Color Plates and Understanding Expansion of Enamels

Color Plates

Color plates are very important. And yet so many choose not to do them. I know it takes time and you can get recommendations of colors from other artist, but if you have a direction in your work, by that I mean, a vision of your complete art form, and you want to get to that vision the practice of doing color plates can not only save you time and frustration but also end with the beautiful jewel you had visioned. As in rendering a water color of your visioned jewel can help you with your color choice, making a color plate to test how the colors work together can make you more successful in this medium.

This  is a color plate,

There is a lot of information on this plate, see what you can find. No matter if you are working in the technique of Cloisonne, Plique a Jour, Champleve, or sifting on colors of enamel, you should know the properties of the products you are working with.

1. This is my pink color plate. Some artist have just a few colors and mix two, to get a color shade in between them. I prefer to have separate colors so I have a choice to set them next to each other to work in a color family and be able to go from light to dark.

I have mixed colors and ended with a speckle effect rather than a smooth transition of color.  Also there are problems here. And if you were to mix some of these together you will have cracking.

2. First I notice the 4th enamel dot did not flow at the same temperature and time as the rest of the enamel dots. This means the expansion rate is different in the two enamels. The one that is grainy has a higher expansion rate, than the ones that are smooth.

You can layer enamels of different expansion rates with the higher on the bottom but if you put them side by side in a cell or on any enamel piece you will have cracking. The odd thing is it may not crack today or even next month, it could be in two years. Enamelist like to use the terms soft and hard enamels. Hard enamels on the bottom and soft enamels on top. Enamels that are hard are used on the bottom as it takes longer for this enamel to fuse and flow smooth. This also gives you a hard base that will not become liquid at the same time as the second and third layers of enamels you use to create colors. What does this mean? If you like warm colors and we all know warm colors burn. This can help you prevent that. The reason they burn is they come in contact with the metal. So ideally you want to keep them away from the base metal. And with a hard base = flux or several layers of flux your warm colors will not penetrated to the lower levels and touch the base metal as the softer enamels will fuse and flow before the harder base enamel becomes liquid= no burning. I recommend Bovano #3 for fine silver as it is harder than other fluxes I have tested.

3. The 7th color dot has a bit of yellow in the base color. What would this mean to the enamelist? Enamels have colors bases of yellow, ash or blue. When you line up your colors this way you can easily see which are which. If a color you have chosen for your design and it has a yellow base, you need to add it as you last color in the layer of enamels. So it will not be fired so many times that give it the opportunity to mingle to the base metal. Your enamels with a blue base or an ash base are safer. And yes you have yellows that have an ash base, or ones that are true yellow. = Test plates!

These two images show problem with the soft enamel being used on the bottom and the harder enamel on top. When heated the soft enamel bubbles up and around the hard enamel.

Enameling on 18k Gold and Repairing Enamel Jewels

Project of the Week

I would like to share my project this week of repairing a beautiful 18k Gold Locket.

When asked by the client if it could be repaired I took a couple of steps to insure them and myself it was possible. They sent me several photos of the locket and had a jeweler in their town verify the karat to be 18k. Enamels are glass really, and we melt it basically. When we crack an enamel jewel in setting, which most of us have had several, we learn we can re-fire it and save, our could be loss.

Yesterday, I carefully looked at the piece and the chips of enamel and started testing. First I wanted to know I could match the color of enamel. 

And I was excited that Bovano’s 27 matched perfectly! Next is to know to the melting point of a chip next to Bovano’s 27 in hopes they would flow at the same temperature and timing. On a test plate, I used a small chip from the locket and a small amount of Bovano’s #27 and fired at 1425 for 1:15 minutes and they both fused.

Here I placed the locket front only on a trivet face down, and slowly heated it with a acetylene torch just enough to add Fire Scoff flux. When I enamel the jewel I would like to avoid oxidation. Looks good.

Next fuse the chips back on and add the new enamel.

After fusing the new enamel on the jewel I noticed the circular cracks were still present. They were there when I first inspected the jewel. I thought at that time it was from the accident the client had and was part of the repair. But being they were still visible after the firing, I realized the enamel is mounted up on the red areas, to show relief. I have tried this in my work and there is a point you can have high spots but if it gets too high it will crack off. Also there is no counter enamel. So I sanded it down with a diamond bur the an arkansas stone.

