Working with Enamels

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

Things you need to start enamelling :

Turn on your enamel kiln to preheat it and set up all the materials so that you can begin your work. A window should always be tilted or open.
The metal is cleaned with an abrasive block on both sides and then rinsed with water.
To degrease, place the metal in a water-vinegar-salt bath (1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar + 1 coffee spoon of salt)
Rinse again and dry well.
When removing, the surface should not be touched again, thus preventing fat from getting on the surface again.

→ Only necessary if the thickness of the metal is less than 1 mm.

Both metal sides are enamelled to compensate for stress. This prevents the enamel from chipping off.

The back of the metal is coated with Tramil liquid adhesive, for this you can use a conventional brush.
Counter enamel is evenly applied so that the metal is no longer visible.
The metal can now carefully be placed on a stand for baking enamel.

Now the front can be sifted with a fondant or the desired enamel colour using an enamel sieve. If the metal you are using is curved, the Tramil liquid adhesive should also be used here.
Now place the metal together with the stand for baking enamel on a firing network so that everything can be placed on the already preheated kiln to dry. A firing slide is used for this purpose.

→ This should only begin when the bonding agent has dried completely and the kiln has reached a firing temperature of approx. 800°C.

Put on protective gloves!
Carefully open the door of the kiln and place the work together with the stand for baking enamel and the firing network in the middle of the kiln. Now close the door of the kiln tightly.
The firing process takes approx. 1.5 – 2 minutes until the enamel has melted out smoothly.

A short, sharp firing with sufficient firing temperature is usually more successful than a long firing with a too low firing temperature. Since heat is often lost when the door is opened, it is advisable to preheat the kiln slightly higher than the desired firing temperature.
Put on protective gloves again, open the door and carefully lift the workpiece out of the oven with your firing pusher and place it on the oven or a heat-resistant surface to cool down. Caution!!! The workpiece is now red-hot and should not be touched. It is also possible that the enamel may chip or crack as it dries. Therefore you should only approach the workpiece after it has cooled down completely.

→ In addition to many different enamelling techniques, we would like to introduce you to these two methods to get you started.

a) Wet application

Now the surface can be designed as desired with a wet application in the second course.

For this purpose the desired colours are washed out several times with distilled water so that they are dusted (you can also purchase already dusted transparent enamel colours from us, which saves this process).
Now the dusted enamel is mixed with distilled water to a paste and can be applied to the workpiece.
Similarly, mille fiori, mosaic, lump and thread Enamel and enamel can be used.

b) Painting with colours from the paint box

Mix the colours with distilled water and a brush.
Apply the colours as desired to the base which has already been pre-baked with fondant.

→ Also before the second firing make sure that the distilled water used has evaporated. Only then should it be put into the kiln.

Pay attention again to all the instructions of the first firing process.
After 1.5 – 2 minutes, this firing process is also completed and the workpiece can be removed from the furnace.

After the workpiece has cooled down completely, the side edges are carefully ground off with a carbon file to remove the black scale.