xv, 476 p. 23 cm
Getting up at 5am has its advantages. I was finished with my enameling experiments by noon. That's a good thing because I don't leave my kiln on without me being there (other than for a minute or two at a time). So on days dedicated to enameling, I'm pretty much in the studio all day long. No leisurely lunch in f
Properties of enamels, firing times, and color charts, expansion rates, and more are explained here.
Buying a kiln recently has given me the chance to experiment with enamelling on larger pieces of copper and to produce some really cool effects. These effects happen when you combine different types o
Not long ago, I stumbled across the work of Deb Karash , who does amazing fabrication work and likes to color on metal. Yeah. You hea...
Harold Balazs (Ohio, 1928) is an American artist know for his copper enamel art and large scale abstract metal sculptures. Balazs began wo...
Originating in ancient Egypt, the art of enamelling has long been used to make precious metals even more colourful and beautiful; even neolithic pieces of jewellery found on Orkney itself. Sheila Fleet Jewellery is renowned for its enamelling; with Sheila drawing inspiration from the land, sea and air and depicting these with bright hues only found in the crushed glass we use in our enamels. All the enamelling that takes place in our workshop is done in the traditional way – with a feather. Here we dip the end of the feather into a pot of finally ground glass and deionised water then carefully apply it to the metal; which is heated in the kiln for a wonderfully vibrant and long lasting finish. Erica is one of our enamellers and is responsible for applying and blending colours; all with the help of her trusty goose feather: “Any enamelled piece of Sheila Fleet Jewellery is created with locally sourced feather quills. “The neighbouring farmer often brings us feathers he finds in the fields and we also know a lady on the Isle of Sanday who brings us geese feathers. “Most of the feathers we use are from geese but we also have feathers left by swans; not to mention a turkey and a peacock! “Goose feathers are my preferred quill because they are slightly smaller and not so thick which means I can be more delicate and direct with the enamel.” On busy days, Erica and the team can enamel up to 80 pieces of jewellery – each handmade, to order. Even on days like these however, no piece is ever rushed…the enamel won’t allow it! “Each piece of jewellery uses enamel in a different way, so to achieve the hues required we blend the crushed glass with a little bit of water. Working in this way allows me to push the enamel around the jewellery and also blend different colours together to achieve the desired finish. “We can’t put the enamel into the kiln wet so it’s placed on top of the oven until the water has evaporated. Once this happens we pop the piece of jewellery into the kiln for 1 – 2 minutes. As the piece cools down the enamel changes colour and returns to how it looked in the pot! “Last but not least, the jewellery leaves the enamelling room and is returned to the workshop where it is polished, set with gemstones (if required) and packaged up, ready to be sent to its new home.” To read more about the jewellery making process, why not read our blog on how we make our jewellery? If you’re ever in Orkney be sure to pop in for a tour of the workshop where you can watch Erica and the rest of our craftspeople in action!
Enameled copper brooch in shades of blue, light green and brown. This brooch is made of enameled copper, showcasing captivating shades of blue. Each piece is carefully hand-crafted in an artisanal manner, using a blowtorch to fuse the colours together and create subtle variations in hue, from pale blue to deep blue on the metal surface. Its round design gives a contemporary touch, while the craftsmanship ensures that each piece is truly unique, perfect for those looking for distinctive and authentic jewellery.
