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!

Electrolytic Copper Etching

As part one of my mission to make my studio practice healthier for me and any future babies, I decided to give electrolytic copper etching a try. It turns out it's so easy to do I am surprised more people haven't tried it. I downloaded an article from Art Jewelry about how to do it, but you can also find lots of good information floating around the internet.
Basically, all you need to do is hook up a D battery to two pieces of copper suspended in a saltwater bath. One is the piece you are etching, the other can be any piece of scrap copper. The current draws copper from the etching piece to the scrap copper. You can use the same kinds of resists you would use for acid etching, but you don't need the etching chemicals. Neat huh?
Here's what you need:

• D battery
• D battery holder
• Alligator clips
• Heavy copper wire (14g. is good)
• Copper to be etched
• Scrap copper
• Pure salt (kosher or canning and pickling salt)
• Plastic or glass container
• Resist (pnp film, stop-out varnish, asphaltum, etc)
  

To get set up, you need to attach your alligator clips to the lead wires on your battery holder. My friend Paul helped me out (thanks Paul!) because even though I know all about silver soldering I know nothing about soldering electrical components. Then you make a saturated salt solution by dissolving as much salt as you possibly can in water.

To get your metal ready, you need to get the piece you will be etching really nice and clean by scouring it with a scrub pad or heating and pickling it, then draw your design on with whatever resist you are using. I was surprised when I first started experimenting with this technique to find that the salt water is just as hard on the resist as the ferric chloride was. Permanent marker didn't work at all, and the sharpie paint pen I used to use for beads works ok but doesn't last long enough to get a good deep etch, so I am back to using the stop-out varnish (check out my acid etching tutorial for more info on different resists) The scrap copper just needs to be cleaned off with a scrub pad or brass brush to remove any residue, then it's ready to go.

Once your metals are ready, fill a plastic or glass container with the salt solution, then attach your two pieces of copper to copper wires and hang them from the sides of the container so they are submerged in the solution. Attach the positive alligator clip to the piece you want to etch and the negative clip to the scrap copper. You will immediately see little bubbles rising from the scrap copper, and within minutes the water will start to get cloudy and reddish brown with copper (Note: Don't pour this water down the drain! collect it and talk to your local waste management people about how to dispose of it. It's not hazardous to handle but it's not good to put copper into the water supply!)

It takes about an hour or more to get a really nice deep etch. Depending on what effect you are looking for, you can get a visible etch in about a half hour. I need to do some more experimentation, but my first piece has a visible etch so I consider it a success.

Overall I am very pleased with this project. It was easy to do and safe, without the mess of ferric chloride and it cost about seven dollars for all the supplies to get started. I am planning on doing a lot more copper etching with this technique, so I should have lots of new etched copper jewelry and beads coming soon!

Adventures in Tie Dye

Today we made tie-dyed t-shirts with the 6th graders at school. Believe it or not, these shirts were dyed with house paint! To do it, you just mix a little house paint with a lot of water and put it in a bottle to squeeze it out (we used plastic drink bottles with holes punched in the lids) You twist and rubber band the shirts just like you would for normal tie-dying, then squeeze on the the color on, squoosh it in, and voila! Then you just let the shirt dry completely (it will be crunchy) wash and dry and you have a beautiful tie dye t-shirt. I was really surprised how soft it turned out after it was washed. My cooperating teacher tells me she has been using this method for years and the shirts really hold up well. It's a lot easier to do with kids than real tie dying with reactive dyes and such, since you don't have to soak the shirts and the paints are really easy to use. We had a great time and the kids shirts look great!

Enameling Tutorial IV: Sift and Dump

"Sift and Dump" is a rather inelegant name for a super useful technique. Remember back in grade school when you made drawings with glue and glitter? This is the same concept, except instead of glue you use ink or oil, and instead of glitter you use powdered enamel.

Materials:
-Basic enameling materials listed in my Intro To Enameling tutorial
-Something to draw your design with:
Pen with liquid ink. You'll want to pick something that draws a fairly thick line of liquid ink and doesn't dry too quickly.
Brush and squeegee oil or A-5 oil. These are special oils made for enameling- available from enamel supply companies like Thompson Enamel
A-5 oil marking pen. This is a special ball point pen filled with A-5 oil. It is very convenient for this technique. Also available from enamel supply companies.

How-To:
-Start by firing a layer of counter enamel on the back of your piece. Then fire a base coat on the front. You might need two or three coats to get a smooth surface and consistent color.

-Use your pen or brush and oil to apply a linear design to the fired enamel. Immediately sift a thin layer of a contrasting color over the design. Pick up the piece and carefully tap off the excess enamel powder. The enamel should stick to the wet ink or oil, and fall off everywhere else.

