me know if I can be of more help, Patsy

]]> By: Erin http://alohilanidesigns.com/those-bubbles/comment-page-1/#comment-2213 Erin Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:42:42 +0000 http://alohilanidesigns.com/?p=382#comment-2213 Hi Patsy, I've been running into this 'tiny bubble' problem in all of my attempts at transparent enamels, an area I've just started to tackle. The bubbles appear on copper, on foils, in FS plique a jour, on sterling sheet...everywhere. I've been firing at about 1500F, which /seems/ like it ought to be hot enough even for unleaded enamels (which I know fuse at much higher temperatures than their leaded counterparts.) Could I be causing this problem by applying the enamels too thickly, thereby causing underfiring even in a hot kiln? Or, should I really crank up the heat to 1620 like they did in the few classes I've had?* Or both? Thank you! Erin *I assumed the kilns in class were kept that hot to keep up with the many students opening and closing the doors one after another. Hi Patsy,

I’ve been running into this ‘tiny bubble’ problem in all of my attempts at transparent enamels, an area I’ve just started to tackle. The bubbles appear on copper, on foils, in FS plique a jour, on sterling sheet…everywhere. I’ve been firing at about 1500F, which /seems/ like it ought to be hot enough even for unleaded enamels (which I know fuse at much higher temperatures than their leaded counterparts.) Could I be causing this problem by applying the enamels too thickly, thereby causing underfiring even in a hot kiln? Or, should I really crank up the heat to 1620 like they did in the few classes I’ve had?* Or both?

Thank you!
Erin

*I assumed the kilns in class were kept that hot to keep up with the many students opening and closing the doors one after another.

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