Composition gold, metal powder, mica, and enamel 36" X 24" 2011 Commissioned by Neuropore Therapies, San Diego, CA
One of the courses I am undertaking to build my skills is Enamelling taught by Lillian Yuen. Lillian is a fabulous teacher and jeweller and she makes the most beautifully delicate enamelled pieces. Over the past couple of weeks we have learnt how to work with opaque and transparent enamels, and achieve different effects using sifting techniques, and solid enamels. Below is a pictorial account of my discovery of enamels. Its been such an exciting adventure! The first week we learnt how to prepare samples for opaque enamels. Below shows the test strips which have 4 layers of enamel. Opaque enamel tests Base coat (top) Second layer (second from top) Third layer (orange peal effect which means it isn't heated as long so that some of the grain texture remains) Fourth layer (sugar fired, heated less than orange peal effect) Pull Through tests Next we experimented with pull through techniques, which is putting one colour over another, and the bottom colour 'pulls through' the top. Top left: Soft flux base covered by Peacock Blue 1645 opaque Top right: Chestnut 2190 transparent covered by Calamine Blue 1520 opaque Bottom left: Candy 1211 opaque covered by Mandarin 2840 transparent Bottom right: Black 1995 opaque covered by Ivory 1238 opaque Sifting techniques The following week we learnt different sifting and decorating techniques (above) Top left: graphite pencil on Antique White 1045 Top right: using a stencil of a dried flower I sifted Peackock Blue 1465 over a base coat of Antique White 1045 Middle left: Sgraffito techniques white on blue. Image scraped using a tooth pick Middle right: Sgraffito techniques blue on white. Image scraped using a tooth pick Bottom left: Sift and dump. White base. Image then painted using Klyr Fire, blue enamel sifted which sticks to the Klyr Fire. Remaining enamel is tipped off Bottom right: White base stamped using regular ink pad and stamp. Same technique as the sift and dump where blue enamel was sifted onto the wet ink and the remaining blue enamel is tipped off. Wet packing enamels before firing Next we learn how to work with transparent enamels using a wet packing method which requires washing the enamel powder to get rid of any contaminants and placing the wet enamel on the copper. This example uses a piece of copper which also had a piece of silver embedded in the medium flux before the wet enamels were placed on top. The enamels used in this examples use precious metals to create the colours (mainly gold) wet packed enamels after firing And the above is the result. Top left: Opalescent 2061 Top right: Orange Red Ruby 2110 Bottom left: Pink 2820 Bottom right: Wax 2110 This week we have been experimenting using solid enamels (chunks of glass and beads) to make patterns, along with swirling which is where you move a titanium tipped rod to move the molten enamel. Before After Before After Before After Before After Before After. A metal pick is used to move the molten enamel surface Before: pieces of Venetian glass on medium flux After: Venetian enamel pull through with cobalt blue on top Another after version of Venetian enamel. This one was grinded down so that all the lumps of glass were the same height (rather than lumpy) Can you tell Ive been having fun?
NOT AVAILABLE FOR OVERSEAS DISPATCH A solvent-based, fast-dry paint developed for use on plastic model kits but which can also be used on other substrates. Matt, Satin, Gloss, Metallic, Metalcote and Clear finishes are available (finish varies by colour). Usable on a wide range of surfaces including most plastics, wood, glass, ceramics, metal, cardboard, sealed plaster, sealed hardboard and more (always try on a small test area to check suitability) Brush straight from the tin. Airbrush with a suitable Thinner. Two thin coats are preferable to one thick coat. The usual thinning ratio is 2 parts paint to 1 part thinner. HOW TO CLEAN When the brushes are wet use suitable thinners. If the brushes are left to dry out we recommend the use of Brush Magic to soften the dry paint and remove it from the bristles. SPECIFICATIONS FINISH Satin VOLUME 14ml COVERAGE 0.3m² DRYING TIME (APROX) 1 Hour
So far all the enameling tutorials I've posted have been based on sifting techniques. Sifting is great if you want an even layer of enamel ...
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Tomorrow, Monday 21st January, I will be launching a new Jewel Enamels Kit on behalf of Craftynotions on Jewellery Maker TV. I promise we will have some Friendly Plastic soon, but for the meantime…
Properties of enamels, firing times, and color charts, expansion rates, and more are explained here.
Get started with low temperature enamelling and create amazing effects with this Efcolor Enamel Starter Set of 10 vivid colours. Efco.. - Product Code: 861 000
This enamelled brooch by Michaela Frey has an elegant oval shape and a pretty floral design. The flowers are shades of pink and white, with touches of purple and pale green leaves. Twirling through the flowers is a pink ribbon. The background is white and the contrasting purple border creates the perfect finish. The reverse is plain black. The fastening is signed Michaela Frey. Fastening: Mounted silver colour metal pin and secure roll-over safety clasp Measures: 3.5cm x 2.5cm Condition: Good with small imperfections There is a tiny chip in the purple enamel border on the base of the brooch, see photo 9 There is a small scratch in the enamel at the top, just left of centre, see photo 10 A lovely addition to a collection of Michaela Frey jewellery. Please Note: The £1 coin in photo 8 is to indicate size and is not included in the sale Find more Vintage Brooches in my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MillyFiory