-Dry the piece thoroughly and fire it in the kiln or with your torch. Try experimenting with different types of pens and brushes to get different line qualities. You can also overlap multiple layer of designs or combine with sgraffito or stencils.

Enameling Tutorial III: Stencils

Stencils are a great way to create multi-colored designs in enamel. I find that they are especially good for bold geometric forms or allover patterns. You can cut your own stencils out of paper or use found materials (screen, lace, anything with holes)

Materials:
-Basic enameling materials listed in my Intro To Enameling tutorial

-Paper to cut stencils- plain white copy paper works well, as does brown paper toweling.

-Razor knife, small scissors, or paper punches to cut stencils

OR

-Found materials to use as stencils

How-To:

-If you are using a paper stencil, cut your design out with scissors, a knife, or hole punches. I made this polka dot pattern with a standard office hole punch.

-Fire a layer of counter enamel on the back of your piece. Then fire a base coat on the front. This will be the background color of your design. You might need two or three coats to get a smooth surface and consistent color.

-Spray or brush the fired enamel with holding agent and place the stencil where you want it to go. The holding agent will soak into the paper and hold it in place.

-Sift your second color of enamel over the stencil. You can sift a thin layer to allow the base color to break through, giving you a softer effect, or sift a thick layer for a bolder contrast.

-Carefully lift the paper stencil off the enamel piece. If any little crumbs of enamel fall off the paper and land on your piece where you don't want them, carefully brush them away or pick them off.

-Dry your piece thoroughly and fire it in the kiln or with your torch.

You can experiment with different combinations of transparent and opaque, different thicknesses of layers, and different firing times. Overfiring the piece will give you a soft fuzzy design. You can also try sugar-firing (partially firing) the stencilled design, giving the stencilled design a raised texture.

Check out my sgraffito tutorial to learn another way to work a multi-colored design in enamel!

Enameling Tutorial II: Sgraffito

Once you've got the basic technique of firing enamel down, there are lots of different techniques you can use to make multicolored designs.

The sgraffito technique is a simple way of drawing in enamel. Just like sgraffito in drawing or painting, it involves scratching through a layer of color to reveal the color below.

Materials:

-Basic enameling materials listed in my Intro To Enameling tutorial

-A sharp, pointed stylus or scriber

How-To:

-Start by firing a layer of counter enamel on the back of your piece. Then fire a base coat on the front. Keep in mind that this will be the color that will show through the scratched lines in the finished piece. You might need two or three coats to get a smooth surface and consistent color.

-Spray or brush a light coating of holding agent onto the enamel. Too much holding agent will make the enamel powder clump together, making it harder to scratch through.

-Sift a thin layer of your second color onto your piece. Make sure the sifted enamel isn't too thick. In my example piece, I sifted a very thin layer, which allows the base color to show through a bit more.

-Take your scriber or stylus and draw your design in the sifted enamel powder.

-Dry the piece thoroughly and fire it in the kiln.

Try using different combinations of opaque and transparent enamel, varying the thickness of the sifted enamel, using different tools for drawing, etc to get a variety of results. Try combining sgraffito with a other techniques. I have tutorials on stenciling and "sift and dump" coming soon.

Tutorial - Intro To Enameling

It may be a cliché, but enameling is one of those techniques that takes a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master. If you've ever wanted to try enameling, don't be intimidated, it's very easy to get started. Enameling is great because you can get very satisfying results right away, but with practically endless enameling techniques to try, you will never get bored! This tutorial will teach you the basic first steps of enameling- how to fire a coat of enamel onto a flat metal piece.

Enameling is the art of fusing glass to metal. The basic procedure for enameling is to apply the enamel to clean metal, and heat the piece either in a kiln or with a torch to a temperature of 1500 degrees or so, until the glass enamel melts and fuses to the metal. Enamels come in powdered and liquid forms, but powder is more commonly used because it is easier to apply and comes in a wider range of colors. Enamel can be fused to gold, fine silver, copper, and steel. You can enamel on sterling silver too if you depletion gild or "bring up the fine silver" first, but that would be a whole different tutorial. I would recommend starting with copper, because it is very inexpensive compared to gold and silver, and it is very easy to work with.

Safety: The main safety issue when working with enamels is the heat. Make sure you are firing away from flammable materials, on a heat proof surface. Don’t leave your kiln unattended when it is hot. If you are using a larger kiln, you will want heat proof gloves to protect your hands. Wear tinted safety glasses to protect your eyes from the light of the torch or kiln. If you are sensitive to dust, you may want to wear a dust mask when sifting enamel.

