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| Enamelling Art Clay Silver |
By:
Adam Hunter |
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There is a massive variety of techniques which can be applied to allow for art clay silver to be used to its optimum potential. One of the most popular and intricate methods, for creating a dazzling finish, is that of enamelling.
In its essential form enamel is simply powdered glass. However it is powdered to such a fine standard that it bears the consistency of sand.
The enamel substance is one that can be applied to art clay silver in a series of different ways.
However the two most popular methods to apply an enamel finish to art clay silver is the dry application and a method which utilises water, this is known as wet packing.
The Dry Application:
When applying enamel to a dry metal surface, the powdered glass substance should be sifted through a small screen.
It is important to make sure that more enamel is applied to the edge of piece rather than the centre. The reason for this is because the edges of the piece will be the first to heat during the firing, which will cause the enamel on the edge to burn away much faster than that in the centre.
For the enamel to fuse to art clay it has to be fired in a art clay kiln at around 1,500 °F (Fahrenheit) or 815 °C (Celsius). This temperature will consequently cause the enamel to melt and fuse.
To make sure the finish is a good one, it is important to ensure that before firing the piece that there is a good amount of powdered glass on the edges of the art clay piece. If this isn't the case the piece will probably end up looking and feeling cracked due to the uneven levels of enamel on the. More than likely it will also appear that it's the result of shoddy workmanship - never a good thing.
Wet Packing:
The wet packing method utilizes a mix of enamel, distilled water and a binding agent.
When it's mixed with a large amount of water and binding material, you'll find that the solution can be applied much in the water colour paint is. A thicker enamel finish on the clay can be achieved by using much less water and binder. This will cause it to resemble oil paint. A water colour brush would be needed to get the former effect and a plastic pallet knife to achieve the latter.
To begin the wet packing process in lower levels, pack the area by lifting a small amount of the enamel substance and placing it into the low areas with a dental tool or a fine brushed water colour brush. With this the piece will then have an inlaid appearance;
Despite the name, it must be noted that, like the dry application method, the enamel can only be fired once completely dried out. By placing a piece of clay with the wet enamel application into a kiln, you risk have the water in the enamel solution boil and spit it around the inside of the kiln.
The final finishes achieved by applying either of the two methods are by and large very similar, as are the temperatures the kiln needs to be heated to. However both are there to give you plenty of choice in applying that enamel finish to a piece of art clay jewelry.
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Adam Hunter - E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and silver wire, jewellery findings, tools, fimo clay and art clay silver -gold, silver, platinum and palladium plus technical information for jewellers, jobbers, designer, craftsmen, artisans and students. |
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