Where to Learn How to Enamel - A Self-Taught Enamel DIY

[@robinmorgan7493]

Where is your recommended list of tools? Love your videos - super helpful!

[@10Gables]

Hi! If I have tool recommendations associated with videos, I usually create a PDF you can download on my site and link to it in the description here on KZbin. Hope this helps!

[@sylviaprudhomme5417]

Less as reed a lot. Love your teaching and information

[@agnesdabjat6531]

Hello from France, thank you very much for your videos. I have a question about the support to enamel, what do you use as a support? money ? because I don't see copper in your videos. Thank you in advance for your answer, good for you.

[@10Gables]

Hello Agnes! I am glad you are enjoying my videos :) I am assuming you are asking about what to support the pieces on while sifting or wet packing, so if there is something else you are looking for, please let me know. There are many ways to hold a piece of metal as you're applying enamel to it with sifting or wet packing. These are a few of my favorite: ==> On my finger :) I use this most often when sifting. I just balance the metal on my finger and hold over the catch paper. This allows me to work fast and instead of trying to move the sifter around at different angles, I just change the position of my hand. ==> On little stacks of coins or cut copper shapes: this works great for pieces that are too big for my finger or that are a strange shape. When I teach in the studio, I like to introduce beginners to sifting by placing their piece on stacks of coins because it's the easiest to start with. ==> On an upside down sifter: yep! It's that simple. Just flip a sifter upside down and you've got a nice surface for holding a shape. ==> Jigs using foam and cut chopsticks: sometimes, I have really strange shapes and will use a flat piece of styrofoam with 1"-2" long chopsticks stuck in place to support the shape. These pieces also require extra 'help' in the kiln, so I'll use a firebrick and poke heat tempered wire in places to form a trivet. One of my favorite bloggers, Patsy Croft, has a great blog about making trivets here: alohilanidesigns.com/making-trivets/ ==> For wet packing, my favorite thing to do is just lay a piece of copper on flexible craft foam. It helps keep the piece from sliding all over. When you're learning, though, this can be a little bit tricky until you figure out how much water is 'just right' because we tend to make it too wet and it spills off the edges. If you're having trouble, I would suggest a little money stack to start :)

[@agnesdabjat6531]

Thank you very much for your quick and complete answer, but my question concerns the material of the support to be enamelled: copper or silver? Do your coins look like silver? if so how do you cook the enamel pieces, i thought you could only enamel on copper... Thank you very much.

[@10Gables]

@@agnesdabjat6531 hello! I am sorry I missed your message and am just now catching it. You can enamel on copper, silver, gold, and steel. Silver is best to use .999 fine because it has no copper oxides to contend with. If you use sterling .925 or a lower grade Silver, you can use a process called depletion gilding to raise a skim coat of fine silver to the surface. Hope this helps!

[@agnesdabjat6531]

@@10Gables Hello ! Un grand merci pour votre réponse. Celà m'éclaire. Belle journée !

[@agnesdabjat6531]

@@10Gables Hello, thank you very much for your answer. This enlightens me. Beautiful day !

[@guytiips3906]

I learn from India technique. It's call "Meenakari" Very afford and super magic. Sometime chinese japanese cloisonné Lovefromthailand

[@10Gables]

Thank you! I'm always curious about techniques and will look into it.