Materials:
-Copper sheet, 18 or 20 gauge and jeweler's saw or disc cutter to cut out shapes
OR
-Precut copper shapes from an enamel or jewelry supply company
-80 mesh enamels- you can get enamels from various places, but I like Thompson Enamel
-Holding agent- this is an organic gum solution that acts as a sort of glue to hold the enamel powder on the metal
-Sifter- you can buy these in various sizes from enamel supply companies or make your own by cutting the bottom out of a plastic cup and gluing in a piece of fine screen
-Jeweler's file
-Tweezers
-Ball Clay or Scalex (optional) - This is a clay slip like substance used to coat the un-enameled side of a piece during firing.
-Pickle Pot and Copper Tongs- to clean metal
OR
-Pumice powder, scouring powder, or commercial metal cleaner to clean metal.

For Kiln Firing:
-Kiln- there are two basic types of kilns. The cheaper kind (which I have) is called a beehive or hotplate kiln. It's basically a heating element set inside a round chamber with a domed lid. This kiln is great for doing small pieces, but it does have its limitations. The other kind of kiln is like a little oven with a door that opens in the front. These can accommodate larger pieces, and you can get them with fancy features like temperature controls and shutoff cycles.
-Metal Spatula or fork- for moving pieces in and out of the kiln
-Firing Supports- Trivets and/or wire screens. The firing support should hold the enamel while firing and allow you to transport the enamel piece in and out of the kiln with your spatula. The trivet is made with three or more angled metal arms that hold the enamel by its edges. Some trivets have built in legs so you can slide your spatula under them to move them. Some trivets don't have legs and need to be placed on a wire mesh firing screen with the corners bent down. You can also improvise a piece of steel with bent down corners to set your trivets on (see the firing photos below)

For Torch Firing:
-Torch- Any kind of torch used for jewelry making will work. I use a super basic propane torch from the hardware store. It's inexpensive and convenient, but doesn't get hot enough to fire pieces larger than 1" in diameter. Acetylene and propane/oxygen torches get hotter, and can fire larger pieces.
-Firing supports- Trivets. For torch firing you need something you can get your torch under to fire the enamel from below. A tall enough trivet will work or you can get a tripod with a mesh screen on top and set your trivet on that.

Preparing the metal:
-Cut the shape you want out of copper sheet, or use a precut shape.
-If you want to dome or otherwise form the metal, do it now.
-Clean the metal- I find the best way to do this is to heat the metal to a dull red with a torch to burn off all the dirt and oil, and then pickle it. Otherwise, you can scrub your metal with pumice powder or household scouring powder, or use a commercial copper cleaner. Once your metal is clean don’t touch it! The oils from your fingers will prevent the enamel from adhering properly. Use tweezers to pick up the metal.

Sifting the first coat:
-You will want to enamel both sides of your metal. The enamel on the back of the piece is called the counter enamel. If both sides of the piece will be visible when finished, choose an appropriate color. If the back will not be seen, you can use mixed odds and ends of enamel.
-When firing the first coat of enamel, the other side will be blackened by the heat of firing. There are two ways to deal with this. You can use ball clay or scalex to coat one side of the metal before applying enamel to the other side. This is a sort of clay like product that protects the metal during firing. You just paint it on and after firing it flakes off the metal. Otherwise, you can just enamel one side and then pickle the piece to remove the oxidation from the bare metal. I prefer this method, because it seems to work better and it’s less messy.
-Holding your metal in a pair of tweezers, either spray or paint on a thin layer of holding agent. You want just enough to hold the enamel powder onto the metal, not a big puddle.
-When sifting the enamel, you can set the metal piece on a piece of glossy magazine paper to catch the extra enamel. If you are making a larger piece, it helps to put a something under the metal to lift if up off the paper and make it easier to pick up. A soda bottle cap works nicely. Otherwise, you can hold the piece in a pair of cross-lock tweezers directly over the jar of enamel while you sift. I like to do this when making small pieces.
-Put some enamel in your sifter, and gently tap the sifter with your finger to springle enamel onto the metal. You want to apply a thick enough layer of enamel to cover all the metal, but not too thick. It might take a few tries to get it just right, so do some experimenting.
-Once the enamel is applied, let the holding agent dry completely before firing. If you try to fire a piece before it is completely dry, the liquid will boil away causing enamel to pop off of the piece. If you are kiln firing, you can set the piece on its firing support on top of the kiln lid to dry. If you are torch firing, you can set the piece on its firing support and very carefully heat it from below to dry it.

Kiln firing:
-Use your spatula to transfer the piece on its firing support into the kiln. Firing times vary depending on the enamel color, the thickness of application, and the size of the piece, so you can’t really time the firing. Take a peek every so often to see how the piece is progressing. First the enamel will start to melt into an orange peel texture, then it will fuse fully and smooth out.
-Once the enamel is fully fused, use the spatula to remove the piece from the kiln. Let it cool on its firing support

Torch firing:
-With the enamel piece on its firing support, heat the piece from below with your torch. The enamel will blacken where the torch hits it. You will be able to see the progression of the enamel melting and fusing to the metal. Even if you are using a kiln, I would recommend torch firing a piece to get a better understanding of what happens during the firing process.

