Enameling: Experimenting with Thompson Crackle Enamels

[@LMenke-vl5df]

Your videos are so easy to watch and learn from! Thank you!

[@10Gables]

Aww - thank you so much 💗

[@wirefirejewelry]

We both love enameling,; I use the more “rustic” immersion torch enameling technique. Thank you for showing us your experiments

[@10Gables]

That is great!!! I love torch firing, too, especially for things like fusing hair to the surface, salt-firing, and making quick samples. I'll be sure to check out your work and am glad you enjoyed the experiments :)

[@wirefirejewelry]

@@10Gables I watched a bunch of enameling videos last night. Steven James did a salt firing demo & I love those effects. I have crackle but never used it. You’ve given me motivation 😃

[@SuzieQ7779]

Excellent video Chris! Thank you!

[@10Gables]

Thanks so much 😁

[@kusikia]

Wow, i've been learning for a couple of months now and really appreciate the time and effort you put on this tutorial, thank you so much! Have been doing some experiments and it is so much fun and frustrating sometimes!!! A big hug from 🇲🇽 :)

[@10Gables]

Welcome to the fun world of enameling :) So glad you are enjoying your experiments and can't wait to see what you make!!!

[@kathleenmartin1841]

Thank you for sharing your ideas, experiments and knowledge in these tutorials. I must admit that I’ve been a tiny bit (!?!) nervous about using my kiln. Your sweet and calm demeanor has helped to ease my (kiln) fear. 😁

[@10Gables]

Thank you so much for your kind words, Kathleen 💕 I am happy for you to try the kiln and can't wait to hear how it goes. Rio Grande filmed a really nice video with Ricky Frank about using a kiln. It is a good overview about firing with the kiln, controls, etc. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGjRh6ehh7qdnKc

[@dianemurphy9772]

Thank you Chris for sharing your experiments and thank you for the crackle enamel recipes!

[@10Gables]

Thank you so much, Diane, for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoyed them!

[@wcc101662]

Somehow I’m still not clear about why you used scalex in this project, and also why you use the firing pad. Is this purely about keeping the pieces from sticking to the mesh stand? Is it simply an option to using a trivet? Thanks

[@10Gables]

Hello Wendy! I use scalex and a firing pad on pieces that don't need the back to be "pretty." For example, tests like these I am doing as samples for my enamel library, pieces that will be bezel set, or pieces the back will be hidden in other ways. It is a big time-saver in lieu of a trivet because I don't have to fiddle with getting my piece to sit just right. Hope this helps!

[@JackyPolen]

I noticed that you don't use Klyrfire on any of your pieces. Is there a reason why? Should it be used or what is the purpose of using it?

[@10Gables]

These are simple demo pieces, so no need for it. I do use it for higher domes, to secure counter enamel when firing at the same time, amd will also use it as a light adhesive. It is also good for mixing with a bit of Thompson Luster (or other mica products), Mason stains, or painting enamels as a medium for painting, stenciling, or stamping.

[@Sconnieprincesswarrior]

Thanks for the video. I wish the pieces were shown closer to the camera. It was hard to see the details. Maybe add some close-up stills to your videos to help? Great info though and I appreciate all of the work you put into this video!❤

[@kristinmeyer489]

I'm interested in flame painting copper too. Can you do both on the same piece?

[@10Gables]

Hi! Probably possible? Flame painting is more mutable (i.e. color changes rapidly depending on several factors), so you'd probably want to try that as a secondary action after enameling. You will need to consider melt temperatures of the glass and interaction with your torch gas as you do it, too. Looking forward to hearing how your experiments go!

[@josephthrasher6665]

just beginning , but I didn't see you use liquid form enamesl can you get crackle effect without it?

[@10Gables]

Welcome! Yes, you can.

[@iwonacharleson7071]

Thank you so much for these techniques, so helpful for a beginner - just looked at your jewelry in your shop - beautiful! Particularly the river stones - would I need a kiln to be able to do that technique?

[@10Gables]

Thank you! You can use a torch to do this, but it may discolor the edges of the enamel. I use a kiln to achieve the combo for those pieces.

[@iwonacharleson7071]

Thank you Chris @@10Gables

[@helenandre1755]

Thank you so much, I'm a lampworker looking to learn enamelling

[@10Gables]

I hope you enjoy it as much as your lampworking 💕💕💕

[@helenandre1755]

@@10Gables I'n certain I will! I'm hoping to add lampwork decoration to the enamelled copper pieces by torch-firing. So far the biggest issue is a good holding tool, not to mention the whole bunch of unsuitable enamels I bought, they were cheap, ok kiln fired but devitrify in the flame! I'm sticking with thompson now as they do a 9000 range which is compatible both with my coe104 glass and copper, can torch or kiln fire too. Very interested in that scalex product so you have given me loads to think about, thank you so much

[@agusbudisantosa4577]

Thank you Chris for your sharing. But, help me How to make finished enamel not flat but convex ?

[@10Gables]

Thanks Agus! For round shapes, a dapping block works well to shape the metal before adding enamel. For more complex shapes, using traditional repousse techniques, or a leather bag, and punch can work. And, id your metal is a finer gauge, you may be able to use your fingers. Hopw this helps!

[@DawnJohnson-uc1zz]

Awesome video! Thank you!