Ready for the last firing and do not forget to glass brush well so you have no dust of the glass or arkansas stone and the locket is free of cracks and ready to go home to it’s owner.

Patsy Croft

Fluxes And Firing Tempertures

Fluxes for transparent and medium firing enameling. And firing time varies on the size of your jewel. I work small and like to start around a min and go up in seconds. Just a quick peak in the kiln at eye level you can see if the enamel has fused.

Copper

Fire at 1450 and up to 1500 degrees

Thompson’s 2030

Ninomiya’s   L11

Bovano’s  #1

Fine Silver

I make enamel and cloisonne jewelry. And Fine Silver is my choice of metals. The weight of the jewel as well as the strength is a factor and in choosing the gauge of the fine silver. For pendants I prefer 20 gauge and for earrings 22 gauge.

Fire at 1425 – 1450 degrees

Thompson’s 2020 medium firing or 2040 for a hard firing. In my work I like a hard firing flux on my bases.

Ninomiya’s  N1

N3 = pre – washed

G 110    hard flux

Bovano’s       #3 this is a hard flux with a blue base

Sterling Silver

Thompson’s 2040

Bovano’s #3   both of these are hard enamels and I think it is helpful in keeping the surface contamination down of the sterling silver away from the layers of enamels.

Gold

Fire at 1425 – 1450 degrees

Bovano #2

Brass and Stainless Steel

Fire at 1250 Degrees – 4-8 min.

Low to Medium expansion Enamels

Finishing Fluxes

Ninomiya’s N4

Bovano’s  518 and 619

Carving in the Enamel

Some thing you can do to enhance your work is to carve in the enamel. On this Nautilus Pendant I used white Askansas Stones to carve out the shape of the shell’s spiral.

Hi Jennifer,

Thank for the visit. I was not at the conference, but Merry-Lee Rae presented a lecture on cloisonne and used my images.

On carved enamels, yes I used a layer of flux and two layers of transparent red enamel. You can use a very fine diamond bit and arkansas stone bits. Afterward you should glass brush and or steam the piece to remove any trace of the stone and flash fire.

But as you know the layers are thin as transparent enamels need to be for clarity. And if you lay in the enamel in that small of a space it flows even. The chased flower petals had ridges and valleys. To enhance the visibility of this I carved in the top layer to follow this and expose the ridges more.

The Nautilus is also carved. This is posted in the topic Enamels, under Carving in Enamels. But this is a complete cloisonne piece, so the wires are at least .040″ high. And I actually over filled this, then carved the spiral of the shell into it.                            

Good luck, Patsy Croft

Cracking in the Enamel

Hi Patsy,

First of all, thanks for doing this blog; it’s obviously a big help to many people.

I’m relatively new to enamelling; I’ve done mostly flat pieces that have gone basically well. I just enameled a pair of earrings that developed serious cracks. To fabricate them, I cut two pieces of fine silver, textured them, domed them, and soldered on ear posts using IT solder. There’s no counter enamel… but I have a funny feeling that the square-ish shape, as well as how many layers of enamel (3), might have something to do with the cracking.

The cracks are forming in a circular form in the middle of the piece.

Thanks in advance,
DB

Hi DB,

You have to have the same number of counter layers as you have on the top. So now you can add the counter, and the cracks will go away! Quick edit, it also looks like you have higher enamel in the center than on the edges. This will add to the circular cracks.

Happy Enameling, Patsy

What is the Difference Between Lead and Non Lead Enamels

hi patsy,
i want to know that what is the diffrence between lead bearing and lead free enamel. i am from india, doing cloissone and plique-a-jour as well as traditional enameling also. i am using indian enamels.

Hi Preeti,

Lead bearing enamels have lead in them, which makes them flow and blend together nicely. In the US more than 10 years ago lead became a issue. If products are made here and can possible cause health issues to the public the manufactures wanted to change. Some think if it is airborne as in sifting, is can be inhaled and one can problems. And maybe with the vapors from the kiln this could also bother some people.

Borax has replaced the lead in the enamels as an agent to help it flow smoothly and is now non leaded enamels.

I have not had any problems and have my blood tested every year. I have taken precautions to be safe and get tested but after 20 years have stopped wearing a mask. I do not sift either. I wet pack with washed the enamels. I do not know about your enamels. I still use leaded enamels as in my opinion they are clear and bright in color.

