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The Design and Blank
I begin each piece by creating a detailed drawing including the plans for any goldsmithing and gemstones. This is followed by the cutting of a base blank the size and shape of the design. The blank is generally 26 gauge fine silver and domed with a Bonny Doon Hydraulic Press or by hand in a wooden dapping block. For most designs, I polish the front surface with white diamond tripoli, clean ultrasonically in non-sudsy ammonia and brass brush with dish soap under running water. I then coat the front of the blank with a clear enamel called flux and kiln fire at 1500 degrees Fahrenheit for 70 seconds. This fuses the glass enamel to the surface of the silver. The blank is then counter-enameled on the back with a transparent blue and fired. I use blue because it holds up well in subsequent firings and transparent so that I can see variations in the thickness of the counter enamel. To apply these basecoats, I mix two parts distilled water to one part Klyrfire and sift. The application is one very thin coat of flux on the front and 2-3 heavy coats on the back with a firing in between each sifting.
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The Wirework
I use ribbons of 24K gold to separate the cells of colored enamel and define colors by constructing a partition. The wirework of the piece is done by bending the fine gold to match the outlines of the preliminary artwork. In general, I use .003 X .060 inch wire. Yes, it is very tiny! Thinner than a piece of binder paper. I mill it myself from .005 X .050. In this photo, you can see some of my tools and the actual wire. I bend the wire with tweezers and fingers and adhere to the blank using Klyrfire. After allowing the Klyrefire to dry completely, fire the wires into place. In this photo, you see some of my tools and the actual wire.
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A Closer look at the Wirework
In this photograph, the actual wirework in 24K gold may be seen in detail. At this stage, the wires have been fused into the clear basecoat by kiln firing. After this firing, I carefully inspect each wire and make sure that all of my partitions have remained in place. It is also important to check that wire ends are tightly contacting the adjoining wire. If there is room for one grain of enamel to find its way through to the other side (and other color) it will. This could result in spoiling the final outcome of the piece with colors bleeding from cell to cell.
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On Taking Notes
Before beginning the enameling process, I sit down with the design and my test plates and choose the colors I will use. I take notes during the actual progress on the piece and record any variations as they occur. If I experience any technical difficulty, this is particularly important to me so that I can look for a cause by comparing notes from piece to piece. My approach is very methodical and this works well for me.
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The Enamel Workspace
Nothing fancy here! I place my work on a pyrex lid while enameling. This insures a clean surface free of dust and stray enamel powder. It also allows me to rotate the piece without touching it directly and is a slippery surface which aids me in sliding the piece to the edge when removing it from the plate to transfer to the trivet. The enamel itself is glass and it is in a finely ground state when I am working with it. Using plastic spoons and a glass stir rod, I wash impurities away in distilled water. (Note the glass, upper left.) I then wet pack the enamel between the gold partitions using a fine brush and dental tools. On the far left, you will see the edge of my design book. On the upper right are a couple of test plates. I have hundreds of colors and these test plates are an extremely valuable tool.
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The Kiln
The kiln I use is a small electric "Firemaster" with a 9" W X 6.5" H X 11" D interior. I rely on the pyrometer and use welding glasses to protect my eyes during firing. The door has a 1.5" peephole that I have covered with a mica sheet to reduce drafts. I fire pieces on a stainless steel trivet supported by a small firing rack and use a welding glove and copper tongs to place work in the kiln.
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Wetpacking
Now that you have spent all this time preparing the blank and creating the wirework, the actual enameling process begins. For most, this is the most exciting part of this technique. I achieve the depth and subtle shading by incorporating many layers of enamel. Most pieces average ten layers although twenty firings is not unusual if the piece is highly intricate. The majority of my shading is accomplished in the first five layers and the subsequent enameling is used to fine tune and bring all cells up to the upper edge of the cloisonné ribbon. This photo shows the third layer as it is ready to fire.
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After Firing the Fifth Layer
You can see here that the majority of the shading has been done. Now I begin the process of fine tuning and continue the color developement.
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Adding the Scales
This particular piece has tiny silver scales on the mermaids tail. These are pieces of Fine Silver cloisonné wire that I have cut into scale shapes. Using a fine tipped sable brush, I paint a spot on Klyrfire onto the fired surface of the tail, pick up a single silver scale and place it in position. I arrange the scales one at a time, allow the Klyrfire to dry and fire them into place. I do not enamel any of the piece for this firing. I then proceed with layers seven and eight...
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Adding the Gold Shot
Before firing the eighth layer I place the gold shot by pushing them into the enamel grains. It is my experience that silver balls will sometimes cause stress cracks in the piece as silver expands and contracts more than gold. These balls will be covered by subsequent layers of enamel and be submerged in the finished piece. It is important to note that you will want to make sure that the depth of your enamel must be shallow enough at this point to place the shot without exceeding the finished depth of your piece. If they are placed too late in the enameling process, you will grind into them later and they will not be covered with enamel. While this can also be a useful technique, it is a different effect entirely.
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Ready to Grind
After twelve layers, the Mermaid Treasure is ready to grind. Note that enamel is up to the tops of the wires and all cells are filled.
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The Dop Pot
Once the enameling process is complete, I use lapidary equipment to grind the surface of the enamel. I place the piece, facedown, on a warm surface. I use the top of my kiln. I have previously heated dop wax in a small metal pot and use a piece of wooden doweling to gather some wax and stick it to the back of the piece. I now have a little handle to hold onto the piece during the grinding process. Care should be exercised to not drip the wax on yourself or anything that will go back into the kiln.. The front surface of the piece should be free of any dop wax
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The Grind
I use a lapidary grinder with eight inch expandable drums as my equipment. The sanding belt is a 40MIC Microfinishing made by 3M although I successfully used 320 Grit carborendum for years. This entire process is done WET, very wet. I carefully grind the surface of my piece until all wires are exposed and all glassy dips have disappeared. Careful attention to the edges of the piece require grinding a sloping edge that is evenly rounded.
I remove the dop stick by placing it in the freezer for a few minutes and letting the piece drop off in the warmth of my palm. I clean any wax residue with a knife. I then hold the piece perpendicular to the sanding belt and remove any glass from the edges of the pieces. If you have an abstract edge, a large diamond bit in your Foredom will aid in this process. Remember to do all grinding wet!
I then use a glass brush under running water and vigorously clean the piece. Absolutely no dop wax should remain on the piece at this point as it will fire into the piece causing cloudiness and bubbles. I then dry the work with clean white unscented paper towels.
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Final Firing
I now place the piece back on the trivet and refire. The surface should be glassy and smooth. Check to make sure that all wires are exposed, if not, you will need to go back to the grinder and then repeat the final firing. If your wires extend to the edges of your piece, you may find that the edge has a little hump at each wire and burnishing a bezel down over an uneven surface will result in a lumpy end result. I use my judgement in this case and will return to the grinder, using a 15MIC sanding belt this time (about 600 grit) to refine the edge shape. I also do this if the surface of the enamel between each wire isn't quite as smooth as I'd like. Clean and final fire again.On this photo you will see little piles on enamel in some cells. I often include the "moriage" technique in my pieces. This is when sections of my design are raised in relief by adding extra layers of enamel. The result is gem-like and I particularly like the way the light catches in these areas. After grinding the piece and before the final firing, I add small mounds of enamel within individual cells. Care must be taken to keep the wire free of enamel grains.In the photo, you will see a few grains spilling out of the cell, this will need to be cleaned off before firing. Upon firing, the mounds of enamel will become molten and create a bulge like a dewdrop within a cell. This application can be repeated for additional relief.
The setting for the piece is the next stage.
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