[@10Gables]

Thank you 💕

[@StephanieSMcGrathSSMDesign]

Thank you so much for your videos! I am just beginning the journey into enamels, how long and hot do you fire to burn out the copper oxides?

[@10Gables]

Hi Stephanie! Welcome to this fun rabbit hole!!! A general timeframe is 2-3 minutes. However, this is a tricky question because it actually occurs when the glass gets to the right temperature to clear the oxides from it. There are a few things that can change results, including the thickness of your metal, size of the piece you are firing, and the color you are working with. For example, thinner/smaller pieces of copper heat up faster than thicker/larger pieces. And, as an example, with Thompson unleaded clear 2030 takes longer to melt than their blue transparents do. With enameling, other crazy factors like room temperature, how long your kiln has been on, even barometric pressure can mess with your results. This is the science part of the art you'll start to grasp over time 💕 I'm one to encourage experimenting and testing to learn. What I would suggest here is to make some test samples changing up variables like thickness, shape, and color. Observe what you discover and save those samples and notes for future reference. Can't tell you how many times my notebook of experiments has saved me frustration when making something new 💕

[@StephanieSMcGrathSSMDesign]

@@10Gables Thank you so much!

[@Molly-bgood]

Am most grateful for your experiments with the crackle, laid first. Then the opaque is laid over the top….because opaque is known to be a solid color (not see through as is transparent) was the expectation to cause a crackle the opaque showing white, black and clear lines? I was so surprised at the first experiment even with additional firing - there was no shifting. Do you think sifting thickness of the opaque counts? Before viewing this video-and I am an inexperienced newbie - silly me…I had a most delightful experience when I received my crackles - as I bumbled in with a clear crackle on a ginko leaf I had cut (after counter on back)….my thinking was no to opaque because I did not think I could crackle the opaque unless it was very thin. Transparent? Hm - try it. So then used transparent enamels on top of the clear (light color at the top and darker at the bottom) and running a sgraffito poker through the transparent pulling the lighter colors down through the darker. OMG the most beautiful veining you could ever imagine. Stunning and shocked myself. Hopefully I can do this again!

[@10Gables]

Thanks Linda! And it sounds like you had a great experiment yourself - what a good idea to pull the colors through. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen with the black & white crackle enamels as I had not fired them before :) I do think the thickness of the layer you put on top of the crackle will affect the amount of pull through from the crackle. I've proven this a bit to myself with the clear crackle in between layers of color. If you decide to do some more testing with this, I would love to hear about your experience.

[@kristinstewart5556]

Would your first layer be the transparent yellow then the clear crackle and then the opaque to reveal the copper flash?

[@10Gables]

This is one way to do it

[@YvonneManders]

Hi Chris, Thanks for your video; exactly what I was looking for!. I'm trying to understand what happens when melting the enamels together, so I took the Thompson Enamel Workbook of the shelf. Here you can find the expension and the softening point of each Thompson enamel. Do you know which one matters the most for this technique? The expension or the softening point or maybe both? Understanding this could maybe make it easier to 'predict' which enamels could work well together. Thanks! Yvonne

[@10Gables]

Hello Yvonne! Thank you for your kind words

[@YvonneManders]

Hi Chris, Thanks for your reply! I think you are right about the melting point being the most important factor. I took some of the recepies of Laura Bracken (very nice downloads, available on etsy) and saw that for each layer she adds the melting temperature is higher than the layer below (with exeption of the basic layer which has a higher melting point). I'll make some tests and see if that is true!

[@10Gables]

@@YvonneManders - thank you foe the tip. Laura is a great teacher 💕 I will have to check out her recipes.

[@pamday6715]

Love y our video, but I can't get my crackle to actually crackle. Don't know what I am doing wrong!

[@10Gables]

Hey there Pam! Can you share the steps you are taking and I'll try to help?

[@pamday6715]

@@10Gables First I fire on a opaque color, then sift and fire white crackle., al regular thickness. After that I sifted opaque pale yellow and fired. Nothing. Next I tried same steps but with transparant yellow on top, I got some slight crackle on the edges only. These are my first attempts, I have tried 4 or 5 pieces, both torch fired and kiln fired. I had slightly better luck with the torch, but still very slight crackle

[@10Gables]

Maybe try firing a little bit longer? Sometimes it takes a while for the crackle to really begin moving.

[@pamday6715]

@@10Gables Thanks for your help

[@rosemarycheslock5138]

Done your piece or scrafitto it before firing

[@sylviaprudhomme5417]

What type of jewelry. Do you make with your enamels?

[@10Gables]

I like to set my enamels in sterling silver now with bezels, prongs, tabs, etc. You can see most of my work at 10gables.com. When I started, I enameled shapes and used them like beads and dangles :)

[@kristinstewart5556]

I have the impression that many people use these mixed into water to make it liquid. This is a revelation to me. Where do the liquid form enamels come into play. I have samples of all of these as well as separation enamel. I've only done a few experiments. This is so interesting! Thanks for sharing this!!

[@10Gables]

Liquid form enamels are another kettle of fish. They can be mixed and used to dip a piece, paint large swathes of color, act almost as a pour painting medium and so on. Check out Jean Van Brederode's paid workshops here: enamel-warehouse.com/product-category/videos/