Thanks for the visit, Patsy

White Specks in Your Enamel

If you see white specks in your enamel, remove them. This is a sign of deterioration. Some times there is only a few and you can remove them before you place any enamel in your work. Sometime the enamel sits on the bottom and water will not penetrate the enamel at all. This it time to throw them away!

If you did not see this until the enamel is fired you can drill it out with a diamond bur and re-fire the piece before adding more enamel. This way you will not have a shadow where you removed the speck.

This is a real issue when using transparent enamels, an it comes from the enamels being left wet too long.

What are Enamels

History and Facts About Enamels

Art Enameling on Metals by H.H. Cunynghame  1906

Metals such as gold, silver, iron, copper and fine brass; copper with a small amount of tin, are capable of being enameled. But nickel, zinc, or common brass, which contains a mixture of copper and zinc are not capable of being enameled.  Mr. Cunynghame, first speaks of the art of enameling is simply melting glass on to the surfaces of various substances capable of adhering to it and also capable of withstanding the heat necessary to melt the glass and cause it to flow. Mr. Cunynghame, speaks of the common technology of producing Crockery, with is clays consisting of silicate of aluminia and magnesia, and forming it into shapes and firing it. After this process it is know as biscuit ware, and is hard and porous. At this point glass ground to an impalpable powder is mixed with water and the vessel dipped into the glass slurry, dried and fired to the melting point of the glass. In this respect the glass is called “glaze.” Very similar to our enameling and as well as the commercial applications of enamels or glass on other foundations such as iron= stoves and refrigerators or bathtubs. And don’t forget the use of enamels on signage.

Glass consist of sand and an alkali such as soda or potash, fused together with the addition of ingredients to produce color. He states the peculiar value here of lead. It gives the glass the remarkable ability to adhere to and run over the item being enameled and prevents it from cracking. He state it makes the glass more elastic and enhances its’ ability to withstand extreme temperature changes.  He also says that glass without lead is not suitable for enameling, as it will crack away from the metal. Of course today we have found a way to produce enamels without lead. The replacement for the major part is borax.

Glass is colored by melting it with the oxides of various metals. Oxide of tin makes it opaque white, iron gives it a sea green and yellow, cobalt a royal blue, and copper a turquoise blue. Manganese colors glass violet, silver and antimony yellow, and gold crimson. Also we have chromium, producing a fine shade of green; uranium, a fine yellow; and iridium, giving enamels the shades of steel gray and black.

Coefficient of thermal expansion is when the temperature of a substance changes. The energy that is stored in the intermolecular bonds between atoms changes. When the stored energy increases, so does the length of the molecular bonds. As a result, solids typically expand in response to heating and contract on cooling. This dimensional response to temperature change is express by its coefficient of thermal expansion. This is where many get lost. In enameling you just need to match the expansion of your metal and your enamels. I use a harder firing enamel as a flux then continue with medium firing enamels. For the very simple reason with repeated firings the warm colors might get liquid enough to mingle down and eventually touch the metal and burn. We are using medium firing enamels, they are for copper, sliver and gold metals, but a few are a little bit harder than others.

If you do test places you will see this. Say I have a plate 1″ x 3″ and I put 15 color dots of washed enamel on the plate and fire it at 1425 degrees. Some dots will be very melted and some many even be grainy. The grainy one is a harder firing enamel.

What really helps you here is you do not want to put a harder firing enamel next to a softer firing enamel. This can cause cracking.       In this piece I made for Andre of Outkast, he wanted the cloison wires to be fine silver and different thicknesses. Which caused a lot of heat and of course with a pink nose against the fine silver cloison wires was trouble. But in my pallet of colors my pinks were not of the same firing hardness, once the cracking started, I had to remove them and test to get ones that were all the same to get the cracking to stop. And I am not talking about layering these colors I was gradating the colors next to each other. Things like this teach you but it would have been nicer to know ahead of the project.

When you get into plique q jour you will find it is also important to know your enamels melting points as in grouping or shading. When laying colors next to each other with no backing it is more obvious if the colors do not blend together. The grains do not mingle. I have heard artist that work mostly in the technique of plique a jour recommend using opals as they are a lower melting enamel in our medium firing range.

Happy enameling!