Sifting additional coats:
-File the edges of the metal to remove any oxidation or stray enamel. You will need to do this after each coat you fire.
-Clean the un-enameled side of the metal thoroughly.
-Sift a coat of enamel onto the un-enameled side.
-Dry and fire as before.
-Continue to apply coats of enamel until you are satisfied with the appearance of your piece. Chances are your first coat won’t look so great. It may be uneven or bumpy. As you apply more enamel, you will get more even colors and a smoother surface. Three coats of enamel will usually give pretty good results. Try layering different colors of enamel. Experimentation is key when learning how to enamel, so get yourself a bunch of little pieces of copper and go to town.

Tutorial: How to Etch Copper

Etching metal is one of my favorite metalsmithing techniques- it's a great way to create a surface pattern or image in metal.
If you want to give etching a try, I would recommend starting with copper. Copper is easy to work with and inexpensive, and copper etching solution is relatively safe to work with and also inexpensive.
The basic principle of etching any metal is to apply a substance to the surface of the metal which will resist the bite of the etching solution. This substance is called resist. Once the resist is applied, all you have to do is submerge the piece in the etching solution and wait for it to etch.

Here are the materials you will need:
-18 or 20 gauge copper
-Scotch brite or steel wool
-Masking tape
-Resist- possible options include paint markers, nail polish, asphaltum varnish, press and peel film... For this tutorial I will show you the one I like to use- It's called stop-out varnish and it's basically a red tinted shellac. I got it from Dick Blick. Commenter Wolfgang pointed out that acrylic paint also works as a resist. (Thanks Wolfgang!)
-Something to apply your resist with. I will show you how to apply resist with a nib pen but you can also use brushes.
-Solvent- my stop-out varnish resist dissolves in rubbing alcohol. For other resists you will need acetone or mineral spirits.
-Etching Solution- Ferric Chloride (also called PC board solution) you can get it from electronic supply companies, or from printmaking supply companies. I got mine from Dick Blick
-A plastic tub
-Rags
-Rubber gloves
-Cotton balls

Before we get started, I would like to take a minute to talk about safety issues. Ferric chloride etching solution is really quite safe to use. It is actually not an acid, but a salt. It only etches copper and brass. It can irritate your skin though, so wear rubber gloves. Also, ferric chloride is very staining. It will not come out of floors, clothes, etc and will take days to come off your skin so be careful!

Now here's the step by step:
1. Prepare your metal.
Resist sticks better on clean metal with a slightly rough surface, so give your copper a good rubbing with scotch brite or steel wool.
2. Protect the back of the metal.
I like to be extra careful so I start by painting a thin layer of resist over the back of the copper, then when it dries I cover it with masking tape. Use an old brush to spread the resist, and clean it with rubbing alcohol when you are done.

3. Apply the design.
I use a metal nib pen to draw the resist onto the copper. I just fill a little cup with the resist, dip my pen in and draw it on. It's a little thicker than ink, so it takes a little getting used to. As you are drawing the design, the resist will start to dry and gum up the pen. I keep a little cup of rubbing alcohol handy, and when the resist starts to dry on the pen, I dip it in the alcohol and wipe it clean on an old rag.
I've used a sharpie to mark out the borders of my designs. Sharpie is sort of a weak resist itself, so it may leave a faint mark on your etched metal. I'm cutting the pieces out where the sharpie lines are anyway so I'm not worried about it.
This resist dries really fast, so just let it dry for 15 minutes or so and it is ready to go in the etching bath.

4. Etch the metal.
Pour your etching solution into the plastic tub. I like to use a big plastic container with a lid, because I can just put on the lid to store the solution.
When using ferric chloride, the copper needs to be suspended design side down in the etching bath. To do this, I just put a long strip of tape across the back of the piece, then place it in the etching bath just below the surface, with the ends of the tape attached to either side of the tub.
Depending on how deep an etch you want and how fresh your solution is, etching can take half an hour to three or four hours. Just be sure to check the piece every so often. Just pick up one end of the tape and lift the piece out of the bath. It helps to give the surface of the copper a little rinse with water once in a while too.

5. Remove the resist.
Once you have a deep enough etch on your copper, remove it from the etching bath, take it to the sink and rinse it off. Take a cotton ball and saturate it with rubbing alcohol and rub off the resist. Once the resist is off, it's a good idea to scrub the copper with some soap and scotch brite. Sometimes the residue of the etching solution will continue to etch the metal even after you remove it from the etching bath. To prevent this, you can scrub the metal with ammonia to neutralize the etching solution. (Thank again, Wolfgang) If you have a torch, I would recommend annealing and pickling the copper just to make sure it's completely clean.
You now have an etched piece of copper that is ready to be cut, formed, and finished in any way you like.