Hi Patsy,
I hope this finds you well and having fun! I have a technical problem with my 22K+fine silver fused element from the Arrowmont workshop and hope you don’t mind my picking your brain! I’m sure your opinion is the best!
My problem:
This fused piece of gold and silver is slightly overfired but still usable-from the kilns at the workshop. There are no holes in it and the silver slightly climbed the gold wires but not so much as to obliterate cells.
I enameled it once and the Japanese enamel I used turned blotchy and ugly, so I removed all of the enamel with Etchall.
I re-enamelled it. Got some blotches but covered them with dark colors.
Upon final firing (of course) got an open pit or two…like burst bubbles.
Recoated, refired. The initial pits filled, got new ones.PITS…..but why mostly near the wires??
Recoated, refired! Same thing, old ones filled, got new ones. Some of the tiny pits seem to go all the way to the metal, some not. They are only occurring on the side to be ground…deeper enamel; not the “Russian” style side. The Russian style side was fine.
I am now removing all the enamel once again!!
I cannot figure this out since I only used fine silver and 24K gold wires. The pits occur at random spots and a bit more near wires. I’m wondering if the overfiring created some funky alloy even though my metals were pure??( I did get discoloration in the enamels too…an uncommon blotchy muddy nuisance that I didn’t expect)..Or, do I need to boil in baking soda after Etchall…is it possible there was some invisible residue from that?
Thanks in advance for any input or advice you may have!
Jan
Dear Jan,
Sounds like you have a couple of problems.
One, when using the Etchall, an acid that etches out all the enamels, soak the piece for a day or so in water and use a stiff tooth brush to clean it well, or a steamer works great if you have one. This could help if it is the Etchall is trapped.
Two, but I have had the bubbles in bad enamels as well.
Usually you can tell they are bad after you have washed them. They will be floating on the surface, . This is not to be mistaken for the fine as you know, that you see when you initially wash the enamel. fl This can cause bubbles in the enamels when firing or look like blotchy goo.
If the enamels are only slightly deteriorated you may see after a few hours they will be floating on the water surface. This degree of deterioration will look cloudy in transparent enamels and never go away!
THROW AWAY ENAMELS THAT FLOAT!
A third possibility is over firing. The muddy, blotchy look in the bottom of your transparent enamel could be from the fine silver interacting with the enamels caused from high temp. When we over heat the enamels they will climb the walls of the cloison wires. This leaves no flux in the bottom of the cell. In this fusion style of enameling I believe with the gold wrapped around the fine silver disc conducts the heat better. Try lower firing temperature to 1400 degrees. I have over fired this last month as I have added more gold to the outside of the ring, also. This is the first time I have had the muddy, blotchy patches appear in the transparent enamels. And it takes place first in the warm colors that are more sensitive to over firing.
Hope I have helped and Happy Enameling
We have problem with enameling.
Is this over firing ?
Please advise.
Hello, I can not tell from you photo,please back away from the jewel and maybe it would help to use a color shot. Look forward to hearing from you, Patsy
Patsy, I love your work, and so appreciate your blog!
I have a question about temperature. I have fought temperature for years. Would you mind telling me what temperature you fire at for transparent enamels? I use Thompson and Schauer, both, but cannot find any information about how to tell what temperature. I’ve recently had success at 1450°, but a friend fires her enamels at around 1325°. Many thanks!
Hey Kat,
Thank you for your visit. This is awesome work and I enjoying sharing my adventures. Firing time and temperature is something to play with. I need to know what you are seeing in your work to help you better.
I fire at 1420 degrees. The type of metal, the thickness of the metal and the size of the metal, along with the trivet all add into the firing time. Over firing, the enamel climbs the cloison wires.The enamels burn– turning brown. Under firing it is orange peel. Your kiln may not be correct on temperature reading. Or your friends. So find a temperature that you first see orange peel when you open the door to check. Then close the door and let the jewel stay 15-30 more seconds. Document all your firings as far as all I mentioned. This way each jewel you make go back through your note and find one as close as possible to your new one and work with those numbers.
I started making kilns as I saw many that spike, and ruined the jewel. Out on the road teaching I saw lots of kilns. I do not know what you have but the fiber board kilns do have a problem with this.
If you have time write and let me know what you are seeing.
Good Luck, Patsy