07-11-2003, 05:04 PM
Hi Alex,
To me, the only "professional" enamel repair job would be replacement of the missing enamel with real glass enamel, thereby requiring fusing of it.
The only (limited) problem with that would be matching exactly the original shade. Enamels are not quite like paint; for instance, since we are talking about the Order of the Red Star, red glass enamel actually comes as a white powder, just like quite a few other enamels. Also, the final shade depends on the metal supporting the enamel: silver, gold, copper, etc.
Rusty,
I think that they are using powdered glass enamel. Now, I probably need to go into some more details when it comes to putting the enamel onto the piece.
First, you need to crush the powder as finely as possible in a mortar. The finely ground glass enamel is then washed with distilled water to remove the impurities. I'll detail only the enameling technique for single layer enameling of small objects such as ... orders and medals
. The parts of the piece to be enameled are covered with a very thin layer of "enamel fixer" which in other circles would simply be called "glue" by common mortals. This fixer allows to precisely place the enamel on the metal, and keep it there (may sound funny, but believe me, trying to keep the &^$%# powder in place is quite a job). Using a variety of very small objects (like dentist's tools or fine bamboo stylus for example), you then precisely (I emphasize this term) place a very thin layer of enamel powder. Once the enamel has been placed, you need to fire the piece to fuse the enamel (turn the powder into solid glass).
Couple of remarks:
. Different enamels fuse at different temperatures, so you can fuse only one color at a time (which means that if there are 3 different shades of enamel on your order, it was fired 3 times). So, potentially a lot of work, and a lot of possible screw-ups each time. Obviously, you should start with the shade that has the highest fusing point, working then your way down.
. Due to the nature of the beast (and because Einstein was right, of course, when it comes to gravity), you can enamel only one side at a time for proper result (some people claim to be able to enamel both sides at a time, but I still can't figure it out :confused: ).
All that to say that, to me, the picture of the Japanese mint shows a small bowl which contains very fine enamel powder that is placed on the order using a fine-tipped bamboo stylus.
Hope this helps,
Marc
To me, the only "professional" enamel repair job would be replacement of the missing enamel with real glass enamel, thereby requiring fusing of it.
The only (limited) problem with that would be matching exactly the original shade. Enamels are not quite like paint; for instance, since we are talking about the Order of the Red Star, red glass enamel actually comes as a white powder, just like quite a few other enamels. Also, the final shade depends on the metal supporting the enamel: silver, gold, copper, etc.
Rusty,
I think that they are using powdered glass enamel. Now, I probably need to go into some more details when it comes to putting the enamel onto the piece.
First, you need to crush the powder as finely as possible in a mortar. The finely ground glass enamel is then washed with distilled water to remove the impurities. I'll detail only the enameling technique for single layer enameling of small objects such as ... orders and medals
. The parts of the piece to be enameled are covered with a very thin layer of "enamel fixer" which in other circles would simply be called "glue" by common mortals. This fixer allows to precisely place the enamel on the metal, and keep it there (may sound funny, but believe me, trying to keep the &^$%# powder in place is quite a job). Using a variety of very small objects (like dentist's tools or fine bamboo stylus for example), you then precisely (I emphasize this term) place a very thin layer of enamel powder. Once the enamel has been placed, you need to fire the piece to fuse the enamel (turn the powder into solid glass).Couple of remarks:
. Different enamels fuse at different temperatures, so you can fuse only one color at a time (which means that if there are 3 different shades of enamel on your order, it was fired 3 times). So, potentially a lot of work, and a lot of possible screw-ups each time. Obviously, you should start with the shade that has the highest fusing point, working then your way down.
. Due to the nature of the beast (and because Einstein was right, of course, when it comes to gravity), you can enamel only one side at a time for proper result (some people claim to be able to enamel both sides at a time, but I still can't figure it out :confused: ).
All that to say that, to me, the picture of the Japanese mint shows a small bowl which contains very fine enamel powder that is placed on the order using a fine-tipped bamboo stylus.
Hope this helps,
Marc