Building a Good Foundation and Test Plates

It takes time to do test plates but to redo and redo takes more time in the long run. Do test plates. Try to understand hard firing and medium firing enamels and where to use them. All the enamels we buy from Thompson and Ninoniya or Bovano for enameling in jewelry or wall plaques or vessels are sold as medium firing enamels. But in the category there are enamels that are harder or longer firing than others. If you do test plate of small dots and fire the plate once at 1425 degrees you will see what I mean. Some of the dots are bumpy and some are very smooth. Once you see which of your enamels fire faster than the others you simply know which ones should be on the bottom and which ones are best on the top layers of your process. Hard should be on the bottom and soft on top. Also hard and soft fired next to each other can result in cracking!

If I have a project of cloisonne and it will be a deep layering of colors I need an enamel base flux that will hold up for many firings. This is when you need the harder firing flux. Bovano 3# is a harder firing flux than any others I have tried.

Hi Patsy,
I am very frustrated because I am unable to keep from burning out my oranges, reds, pinks and some purples. I am using Ninomyas and some Thompson leaded enamels. I have tried changing temperatures and length of firing. Can you please recommend the best method of keeping my colors clear and bright? I keep getting a phlegmy looking yellowy brown. Are there any particular colors that are best to use. I seem to have a little better luck when I use them over gold. I always have flux under them regardless. I am firing at around 1350 for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

I am starting to do art shows/festivals this year and am trying to produce a large number of pieces. So I really need to fix this asap or all of my work will be in blues and greens.
Any tips on figuring out how many pieces I need to have per show?

Thanks,
Sher

Hi Sher,

With that temp you can get very tiny bubbles when firing too low, try to stay at 1400 – 1425 degrees for 1 minute 15 seconds and with checking . So I would think right off, you are laying in your warm colors too soon. Are you using FS base and a FS cloison wires or gold cloison wires? As the FS colison wires are hotter.

I only want to fire my warm colors a couple of times. So I will use the flux in the cells for the warm colors each time I fill all the cells until it is at my last couple of layers. This way I have an option of an additional firing just in case I crack the piece in setting.

I use Bovano flux #3 as it has a blue base tint that will help keep the yellow and it is a harder fire that the Ninomiya #3 flux. So this means the warm colors will not mingle with the base of fine silver as soon. When you are firing at a long time, I know you are trying to stop the burn out but think. The base gets hot = the fine silver and holds the heat. Then the flux gets liquid and the color layer you are melting mingles with the flux coat and eventually with the fine silver. So if you fire a bit faster the base will not get as liquid as you only need to melt the top layer of color. Your color enamels melts faster than your flux.

Also if you do test plates try to use yellows that have an ash base, such as Ninomiya H24 and N26. The oranges the same, look at the test and you can see it has an ash base, like Ninomiya N21. It is not as bright of an orange but if you put N24 first then the N21 this brightens your orange.

You really have to do the test plates and analyze the colors. On my pink color plate with 14 colors I can see some have a yellow base and some have a blue base. Use the blue base first then the yellow base one to get a brighter color, in the same color family. Do color plates and use all your warm colors, one of all reds and one of all yellows, and fire several time to see which of the reds and which of the yellows burn first. Then you really know which can handle more firings. It takes time but when it is all over you will be very confident of the end result.

Hope this helps!

Patsy, Thank you for your in depth answer. I am definitely going to have to analyze your response in regard to the enamels that I am using for the yellow/blue base factor. Funny that you suggested the 1400/1min 15sec. It is exactly what I was doing before I switched to 1350 and 1 1/2 – 2 min firing. I had thought that lower temperature might mean less burning. Your explanation of melting the flux and having the colors mingle was fascinating. Ahhh, that must be why it works better over gold foil? I am only using fine silver for the base and wires. I finish my pieces with a lapidary grinder so I will have to have some layers of safety at the surface so I don’t grind off my colors. I will try putting the warms closer to the surface though. It makes a lot of sense.

Bovano flux? You have been mixing it with the Ninomiyas and it’s okay? Which flux do you recommend for filling the cloisons over the color layers? I can’t imagine having 14 pinks! I can’t even get a good pink out of one of my enamels. Reds, pinks and oranges have become my own personal nightmare.

Thank you so very very much for your help. Your generosity of knowledge is amazing and I am grateful. I wish I could be playing, right now it really feels like work. The pressure is on to build an inventory.

