Enamelling Questions

[ShinyLauren]

I've been researching all sorts of coloured resins etc as I want to add colour to some of my pieces, but have decided I'm best off learning how to enamel properly rather than faffing about with resin.

I've bought and read the Linda Darty book and am quite excited, but it also looks quite daunting!

I'm going up to a friend's workshop next weekend to have a go, as he has a kiln, but I have some questions for those who enamel.

1. Can I teach myself, or should I look for a course?

2. I'll be enamelling sterling silver casting - do I need to depletion gild them if I'm using opaque enamel, or only if I'm using transparent?

3. I'll only be enamelling part of the casting. Can I use Cookson's safety pickle for pickling after enamelling to remove the oxides from the non-enamelled bit, or does it have to be a specific type of pickle? The book mentions covering bits that aren't being enamelled in something called ball clay - any experience with this?

4. Where is the best place to order enamels from?

5. Have you used enamel paints? Or is sifting the best technique?

5. What is the best holding agent to use for enamelling 3D castings?

Sorry for all the questions - googling hasn't turned up any useful answers and I've read the book cover to cover! I have some scrap castings I'm going to practice on.

Thanks

[medusa]

1) I've been taught but really informally. If you have the time I don't see why you couldn't teach yourself, though it might cost a bit in silver for the ones you mess up. You can get the enamel off the silver if you use hydrofluoric acid, but that is the scariest $hit on the planet. I try and keep it down to using it maybe three times a year. Even thinking about it freaks me out!

2+3) I depletion gild my castings but my friend who taught me, doesn't (we both cast using britannia though). I have never ever had a good experience pickling enamelled stuff. I just don't do it, even if the I haven't depletion gilded beforehand. If you do do it, make sure they go in cold. Also make sure that the castings are well rinsed of pickle before enamelling.

4) I don't buy them, my friend does. I think she gets them from Milton Bridge.

5) I have a couple of line paints. Never had any luck with them. Beyond my current capabilities.

6) Friend uses gum arabic solution (really weak) but we've experimented with klyr fyre? I don't really enamel on vertical surfaces, but I do sometimes counter enamel the back side and then turn over the top side but keeping it supported on wires. The best way I found was to do one side face up and then the other. If you are doing 3 sides, I guess if it is a large area which is getting re-fired as you fire the top, then you might get some slumping of the glass, but small areas of around 5mm, the tension holds it in place.

[ShinyLauren]

That's brilliantly helpful - thanks for taking the time to advise

I'll ask my casters about Britannia silver and see if they use it.

[vernon]

I noticed you said depletion gild do you mean heating and pickling to get a layer of pure silver on the enamelling surface? I have just got back into doing some enamelling after 40 years and I find that heating and pickling can give you a smooth silver finish which can give good results, although reds can become a muddy colour if any copper leaches out of the surface, you can get silver foil to place on the surface to be enamelled particularly if you use transparent enamels.
Do not use Hydroflouric acid without much thought, or even send peices away for enamel removal it is highly dangerous in that if you get it on your skin it can Kill and it will get absorbed through the skin and can dissolve bone. Hydroflouric acid has to be kept in polythene bottles and cannot be flushed into the drains, illegal!

[Claire D]

I've just started enamelling too, although I'm torch enamelling at the mo as saving up for a kiln! I went on a short course beforehand but have learnt a lot online since then too.

I've not had any problems pickling after enamelling. I've also enamelled straight onto sterling silver and it's been fine. I bought my enamels from Vitrum Signum but the next lot I order will be Thompson enamels as I've heard they're better especially for torch enamelling. I too use klyr-fire as a holding agent but you can use cheapo hairspray, the really cheap and nasty stuff and it works just as well. The klyr-fire needs to be diluted 50/50 with water and then you can put it in a spray bottle and spray it onto pieces that are 3D.

I'm still very much learning as I go along though!

[caroleallen]

I agree with what Liz said. I do though pickle my enamels when necessary. I only work with a range of tried and tested enamels that I know I can pickle (mostly blues, greens and purple). I also only enamel on Britannia silver.

I get my enamels from Vitrum Signum.

I don't use painting enamels myself but I did do a course where the Sunshine enamels were used and they're great. If you're using wet enamels to pack into cloisonnes, you only need to wet it with distilled water (I get mine from Halfords)

[ShinyLauren]

Thanks for all the info everyone - excited to try it out!

Carole, do you depletion gild your Britannia silver before enamelling, or just enamel straight onto it? And do you use a special type of pickle, or would cooksons safety pickle be okay? On colours you can't pickle, how do you remove the oxides from any exposed silver bits after enamelling?

There are loads of different enamels on Vitrum Signum - is there a particular type I should go for, or just stick with the lead-free ones?

Sorry for all the questions

[Goldsmith]

Lauren, obviously cleanliness is important when enamelling, I have found that just cutting away the surface area that is to be enamelled works fine, I usually cut the surface with a polished half round scorper to give a texture under transparent enamels. For opaques just cut the surface with a burr in a pendant motor. Grind the enamel as fine as possible with mortar and pestle, then wash the ground enamel in the pestle under a slow running tap until the water around the enamel is clear and not misty, then dry the enamels for storage. As Carole said mix the enamel powder with distilled water to make a paste for application, apply to the surface and let it dry before firing. After firing, use a hand grinding stone to level the surface if needed, wash and re fire to obtain a gloss surface on the enamel. I hope this all makes sense.
This is the effect of using half round scorper cuts under the enamel on one of my flowers.



James

[caroleallen]

Yes, I use a burr to cut into the surface too. I don't usually depletion gild as I've never really seen much difference. I forgot to mention that I use alum for pickling as its much kinder to enamel. I only use colours that I can pickle but you can use radial discs if you need to remove oxides. They don't affect the enamel but I've found that those eveflex polishers do.

I only ever use leaded enamels.

[theresa]

This is a very timely discussion as I want to add enamel to some of my silver pieces.
I also want to torch fire the enamel and watched a demo by Soham Harrison on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtysB0piruo
Very interesting