A CHAT ABOUT ENAMELS AND THEIR USES |
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| WHAT ARE ENAMELS? | Enamels are made in soft, medium and hard enamels. They look alike, but must not be used except as intended. SOFT enamels have more flux and will mature more quickly in the firing and is used only on soft glazes such as Satsuma, Belleek and American made ware and require a light fire at 018. Medium enamels will work on both extrememly hard glaze china and on the average European and Japanese import as well. Hard enamels are to be used on hard glazes such as our German, French and Japanese china, and can stand a hard fire at 017, due to the lack of flux. When I asked a couple of months ago about how these three enamels differ, I wanted to know what the difference was in chemical make up. I knew that soft enamel was to be fired at 018, but not much else. I had to learn the hard way that the soft enamel is what you need to use for Antique Flow Enamel processes. The Med. or hard enamels simply WILL NOT flow. I have a lovely enamel egg, but it doesn't have the smoothness of the Antique Flow Enamel process. Had I added some flux to the ready mixed enamel I tried to use, I could have achieved the flow that is needed. (Live and learn.) |
| SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR ENAMEL WORK | ENAMEL POWDER DARNING OR ENAMEL NEEDLE MIXING MEDIUM, (NON DRYING) TURPENTINE SIZE 00 BRUSH PALETTE KNIFE CLEAN GRINDING GLASS TOWEL, TURKISH OR PAPER TOWEL BIC PEN FOR SKETCH |
| HOW TO USE ENAMELS (POWDERED TYPE) | Take a small amount of the enamel powder on your clean grinding glass and with your knife, add enough medium to make a thick paste, grind thoroughly until smooth. This will take a little trial and error until you get it just right. Only a couple drops are added at first and you grind until the enamel will follow your knife. (by follow your knife, I mean when you tilt your knife to about a 45 degree angle, the enamel will roll up into a curl) at this point, add your turpentine. Do not delay, must add turpentine right away. The turpen- tine should be clear and new. Discolored turp won't do. Thin with the turp at this point till enamel is of spreadable consistency. If you are doing flow enamel, it should be thin enough to pick up in a drop on the end of your brush. Other wise it should be stringy. If too much medium is used, the enamel will spread and blister in the firing. Enamel works a little better (that is, if you are not doing flow enamel) if you let it stand about 30 mins before using. Turpentine is added as needed to keep it in working condition but at each addition of turp. you should regrind the whole pile. Enamels may be colored with your regular overglaze china paint colors. Care must be taken not to get this too dark as it fires about 2 to 3 shades darker than it looks. A good plan is to mix the colored enamel and test fire a bit to be sure it is the shade you want. The enamel is applied to your china with either your brush or needle, it gives a raised ridge effect. Apply it in a fine line on the edge of a flower to give an interesting relief effect or put it on in small dots in the centers of flowers to make the centers stand out. It is attractive when used on jewelry and ornamental pieces (such as heart shaped jewelry boxes.) The brush or needle should never touch the ware when applying the enamel except when applying dots and even these look nicer if you don't touch the ware. Also be sure the dots do not have a point where you exit. Enamel should be thoroughly dry before firing. It should not be fired when wet and really should be fired only once. (my note, I have fired the ready to use enamel paste inumerable times and have never had any trouble. However, since I am not in the habit of using the powder, I don't know what might happen, I am afraid it might pop off.) |
| READY MADE PASTE ENAMEL | Enamel (the ready made paste) can be used under gold like raised paste, but it will make the gold shiny. Properly mixed, applied and fired enamel should be shiny. I really do prefer to use the ready mixed enamel it is far easier to reach for that little jar and mix a little lavender oil in it to thin it than to go through the process of mixing it from powder. You really should try both products to see which one you prefer. |
| USES OF ENAMEL | If you have some powdered, use it as described here. It also makes lovely highlights and will sometimes save a piece that you forgot a highlight in. |
| SOURCES OF THIS ARTICLE | {This article is a typewritten one that I had in my resource book. I have no idea from whence it came, I have a hunch that Dee Meyers handed out some of these sheets while she was still teaching, and since my mother-in-law took lessons from her she may have been the lucky recipient of it.} |
| EXPERIMENTATION? | I do need to experiment with adding flux to the hard, ready made enamel to see if I can use it for the Antique Flow Enamel process. I will keep you informed when I get to that experiment, or perhaps some of you have already done that and had success. nebraskalassie---Bonnie Crandall |