06-25-2002, 09:35 AM
Tal,
I read with interest the article you posted. However, as a practicing enameller, I have never heard of a technique for pouring hot enamel (you can d that with a few substances, but definitely not with hot glass enamel).
Part of the reason for that is that glass enamel is a somewhat fragile and at times temperamental substance. In a nutshell, it needs to be fired just long and high enough to fuse it. If baking time is too short or temperature is slightly too low, if will not fuse properly (there might be blobs in the finished enamel, clarity may not be consstent, etc). If you bake it too long or too hot, you may end-up with "burnt" enamel (traces appear in the enamel, I believe from chemical reaction due to the excessive heat), or the dreaded "orange-peel" appearence. In any case, it is back to square one: need to dissolve the defective enamel in acid (I'll keep the actual chemistry to myself not to encourage vocations
) and start anew.
So, I am at a loss (technically speaking) regarding pouring hot enamel. It would require some very strict constraints such as:
. extremely precise temperature of the enamel
. matching temperature of the metallic support (you can't pour glass enamel on cold metal)
. matching temperature environment
. difficulty to handle fine details (pouring 1500 C glass is one thing, making sure it hits the right spot is quite another). I'll stick with the time-tried method of applying powder with extrafine brushes in order to keep my fingers in working order.
Although I do not pretend to know all existing enamelling techniques (quite far from that
), I do not believe that the technique described in the article you posted is applicable/usable for manufacturing orders, what is essentially jewelry. I could envision such a technique as you described being used in an industrial context where quality of the finished product matters little, output quantity is primordial and designs rather simple (like pins, for instance).
Marc
I read with interest the article you posted. However, as a practicing enameller, I have never heard of a technique for pouring hot enamel (you can d that with a few substances, but definitely not with hot glass enamel).
Part of the reason for that is that glass enamel is a somewhat fragile and at times temperamental substance. In a nutshell, it needs to be fired just long and high enough to fuse it. If baking time is too short or temperature is slightly too low, if will not fuse properly (there might be blobs in the finished enamel, clarity may not be consstent, etc). If you bake it too long or too hot, you may end-up with "burnt" enamel (traces appear in the enamel, I believe from chemical reaction due to the excessive heat), or the dreaded "orange-peel" appearence. In any case, it is back to square one: need to dissolve the defective enamel in acid (I'll keep the actual chemistry to myself not to encourage vocations
) and start anew.So, I am at a loss (technically speaking) regarding pouring hot enamel. It would require some very strict constraints such as:
. extremely precise temperature of the enamel
. matching temperature of the metallic support (you can't pour glass enamel on cold metal)
. matching temperature environment
. difficulty to handle fine details (pouring 1500 C glass is one thing, making sure it hits the right spot is quite another). I'll stick with the time-tried method of applying powder with extrafine brushes in order to keep my fingers in working order.
Although I do not pretend to know all existing enamelling techniques (quite far from that
), I do not believe that the technique described in the article you posted is applicable/usable for manufacturing orders, what is essentially jewelry. I could envision such a technique as you described being used in an industrial context where quality of the finished product matters little, output quantity is primordial and designs rather simple (like pins, for instance).Marc