Take care,
Sher

Sher,
When using fine silver base and fine silver cloison wires I find it very difficult to use warm colors. Silver causes a lot of heat. So I use a bit of flux against the walls of the fine silver cloison wires as Ninomiya #3, or a baby blue,  as these are medium firing enamels. You do not want a hard firing flux against the wires then a medium firing enamel colors next to it as you will have cracking. You can layer a hard firing enamel then a medium firing enamel but not next to each other.

I use a lapidary machine also. I try to fill as level as possible so not to have high spots that could cause me to loose my color. I prefer not to use a finishing flux. When I was beginning I had the flux get cloudy over other colors and decided to avoid them. So I just continue with color. If you have the concentration of color you want just use a light color in the same family.

Yes Bovano can be used it as a base with Ninomiyas. With it being a harder enamel is perfect for the base. And it is a blue base which I also think helps. If you do color plates ( small dots on the same plate) and you see one enamel melts before the rest, that will tell you it is a lower melting and softer enamel. If it takes longer to melt it is harder. These should always be in the lower layers and the softer enamels on the top layers. That is exactly what Ninomiya’s N4 is, a soft enamel and used for the last coats, as it melts faster.

Come and have a class and we can get all the reds, oranges and pinks you want to master. I spent many months doing test plates. You would be surprised how much you can learn in a day or two!

Patsy

Patsy,

You are a genius! Wow! I did a very non-technical test. I filled the cloisons with N-3 flux half way up and then laid down very thin layers of 3 different pinks and voila! They look like pinks. I haven’t covered them with flux to the tops of the wires yet. Hopefully I’m not celebrating prematurely but it looks pretty great to me.

I really need to take your class!

Thank You,
Sher
Sher,

Not a genius but a lot of test plates and thinking. Your success is awesome. I believe cloisonne is the most difficult enameling processes, many many factors to remember. When you have time upload your photos of before success and after. It will help other learn!

Love enameling!

Hi Patsy,

The experimental piece with pinks and purples turned out great, even with layers of flux over it. At the very end, I think I over did it and the N15 turned a little orange but it’s still okay. I think that learning from you would be a great opportunity and the expenses are reasonable. I’ll attach a few photos.

Hi Patsy, The experimental piece with pinks and purples turned out great, even with layers of flux over it. At the very end, I think I over did it and the N15 turned a little orange but it’s still okay. I think that learning from you would be a great opportunity and the expenses are reasonable. I’ll attach a few photos from my zapplication Sher

Enamels and Nitric

I use nitric acid to clean the 18k gold after enameling in the technique of plique a jour. I have started a list of the enamel that is not affected. By the way if there is a B in front of the number it is Bovano.

Colors in Nitric

A105B         When dipped in nitric acid in a quick bath after enameling it dulls the shine and pits the surface.   When fired the dullness get worse.

BOVANO #3     HOLDS UP REAL WELL IN  NITRIC ACID.

B 518  This enamel was deteriorating, so I put a few drops of nitric acid in the 518, rinsed well and tested the firing of, with no effects except it harden the enamel.Which makes it a longer fire.

Ninomiya #N3,  does not work well when washed with Nirtic before enameling.

B 610             Great

N G 338       Great

NG 302       Great

B 209          Great

L 69

H 24

LT 74

LT 71

LT 70

H 55

N 73

N 72

N 71

One thing I figured out this week when using colors that are affected by the acid is to add a layer of Bovano’s # 3 over the color and all is fine.

Leaded or Non Leaded

Here are some facts from Bell Helwig of Thompson’s Enamel and you can read the whole article here

www.glass-on-metal.com/pastart/enamel_differences.htm

The absence of a US manufacturer will not detour the enamelist, nor will the use of lead free vitreous enamel decrease the quality level of items produced.  The replacement of lead bearing with lead free vitreous enamel will reduce the problem of exposure to lead due to sloppy hygiene and careless work procedures for those using lead free material, but if hygiene and work procedures are not also improved, some other toxic material will probably take its place.  Only the individual can improve his or her work habits and so to speak, clean up their act.

As to the specific differences between lead bearing and lead free, their advantages will be listed first.  This listing will compare those lead bearing enamels that were produced by Thompson Enamel with the lead free enamel produced by the same company.  This comparison does not include or preclude similarities for lead bearing materials produced by foreign manufacture.  Such a comparison would probably have an equal number of similar facts among the more common types and colors of vitreous enamel.  These differences must be stated in generalizations because no two enamels are alike, unless they are from the same batch.  Also, for example, a transparent red made from gold and a transparent red made from cadmium selenium, while both transparent and red and vitreous will always be considerably different under all conditions whether they contain lead or not.

