Enameling Tip: Glass Etching Cream

Glass etching cream is a great thing to have around if you are working with enamel. You can use it to get a nice matte finish over the surface of your enamel, or you can use it just like you would on any glass object to make an etched design by painting it on or applying it through a stencil. But where it really comes in handy is if you get a little stray enamel on the metal where you don't want it. As you may have discovered, getting even one grain of enamel where you don't want it can make a nasty black spot on your nice shiny silver. To get rid of it, just apply a layer of etching cream over the spot and let it sit for a while, then rinse off the cream and scrub, and reapply as needed. It will usually take a few applications to get rid of the spot. Keep in mind the glass etching cream is nasty stuff. Wearing gloves is strongly advised and avoid breathing the fumes. I would recommend using cotton swabs to apply the cream so you don't have to worry about cleaning a brush. Make sure you scrub your piece really well with soap when you're done with the etching cream.

Tutorial - Wet Packing Enamel

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 over an entire surface, but sometimes you need a more controlled application of enamel. This is when you would use wet packing. Wet packing is used for several advanced enameling techniques, including cloisonne and champleve. It's a very simple technique, but it takes a bit of practice to get the hang of it. Before you begin, check out my Intro to Enameling tutorial for basic information about enameling.

Here's what you need:

1. Enamel powders
   
2. Water
3. Small metal spatula/pick
4. Plastic palette or spoons (optional)
5. Kiln or torch for firing
6. Firing supports, trivets, wire screens, etc
   
7. Copper or Fine Silver
8. Nitric acid and Baking Soda (if using copper)
   

Getting Started:

• Prepare your metal for enameling. Here I am using a metal clay setting I made.
  
• Wet your enamel powders. Many people use a plastic palette or plastic spoons to hold their wet enamels. I use the lids of my enamel jars. When the enamel dries out it just falls back into the container. Scoop a little enamel into whatever container you are using and add water drop by drop until you get the consistency you want. It takes a little experimentation to figure out how much water to add. I like to make mine a little wetter as I find that the water helps to carry the enamel into the corners and edges of the opening I'm filling. If you want a more controlled application keep the enamel a little drier.

Packing the Enamel:

• Take your spatula or pick and scoop up a tiny blob of enamel. Place it on your piece in the center of the area you are enameling and use your tool to push the enamel into the area or shape you want. Keep adding enamel until you have covered the desired area and built up a thin, even layer. If you are filling an opening in a metal clay or etched piece, don't try to fill it up to the top all at once. It will take two or three layers.
• Very carefully check your piece for stray grains of enamel. You will be able to see a single stray grain of enamel on your piece!

Firing the Enamel:

• Dry your piece thoroughly by gently heating it with the torch or placing it on top of the kiln.
  
• Fire in the kiln or with the torch until the enamel is smooth and glossy.
• Continue to add coats and fire until you have achieved the thickness of enamel you need.
  

Between Firings:

• Fine silver will stay clean when firing. Go right on to your next coat if needed.
  
• Copper will oxidize in any areas not covered with enamel. This oxidation needs to be cleaned off before your next firing or it can pop off and get into your next coat of enamel. Sparex Pickle can do funky things to enamel, so you will need to clean it in a 5% nitric acid bath instead. Make sure you neutralize with baking soda and clean your piece really well to get rid of all the acid before you continue. (I've never tried it myself, but some of the alternative pickles like vinegar or citric acid would probably also work and not harm the enamel. If you try it let me know!)

That's it! Like I said, it's a very simple technique, but it forms the basis of nearly every advanced enameling technique. Good luck and happy enameling!

Metal Clay & Enamel

I'm finding that one of the really great things about working in metal clay is that it's perfect for making enameled pieces. Since it's fine silver, it doesn't get any firescale when firing and doesn't require any cleaning between firings. I also like that I can fabricate the entire piece and then add the enamel, rather than making an enamel piece separately and then making a setting for it.
Here's a couple tips I picked up about enameling on metal clay:

• Metal clay is porous after firing, so it needs to be burnished before applying enamel to smooth out the surface. Otherwise the metal clay will kind of suck up the enamel. You can burnish it by hand, but it takes quite a bit of elbow grease. I find that tumbling with steel shot for an hour does the trick.
• You need to be super careful not to get any stray grains of enamel on the un-enameled parts of your piece. Any stray grains will make a nasty brown or black mark on your piece. I find that wet packing the enamel works best to keep it where it needs to be.
  
• Keep the metal under the enamel nice and thick- I've had good results with rolling the clay 1 mm thick, as long as I keep the layer of enamel nice and thin. If the metal is too thin or the enamel too thick, the enamel will crack off.
  

That's it for now. I'll be posting a tutorial on wet packing withing the next few weeks.

Book Review: Metal Clay The Complete Guide

Since I just started dabbling in metal clay, I wanted to share the book I have been using as my beginner's textbook. It's called Metal Clay The Complete Guide: Innovative Techniques to Inspire Any Artist, written by metal clay artist Jackie Truty. This is a great book for a beginner, because it provides you will all the information you need to get started, but it also contains plenty of information on more advanced techniques to try as your skills improve. I really appreciate craft books that are written as a reference guide and not just a series of projects, and while this book does contain four step by step projects (two easy and two very challenging) the majority of the book consists of explanations of techniques, troubleshooting for common problems, and tips on combining metal clay with other materials. I also like that the book is spiral bound, so you can keep it open hands-free while you work. My only criticism of the book is that it's almost a little too concise, and I occasionally felt that I could use a little more explanation, but once I went over it all a second time, it all made sense. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone using metal clay.

Metal Clay Success

Well I finally accomplished a successful piece in metal clay- after 3 failures. So far I've found metal clay to be a very challenging medium, and I miss the crispness of working in sheet and wire. It looks like my biggest challenge is going to be getting a nice smooth finish on my pieces. I'm by no means a mirror polish kind of girl, but I'm having trouble getting things to be even and consistent in metal clay. I do love how quickly metal clay pieces can be assembled, though. I should have lots more coming soon!

Metal Clay Attempt #1: Melted

As I may have mentioned before I recently moved to a new apartment with no studio space to speak of. All of my metals and art supplies are currently residing in a coat closet and linen closet, and my workspace consists of my portable bench shoved into the coat closet, and the kitchen counters and dining room table. Needless to say, my new apartment is not exactly torch friendly, which means that soldering setting for my enamels is out. Also, the only work time I can get these days is after the baby goes to sleep, which means that whatever I do needs to be quiet, so hammering, sawing and filing are pretty much out too. Given these constraints, I decided that my best course of action would be to try out metal clay. So I got a basic set of tools and supplies and set up my little ultralite kiln to give it a try.
My first attempt was to make a simple pendant with a cutout that I could fill with enamel. I decided to start simple and cut out a little curved rectangular pendant, dried it and popped it in the kiln. Well the directions I had said to leave the cover off the kiln, but it didn't seem like it was getting hot enough so I put the cover on. This is why it is important to follow the directions the first time. I went back to check on my piece and found it just beginning to melt. I'm really glad I got to it before it melted into a puddle!
Lesson learned: next time follow the directions when doing something you have never tried before, and you won't waste ten dollars worth of metal clay.