I am taking a jewelry class at the local community college. We have been
using enamels to do cloisonne. Although it is annoyingly difficult to do
it right, I would like to incorporate enamelling into my repertoire. My
question is where can one get (at a descent price), ground enamels for
jewelry use. Would it be less expensive to buy chunk enamel and ground it
myself? What about secondary stuff like Klyr Fyr and a small compact
enamelling kiln (they kind of resemble the burner on an electric stove–
except it is a hell of a lot hotter. And cleaner. Appreciate any help.
I have done a little enameling, and a lot of investigation regarding enamels.
My conclusion (for now), is that enamels can be ‘cranky’. It is
important to use enamels which are consistent and reliable. US enamels
are now being made without lead so they are safer but harder to work
with. Most of the very best enamelists seem to have developed sources
from overseas as well as USA. The best source of enamels and supplies
AND INFORMATION is Thompson’s Enamels. I needed some for an important
project, called them and received them the next day (I paid a small
fortune for the overnight freight). The service from Thompson(s? 's?)
enamels is excellent and personal. They have a full line of supplies as
well. Grinding your own can save money, the lumps last longer than the
pre-ground, but it is very time consuming and you can get inconsistent
results.On Wed, 9 Oct 1996 Jones@MAIL-CLUSTER.PCY.MCI.NET wrote:
I am taking a jewelry class at the local community college. We have been
using enamels to do cloisonne. Although it is annoyingly difficult to do
it right, I would like to incorporate enamelling into my repertoire. My
question is where can one get (at a descent price), ground enamels for
jewelry use. Would it be less expensive to buy chunk enamel and ground it
myself? What about secondary stuff like Klyr Fyr and a small compact
enamelling kiln (they kind of resemble the burner on an electric stove–
except it is a hell of a lot hotter. And cleaner. Appreciate any help.
Marlin, Realize this is not my question but I am interested also…
Where is Thompsons enamels ? Do you have a address…
Thanks and Best Wishes
cj
Marlin Cohrs wrote:
I have done a little enameling, and a lot of investigation regarding enamels.
My conclusion (for now), is that enamels can be ‘cranky’. It is
important to use enamels which are consistent and reliable. US enamels
are now being made without lead so they are safer but harder to work
with. Most of the very best enamelists seem to have developed sources
from overseas as well as USA. The best source of enamels and supplies
AND INFORMATION is Thompson’s Enamels. I needed some for an important
project, called them and received them the next day (I paid a small
fortune for the overnight freight). The service from Thompson(s? 's?)
enamels is excellent and personal. They have a full line of supplies as
well. Grinding your own can save money, the lumps last longer than the
pre-ground, but it is very time consuming and you can get inconsistent
results.
I am taking a jewelry class at the local community college. We have been
using enamels to do cloisonne. Although it is annoyingly difficult to do
it right, I would like to incorporate enamelling into my repertoire. My
question is where can one get (at a descent price), ground enamels for
jewelry use. Would it be less expensive to buy chunk enamel and ground it
myself? What about secondary stuff like Klyr Fyr and a small compact
enamelling kiln (they kind of resemble the burner on an electric stove–
except it is a hell of a lot hotter. And cleaner. Appreciate any help.
Thompson Enamel Co
650 Colfax Ave, Belleveu, KY
mail add PO Box 310
Newport KY 41073
606-291-3800
fax 606-291-1849
orders 800-546-2776
They carry all sorts of tools, kilns, enamels etc for fused enamel on
metals as well as hot glass ‘stuff’
GREAT People, enjoy the frustration of enameling!
MarlinOn Wed, 9 Oct 1996, cj wrote:
Marlin, Realize this is not my question but I am interested also…
Where is Thompsons enamels ? Do you have a address…
I work for a company that puts vitreous enamel onto gold. Although this is
a beautiful appearence it takes a very long time to do and costs a lot of
money for customers. Many customers in this case don’t end up having there
gold enameled. We want to keep this process but we want to also find new
ways to put color onto gold. I have tried epoxy which is one of my options
but I would love to get some more ideas on this?
Anybody who can help, I am in search of different ways to color
jewelry. Right now we use vitreous enamel and I am in the middle of
testing epoxy, but I would love to try other things. Any ideas?
Anybody who can help, I am in search of different ways to color
jewelry. Right now we use vitreous enamel and I am in the middle
of testing epoxy, but I would love to try other things. Any ideas?
Dear Fawniel,
You can get an amazing range of iridescent colors on silver using
Liver of Sulphur depending on the temperature of the solution and how
long you dip the piece. The end result will have to be preserved,
however, with a wax or lacquer coating.
Anybody who can help, I am in search of different ways to color
jewelry. Right now we use vitreous enamel and I am in the middle of
testing epoxy, but I would love to try other things. Any ideas?
In the current Signals catalog, there is a ring in 18k gold and
translucent resin, a wide band that looks like it’s done in
transparent champleve enemel . It caught my attentionn strongly,
flipping through the catalog. Quite lovely; I’d be happy to scan the
picture in the catalog and send it to you. Sorry, it’s not on their
web site.
Anybody who can help, I am in search of different ways to color
jewelry. Right now we use vitreous enamel and I am in the middle of
testing epoxy, but I would love to try other things. Any ideas?
In the current Signals catalog, there is a ring in 18k gold and
translucent resin, a wide band that looks like it’s done in
transparent champleve enemel . It caught my attentionn strongly,
flipping through the catalog. Quite lovely; I’d be happy to scan the
picture in the catalog and send it to you. Sorry, it’s not on their
web site.
Anybody who can help, I am in search of different ways to color
jewelry. Right now we use vitreous enamel and I am in the middle of
testing epoxy, but I would love to try other things. Any ideas?
Hi – Dependiing on the style of the pieces that you are working on
and the materials, you may want to try using Prismacolor pencils – if
you dip in water, they flow a lot like paint; if you have a textured
surface, you can work the color into the crevices. For instance, I’ve
used them to color the surface of a copper electroformed piece. I
then used gold leaf over that and ‘allowed’ the color to show through
the cracks I had in the gold leaf. You will, however, need to seal the
surface.
You should be able to find them in most art supply and craft stores.
If you’re in America, Michel’s is a big chain. Catalogs such as Dick
Blick should carry them. There are other brands such as Prang that can
be found in discount centers such as Wal-Mart. I don’t think that it
would make much difference what brand that you use.