LEAD FREE VITREOUS ENAMEL ADVANTAGES Lead free will by volume weigh less
     Lead free will be more acid resistant.
     Lead free may be ever so slightly harder (scratch ability).
     Lead free may absorb more copper oxide from the metal surface.
     Lead free may have a larger coefficient of thermal expansion.
     Lead free will have less water solubility.
     Lead free will have a slightly higher softening temperature.
     Lead free opaques will have less color variation due to different firing time/temperature relationship.

LEAD FREE AND LEAD BEARING EQUALITIES Index of refraction.
     Workability.

LEAD BEARING ADVANTAGES Lead bearing has a slightly decreased skin texture.
     Lead bearing currently has a greater color selection.
     Lead bearing has lead arsenate opal colors.

Opinions of My Own

I have been enameling for most of 20 years and using leaded enamels. The first 10 I wore a respirator and had my blood level checked yearly for lead. After the first 10 this got really old and I stopped wearing the respirator. I still have my blood level checked and had no signs of lead. I do not sift, I wash and wet pack. I do my sanding and  polishing under running water. And as an enamelist I keep things clean.

I use Bovano Leaded Enamels and Ninimiya Leaded Enamels. I can not replace the blues and greens of all ranges in the Bovano Enamels. And the Minoniya to me are softer enamels. They tend to blend very well. When an enamel is a lower fire enamel the molecules mingle easier. I find hard firing enamels do not. I really noticed this lately as I have been more involved with Plique a Jour. I can see when I finish the grain of glass in my blues are not mingling. So it is not as clear of a transition.

Patsy

Enamels and Getting Started

Patsy

I am brand new to enameling and it is like being in the Land of Oz. I look at the catalogs and just get lost. There are opaques and transparent and leaded and unleaded and oh yea the grain size stuff. So now that I am sitting here with couple of hundred of dollars on my list I still can’t find the yellow brick road. Can you give me a good starting point on colors and should I grind my own or buy them ground?

Hey Karen,
Welcome to the magical world of enameling. First you need to decide what style of enameling you enjoy. I started with cloisonne as I saw a piece at an art show and fell in love with the colors, clarity and depth. I also love to draw and this was a place I could use my drawings. Then there are books and my favorite is Enamels, Enameling, Enamelists – Glenice L. Matthews. It has good chapters on all the styles and is simple enough without being overwhelming to get you started.

Once you have decided your style of enameling get your metal= which I recommend fine silver for a beginner. It is easier to work with and less frustrating until you get some enameling time in. Then explore other metals. But if you want the look  of Fine Silver and need to keep the cost down you can put Fine Silver foil over the copper. You need flux on the copper sheet, I use my Bovano #3 even thought it is recommended for silver and counter enamel on the back, I add Klyre Fire to the counter enamel ( it is like a thin glue product enameler use) and fire the piece.  This way I can fire once and have the two side complete with enamel on both sides. It eliminates all the copper oxide in your kiln. Then you add fine silver foil to the front, fire it and add flux again to the front foil side, and fire before you start your colors.

Leaded or unleaded, it is up to you. When I started it was all leaded, no choice. So it was too much of a investment to change over. And after years of enameling you have favorites that you know and can count on. I would recommend Enamel Works Supply. For the simple reason you can keep it simple! Call Coral 206-525-9271 she is in Seattle. First look at her color chart online http://www.enamelworksupply.com. You can talk with her. Tell her you are a beginner and want a sample size of your choice of colors. Or she will put together a sample of the most popular colors for you. These are leaded enamels but it less confusing this way. I found Thompson’s catalog in the beginning was overwhelming. So many kinds of enamel and what does what. As I matured in enameling it is great the have all these options, but try to start simple. And grinding your own enamels as a beginner, personally I would keep the investment down and start enameling, buy them ready to go. But don’t forget to wash them!And warm colors want to burn, so as a beginning you might want select a pallet of cool colors. It helps the get going and keep the frustration down!

Oh yes, wash the enamels, first as they are prepared they can pick up trash. Use distilled water and in a small cup, add a teaspoon of ground enamel and fill the cup with the distilled water . After a few seconds pour out the water. Not in your sink but in a bucket. If you are using opaques one rinse is great. I rinse about 8 times, till I see no cloudiness. Some say this is excessive but everyone has an opinion. In opaques you do not need to see through them as in transparent enamels. And I find I get very clear transparent enamels this way. If you are sifting the enamels you can wash as you like, place them on aluminium foil and place in the oven to dry at 200. Store them dry.

