Enamelling

[Pat from Canvey]

I bought some metal beads at Flame Off because I wanted to try enamelling them. Here's the result,

Very tricky as the bead melts if held in the flame too long.
I also wanted to do a test piece before enamelling a copper heart I've cut out. I thought that nothing ventured nothing gained so made a few cells to take different colours. I soldered copper wire onto the base, filled the cells with enamel and melted them with my lampworking torch. Lastly I cut out the design and drilled a hole to turn it into a pendant.

If anyone can suggest a source of metal beads that do not melt so easily, I'd be grateful. I didn't enamel the back of the pendant as I think I should to avoid cracking and just left the pieces to cool on their own, no annealing but no cracking either.
Is anyone enamelling on the Forum that can give me any do's and don'ts?

[Margram]

They are lovely Pat! I've never done enamelling so can't give any advice!

[GaysieMay]

Well Pat that bead has really spurred me on to have a go with the beads I bought - thanks for being so generous with your ideas and advice.  Making the cells has worked well too. x

[Red Dragon]

Nice one Pat, I just love the way you do things!!   

[Dee Dee]

Excellent Pat, I hope you find a good source of beads, because that is well worth pursuing!  The celled pendant is lovely too, good job!

[noora]

Lovely!

I've only tried enameling on PMC fine silver items on a course a couple of years ago. We enameled in a kiln, just in and out again after 10-20 seconds and no annealing. The enamel is so thin it doesn't need annealing, they said. We did counter-enamel them all on the back first, though.

[mel]

Wow Pat, they are amazing. The first one looks like an antique! What a very clever and creative lady you are!

[turnedlight]

Looking fab Pat, I've now got my transparents and I'm just waiting for some metal containers to put them in (don't you just hate the way they send enamels in useless plastic bags?!)

[Pat from Canvey]

Thanks all. I've been doing the heart today and I must say the result is a little disappointing. Will post pics later but note to self, make sure base is completely flat before applying cell pieces.

[faith]

Pat you never cease to amaze me -  you do so many things and they always turn out really well -  this is no exception - they look great

[Cecilia]

Oooh that pendant has come out lovely Pat.
I tried enameling a metal bead and all mine did was to melt and spark like fireworks - quite spectacular but no good.
I found an enamelling forum which has a torch firing section - grains of glass - in the notebook 1. You may have to create an account to access it I can,t remember...
X

[Pat from Canvey]

Here's the heart 
I don't know why the orange seems to have darker spots but it's happened in both pieces.
Thanks for the tip Cecilia and for the book. I made the mistake of holding the heart with a hemostat while firing the enamel so that the base started to buckle. Won't do that again.

[flame n fuse]

We used to enamel on silver and copper. Laid out the design (used gum arabic as a binder), then popped into a tiny kiln (no temp control). Watched it melt and the grains merge, then switched the kiln off and let it cool. We didn't counterenamel the back. But your 3D beads could be quite a challenge!

[Pat from Canvey]

I made this, this morning
Just wanted to practice scraping off some of the enamel.

[flame n fuse]

Look interesting!
You can get lovely effects if you etch out cavities in the metal, then texture them, then fill them with transparents.