Archive for February, 2007

OVERGLAZES

For enameled pieces that require fine detail work, overglazes can be used. They are applied in the same manner on enamels as on ceramics. With overglazes the enamelist can incorporate fine lines into the design and create a three-dimensional effect by shading the overglazes with a stippling brush or a watercolor brush with the bristles cut off squarely. However, do not overdo the use of overglazes or you may find that your enameled piece has become a china-painted piece; while china painting has admirable qualities of its own, it does not have much of the true enamel quality.

After overglazing, let the piece thoroughly dry so that the oil is dissipated. Then fire it at about 1200 -1300 and remove it from the kiln in two or three minutes in the same manner as other enamels.

FINISHING

After your enamel piece is completed, the exposed copper areas must be polished since they will be black from fire scale. The edges can be cleaned by hand with a fine file, a carborundum stone or emery paper, or they can be polished on a buffing wheel. The copper back of the piece can also be polished on a buffing wheel with an abrasive cleaning compound and then given a final high polish with rouge. To polish the back by hand, first apply a commercial preparation that removes most of the black fire scale and then use steel wool or scouring powder. Give the polished piece a coat of clear lacquer to protect the surface and prevent further oxidation.

Findings for enamel jewelry can be obtained in various finishes from most enamel and ceramic dealers. You can solder them or cement them with liquid cement as with ceramic jewelry.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

In enameling, as well as in ceramics, techniques can be combined and arranged in endless ways. The wet charge technique can be vastly improved by the addition of dusted enamels used to shade the flat areas and to soften the background. On the other hand, if dusting is used as the basic technique, a few wet charge accents will strengthen the decoration. (See Appendix.)

A sgraffito technique can be combined nicely with silver or gold paillons. After the paillon has been given a coat of transparent enamel and fired, dust an opaque enamel over it, covering it either partially or completely. Then sgraffito lines or small areas through the opaque enamel. The resulting lines or areas will be metallic foil. With this technique it is possible to do away with the sharp edges of the paillons which are apt to produce a pasted-on effect. Wet charge can also be used to cover up the hard edges of the paillon. An added advantage of sgraffito or wet charge over foil is the pleasant fact that the paillons do not have to be cut in such precise shapes since the sgraffito or wet charge will dictate the contours of the design, rather than the paillons themselves.

Dusted enamel over lines of gum or squeegee oil can be used as a guide for subsequent decoration as well as a complete decoration in itself. Draw the design with gum or oil, dust with enamel and fire. Then fill in the outlines with wet charge. Or you can paint

Illustration 157
This 10-inch enamel plate required seven firings. It combines dusting, sgraffito and small accents of wet
charge.

entire areas with the oil or gum, dust with enamel, fire and apply a second coat with wet charge.
These are but a few of the ways in which the various techniques can be combined. The further you progress, the more combinations you will discover that can be used to enrich your enamels.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

Metal foils

It is possible to attain the effect of enameling on silver or gold without actually using these expensive metals. Silver and gold foil can be substituted. You can obtain both gold and silver foil in booklets of approximately twelve sheets or in individual sheets. The foil is extremely delicate and must be handled with the utmost care. Because it tears so easily, it should be held between two sheets of tracing paper and then cut into whatever shape is desired with sharp scissors or a razor blade. The areas that are cut from the foil are called “paillons.”

The paillon is applied to an enameled surface, usually in the last stages of decoration since the foil tends to burn and should not be subjected to too many or too high firings. Before it is applied to the piece, you should prick it with pin points to allow the air to escape from under it when it is fired. This needn’t be done if the paillon is smaller than a square inch. With a pair of tweezers, place

Illustration 156
After firing again, the enamel piece is finished. Lumps and threads, while easy to apply, should be used sparingly.

the paillon on the enameled piece, adhering it to the surface with gum. Make certain that the paillon is smooth and flat by gently patting it with a soft rag or tissue. This will also absorb excess moisture.

Fire the piece for about one and a half minutes at 1350″-1400 , then remove it from the kiln and burnish the paillon with the back of a kitchen knife. If the paillon is completely adhered to the enameled surface, it may now be covered with a thin coat of transparent enamel and fired for two and a half or three minutes. The transparent coat may be applied by either dusting or the wet charge method, but the coat should be as thin as possible to attain the utmost transparency. To show the metallic foil to its best advantage, use blues and greens over the silver foil and warm colors (yellow is particularly beautiful) over the gold foil. Flux, of course, is effective over either silver or gold foil.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

We have discussed stencils in relation to ceramics and the procedure is basically the same for enameling. Fire a base coat of enamel and apply gum to the enameled piece as you would for a simple dusting technique. The stencil shape can be cut from newspaper or paper toweling with enough margin left around the cut-out area to protect the rest of the piece from undesired enamel. Place the stencil on the enameled surface, dust on a contrasting enamel and then remove the stencil carefully without disturbing the enamel. Enamel that has become dislodged can be pushed back into position with a fine brush.

While this is an easy way to enamel a design, the hard outlines of the stencil are not always attractive. To soften such a design, go over the edges with wet charge. This will go a long way toward eliminating the obvious and mechanical stenciled appearance and will add a great deal of richness to the decoration. You can also add other non-stencil touches-shading, metal foil, over-glaze lines, etc.-anything that will make the effect less commercial.

Illustration 154
This compact was also stenciled with enamel.

Illustration 155
(Below) White enamel has been dusted on the edges of a fired black enamel piece, and lumps and threads are put on with tweezers.

Lumps and threads

Enamels are available in unground form as well as ground and are generally sold as lumps and threads. The threads are long thin strands of unground enamel which can be broken up into various sizes with a hammer. The lumps are placed on an enameled surface and fired. This is probably the easiest way to design an enameled piece since nothing more complicated is involved than placing the lumps on the piece. The use of enamel lumps should be kept to a minimum, mainly for accent. Transparent lumps can be especially effective when placed over metal foil, which produces jewel-like effects.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting

A line design can also be achieved by drawing a design on a fired enameled piece with gum or squeegee oil (a thick oil used in silk screen printing) and then dusting an opaque enamel on the piece and refiring it. The enamel will adhere only to the gum or oil lines and will shake off the rest of the surface, leaving enameled lines.

Illustration 152
A sgraffito design is again used against different color enamels. Be sure to blow away any enamel particles that get in the way of the sgraffito lines.

Illustration 153
Apply stencils to enamels in much the same way as you do to ceramic pieces.

An embossed line is often an interesting variation of texture on an enameled piece and can be produced by the wet charge method. A hard or high firing wet enamel is pushed into lines, with the enamel heaped high to about 1/16 of an inch. The piece is fired and withdrawn before the enameled lines have completely melted. The result is an embossed or raised design on a flat surface.

A novel approach to a linear design can be executed with a few pieces of wet string. Arrange the string in a design on a fired coat of enamel and dust a contrasting enamel over the entire surface. Then remove the string, refire, and a line design remains. This technique results in a free, loose type of design which can be very expressive.

Keywords: Ceramic Decorations, Ceramics Decor, Ceramics, Painting