You can get started with a trinket kiln, if you are interested in the jewelry size work. No need for a large kiln and a lot of expense. You can now find these at most suppliers.

And go to the Enamelist Society and look for classes in your area. Enameling is very popular and many classes are being offered around the country.

Hope this helps, Happy Enameling! Patsy

Keeping Things Clean

I read everything I can find on enameling. And last year I found a book written in the late 1800’s. There was a chapter on keeping the studio and kiln clean. I was happy to see this as I have heard many many times how anal enamelist are.

One thing most enamelist do not like is to get oxides in their fired enamel piece. It can cause cracking and bubbles. So the best way is to keep your kiln and trivets free of these oxides. The oxidation builds up on your trivets from use. So you need to wipe them off from time to time.

I use a blow dryer every few firings and blow out the kiln. Also the enamel can building up on your trivet, you can scrap it off and add some jeweler’s rouge to prevent this. This jewelers rouge is also what you want to put on the iron if you needed to flatten you work that is warping.

I use distilled water to wash my enamels. And I look prior to using the washed enamels for spots of deterioration. These look like small white spots. And when fired will remain white spots. If you see them and pull them out usually you are okay. But as you continue to work and notice the enamels are floating on the surface, you may have to take further action.

I had a lot of trouble a couple of years ago with enameling going bad. You can throw them away and reorder. You can re-wash them all along way while using the wet enamel. To remove the floaties. This mold like substance grows on wet enamels. So they may not show up in the beginning but hours later while sitting wet. You can rinse them with nitric and water. But not your reds. One problem that arises from this is it hardens the enamel. Meaning it is now a higher fire or longer fire enamel. Which can be used to advantage if you need it.

Happy Enamels!

Patsy

Working with Foils

I’d like to pass on some info about working with foil that I’ve been experimenting with. I use a lot of foil with my work with limoges.
I place foil between two pieces of ribbon or fabric and then lightly burnish. The gold foil is ready to apply but the silver gets a little curly and difficult to keep down. I take the silver foil and anneal it on a glass top stove by turning the burner on high and place the foil with tweezers on the hot burner and turn with the tweezers when the foil starts showing color from the heat. don’t want to let it set for to long… you must keep turning until the foil relaxes. The reflective quality with enamels is stunning. make sure that a clear enamel is applied over foil before color. When firing the foil I tap it lightly with a small pallet knife if any of it starts to lift. Just like with cloison wires.
Chris Hierholzer

Those Tiny Bubbles

Hi Patsy

I just took a look at your website and I think its an incredible idea for you! On the jewelry front, I have managed to make a very pretty (for my inexperience) and large pendant with a turtle, fish and starfish. For the past 2 weeks I have been creating a VERY large pelican pendant. I thought it came out o.k. but, every time I fire it now I see tiny air bubbles. I did use silver foil on copper and I must have had some air trapped in it. I’ll take some photos and send them in so you can give examples of what NOT to do.

Take care!!!                  

Wendy

Thanks Wendy,

Your work looks great! Larger is better, gives you room to gradate colors. Your enamels are nice and shinny, as well as the clarity of the transparents.

You mentioned the bubbles, after 20 years I just read that the tiny bubbles are from underfiring. It is nice when you are not sure, as there are so many, many things that go on in the Cloisonne, art of enameling, that some one before has it documented.

Millenet states in his book, “Enamelling on Metal” from 1927

“ A few words of advice may not be out of place here. We have already said, and we repeat with emphasis, that it is essential that the furnace should be at its maximum heat at the moment of firing: and every enameller should take this axiom to heart: a short firing in a brisk heat.”

With winter here and we lose a lot of heat opening and closing the door, checking or replacing. Just one opening my heat will drop several hundred degrees. These tiny bubbles can be in one layer, just the one that was underfired. I am not saying fire at your kilns max. Our kilns are very different then 85 years ago. You have to experiment and find what temperature works best for you. The fun of enameling! Remember the one that was too hot and the base color bubbled up around the design.
I have one of those in my trunk!

Thanks for sharing, Patsy

History Of Enamels

Coming Soon