ENAMELS
BY VEE ESCOBAR(I am taking this from a lesson that Escobar had in a
Keramic studio magazine July-Aug. 1927)
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| PREPARATION FOR USING ENAMELS | Before you even begin to mix the enamels to put on the bowl you must be quite sure that the enamels you plan to use will match the body of the china on which you plan to put the enamels. Various ingredients are used to manufacture different types of china: The Limoges and French China are hard-bodied porcelains that require the use of enamels manufactured especially for these. As the glaze of the china should melt at the same temperature as the enamels used on it, the enamels on the hard bodied porcelains should be fired at between 1500 to 1600 degrees (cone 017) Fahrenheit. |
| DIFFERENT TYPES OF ENAMELS |
Use semihard enamels on the Japanese, German, Italian and some
domestic porcelains, and fire at about 1500 (cone 018)
Fahrenheit. Satsuma, Belleek, and English china are the softest of the porcelains and require the use of soft enamels and should be fired at about 1400 degrees (019) There are other domestic and Japanese soft porcelains on which may be used the soft enamels and fired at about 1300 degrees, (020). |
| WORDS ABOUT FIRING ENAMELS | Enamels are best when fired only once. Make sure you have done all other work on the piece you are decorating even to applying the gold, before you apply your enamels It is not impossible to fire enamels a second time, but it is risky. |
| COMPATIBILITY | When the wrong type of enamel is used on a porcelain
body which is not compatible with it, there is a
danger of chipping. The enamel will come off pulling
the glaze from the china and leaving an indentation down
to the bisque. Always allow a long cooling period after
you have fired enamels--perhapes seven or eight hours.
Keep in mind that it is the body of the porcelain on
which you have placed the enamels that requires
different temperatures. It is according to the hardness
of the porcelain body.
{Here the article ends, not all of it got into the clipping---sorry} |
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