Enamelling: color problems - sterling silver with flux or white enamels

[Tcook]

Hi,

New enamellist here firsting with white color....

Sterling silver is depletion gilded here three times (tried 7 as well, no difference) with 650C for 3mins, strong hot citric acid 10mins, black comes off and rounds 2 onwards no visible change.

Have tried several different brands of whites and several fluxes. All results are quite similar, fluxes turn green, and whites turn pink on especially on later firings. In picture fired two times at 760-790C, 2mins.

Any ideas welcomed.

In pic WG

11959

[Dennis]

Hi Tcook, we are rather short of enamellers on this forum just now, so if you dont receive a useful reply, you might like to join an enamellers forum instead:https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=forum+for+jewellery+enamellers
Dennis.

[art925]

Sterling whether depletion gilded or not will react with all levels of non-uniformity with enamels. If you read up you will see that most people either enamel on fine silver or at least Britannia which is 960 I think. I presume you are using fluxes that are non-leaded. I have only found one flux from France that contains lead to work well on sterling preventing the blue-green colour. It looks like you have applied your enamel wet?, have you tried sifting.

I am not an expert by any means, I just go with the colours produced but for me it is not so important, I don't enamel to assignment.
Sorry I can't be of better help.