So Enamelling?

[medusa]

Are you enamelling on sterling or fine silver? It sounds as if you have fire stain which occurs if the surface is not well protected during annealing or soldering. Really, I find that you need to use nitric to clean the surface to reveal a layer of fine silver, if it has been subjected to heat at all. You could presumably otherwise use depletion building but I haven't actually tried that myself. Generally, I don't solder the piece until after enamelling. Then findings can be successfully soldered to the back using hard solder and supporting the piece by its edges. You need to be quick and confident with the torch. I leave the piece to air cool before pickling. With hard solder it is possible to refire the piece if necessary. I often protect the solder joint with typists correction fluid. The silver from Cooksons is supplied annealed so can be successfully shaped without any further annealing. Enamelled jewellery is all about designing the piece to minimise soldering and to ensure that solder and enamel don't have contact with each other.

I'm re-enamelling onto what is hallmarked 925 silver. I have tried depletion gilding and it hasn't worked. If I use nitric, wouldn't that just eat away the silver and leave the copper?

In the odd occasion I need to re-solder, I use staybrite. I can see James' eyes rolling from here, but I've never managed to have enamelling or hard solder stay put in the kiln and the few times I've tried using silver solder post-enamelling, I've ended up with destroyed pieces. At the moment the enamelling I do is on old stuff which I then sell to support my studies, so I'm loathe to experiment too much.

The reds I have tried were japanese ones from Vitrum Signum, the other colours I use are Milton Bridge. In two and a half years when I have some free time I WILL settle down and get to grips!

[Goldsmith]

If you have no success using chemicals when cleaning surfaces for enamelling, how about cutting the surface before enamelling. I use polished half round scorpers to cut the surfaces of my flower petals that are to be enamelled transparent. I have also used a diamond bur in a flexshaft drill to cut patterns and prepare the surface under enamel. All you need for enamels to adhere is a clean surface, so after cutting wash the surface with a soft toothbrush and clean distilled water before loading the enamel and firing, as even a greasy fingerprint can stop the enamel adhering. The photo below of one of my creations, shows the effect of cutting with a half round scorper before enamelling.

James

[Lindy]

I've never actually tried depletion gilding although I think done correctly it would work. The key is never over heating. Something iam prone to do when annealing. I recently heard that Regards that If you draw with a sharpie pen on the metal before annealing (which I think is the correct temperature for gilding isn't it?) the pen mark disappears at when the metal reaches the right temperature. Still testing this but so far seems to work with annealing. Using nitric is counter intuitive, but it actually attacks copper before the silver, so there is a very small window when the copper has been removed leaving a layer of pure silver on the surface. Haven't used this for a long time as now I try to design pieces which are either soldered after enamelling, or have cold fixings. Alternatively like James I use surface texturing, usually with burrs in a pendant but sometimes I try hand engraving. Not very good at this but I can manage simple patterns with a bit of practice.

[Lindy]

In complete denial about needing glasses for reading! Bad enough for working. However, you are probably right, should wear them more often especially for details.

[Lindy]

Thank you. It all makes sense now. No wonder the 'holes' were so precisely placed! It looks stunning completed.

[Lindy]

Thank you. I would like to do more bowls but at the moment am tending towards quicker more commercial pieces in the hope of actually making some money! Need more time!!!

[Kwant]

In the spirit of sharing here are my first attempts at enamelling: the first one was an over excited out of the box try: sterling and transparent enamel, the second two were to be my entry for last months theme competition: 5cm copper plaques with opaques and transparents not that you could tell. Trying to run before I could walk I think is the best description of my little beach scene :0)


First attempts enamel by kwant, on Flickr

[Di Sandland]

That's what I meant, Cornelius, when I said (way back at the beginning of this thread I think) that superficially it appears to be easy! Tisn't though is it?

Well done you for being brave enough to show us your first attempts. I haven't got anything to show,other than copper rectangles from my sampler; they're not only boring but they don't require much skill either! However, I've got a whole plastic boxful of stuff that has been set aside for enamelling (copper clasps, discs and beads) and I promise as soon as I have something to show I will follow your brave example!

[caroleallen]

What method were you using Cornelius? I can't quite see it well enough. I like the first one though.

[Kwant]

I started by counter enamelling which went fine, then sifted a white background of dry enamel and fired it off to orange peel, the first plaque I did one colour after another and I think this over fired previous colours. The second plaque, counter enamelled first then a white back ground fired, then all colours placed dry and fired together.

The thing I did for this months competition in the other thread I used wetted enamel and placed them with a brush and fired both colours at the same time as I was worried the bezel would come unsoldered with too much firing or indeed the PMC elements would drop off :0)