Stainless Steel Enamel Jewelry
Stainless steel is a versatile material that can complement a range of jewelry styles. It is strong and durable, able to withstand many conditions that could damage other metals.
Enameling is an ancient technique that involves applying enamels to metal. This process is useful for adding color to jewelry, or to make objects with intricate details like cloisonné or champleve.
Enameling Basics
Stainless steel enamel is an ancient and versatile art form, used in jewelry, wall work, sculpture, and even as an industrial coating for metal tools and cookware. Enameling techniques vary by the desired results, but most use some combination of dry and wet processes. Enamels are fine particles of glass that are applied to metal for color, and they’re typically fired in a kiln or torch to fuse them to the surface. The process can be a little intimidating to a beginner, but it’s not difficult once you understand the basic principles and materials.
Choosing the right enamels is critical to your success. The mineral composition of each type affects how it reacts with heat and its ability to bond with other materials. For this reason, if you’re new to enameling it’s best to start with clear enamels that don’t need to be fired to set. Then, as your skills improve, move on to more opalescent or opaque enamels that do require firing.
Before starting the enameling process, you must prepare your work area. Make sure it’s clean, and cover anything you don’t want to be covered in enamel dust with a piece of saran wrap or an old t-shirt. You can also line your workspace with a sheet of recycled paper or magazine pages before working. This will help keep the enamels from sticking to your work and forming bubbles during the fusing process.
Place a sifter on your worktable and fill it with stainless steel enamel jewelry 80-mesh enamels (that’s a screen with 80 holes per inch). Then, using a brush or spatula, carefully apply the enamel to the metal surface. Work in small layers so that the final result is more uniform. Thicker layers are more likely to bubble during the fusing process.
When the enamel is applied, it will look opaque at first, then begin to melt and turn slightly yellow and orange. This is called the sugar stage, and it’s necessary for proper fusion. Once the counter enamel reaches the sugar stage, it’s time to add a topcoat.
Depending on the type of stainless steel you’re enameling, you may need to sand blast the metal prior to applying the enamel frit. This is because stainless steel has different chemical compositions and crystal structures. Experts from Nolifrit recommend choosing enamel frit that matches the type of stainless steel you’re working with to avoid causing the metal to oxidize prematurely.
Enameling Techniques
Enameling is a versatile medium and the possibilities are endless. Whether you want to work on a copper plate as a jewelry maker or create a sculptural piece, there are numerous techniques available to you. Some of the most popular include champleve, cloisonne and sgraffito.
Champleve involves using hammering, stamping and carving to create depressions in the metal’s surface. The enamel is then built up in these divots to form raised fields of color. This technique is commonly used on plates, cups and vases. It is a beautiful option for creating floral and foliate designs. Cloisonne is a more intricate style, with small bits of colored enamel set into a background of clear enamel. This allows for the creation of figurative or abstract patterns that add a beautiful decorative touch to any work of art.
It is important to understand the process of firing enamels when attempting your first projects. Different metals respond differently to the high temperatures that are required to fuse the enamel. Stainless steel is an excellent choice for enamel because it will not rust or stain. However, it does react with certain chemicals and needs to be cleaned before working with enamels.
To begin, you must prepare the piece of stainless steel for enameling. It must be clean and free of grease, oils and ordinary dirt. The piece should also be annealed before enameling to ensure that it is soft enough to work with. The most common annealing temperature is 1700F.
Next, a ground coat or undercoat is applied to the piece of metal. This coating is usually a mixture of clear and semi-opaque enamels with different minerals to give the piece color. It is often mixed with smelted-in transition metal oxides such as cobalt, praseodymium or iron to facilitate adhesion. This coating is called a frit.
Lastly, the enamel artist may apply a layer of sifted powdered enamel to the piece. This enamel can be used to fill in depressions (champleve) or enclosures (cloisonne). It is a good idea to enamel the back side of pieces as well, which is known as counter enamel. This will help distribute stress evenly and lessen cracking that can occur as the piece expands and contracts during heating and cooling cycles.
Enameling Materials
Enameling is a process by which powdered glass is fused to a metal substrate under high heat. stainless steel enamel jewelry It can be applied to glass, ceramics and most commonly, metals including copper and silver. Its color is produced by varying its composition, and the opacity of the enamel is created by how it is fired. Stainless steel is an ideal choice for enameling because it resists tarnish, corrosion and oxidation, even in tropical or humid environments.
Unlike other metals, stainless steel does not need any special preparation before enameling. Its hardness and low melting point makes it difficult to work with, however the enameling industry has grown quickly since World War II for its practical industrial applications such as cookware and signage. It is also an invaluable alternative to precious metals, as it is less expensive and lasts a lifetime.
There are several alloys of stainless steel that can be enameled, but the most common is 3003. It remains bright and white when heated and coats well with transparent colors. Alloy 1100, which is softer and tends to deform more under the stresses of firing, can be used with opaque or foil under transparent enamels to prevent cracking and crazing. Alloy 6061 darkens under firing and causes spalling of the surface, so it is generally only used on decorative items such as vases.
A ground coat of uncolored enamel is normally put on the stainless steel before any other coloring to create a base for adhesion. This can be done by spraying, dipping or slushing. This is usually followed by a white or colored second “cover” coat that is co-fired with the ground layer.
Decorative elements such as fine silver leaf or 22k gold can be placed within the enamels, adding relief to the piece and creating additional depth and a higher sheen. In addition, granules, which are small beads of fine silver or gold, can be added to the top layers to produce more sparkle and brilliance. All of these embellishments add value to a piece of enamel jewelry and can increase its marketability and retail price.
Enameling Tools
The enameling process involves powdered glass that is fused to a metal substrate with heat. This can be done using either torch or kiln. Enameling can be applied to glass, ceramics and, most commonly, metals like copper, silver and gold. The enamel is melted and deposited onto the surface of the metal, forming a smooth coating when the piece is fired in a kiln or torch. The technique requires precise control of the firing temperatures to create the desired effects and textures.
Stainless steel is a natural fit for enameling since it does not rust. In fact, the first enameled pieces were created to coat machinery and tools to keep them from rusting. Today the art of enameling is used for a variety of decorative and fine-art uses as well as industrial applications. There are over 200 enameling techniques that range from broad-spectrum applications such as sieving powder to create one color on a copper base to extremely detailed and labor intensive techniques like cloisonné and grisaille.
Enamel can be applied to a variety of metals including silver, copper, and even platinum. However, each metal has its own set of requirements and challenges to make the process work. The melting point of the metal and its expansion rate will determine whether the enamel will adhere to the surface. For example, copper can be enameled with enamels that fire to high temperatures; however, adequate support structures are required to prevent warping. Thompson’s Low Temperature – High Expansion enamels are compatible with copper and other lower melting alloys.
Bronze and brass are softer than copper and have higher expansion rates, making them difficult to enamel. It is possible to enamel bronze and brass using a very thin ground coat layer that is co-fired with the cover coats, but it is usually more desirable to use a different material.
The earliest undisputed enameled items are Mycenaean rings dated to the 13th century BC and Egyptian examples from the Third Intermediate Period (beginning 1070 BC). The Mosan metalworkers also made many decorated items with painted enamel, most of them reliquaries and other large works of goldsmithing. The Limoges enamels that were produced in the 12th to 15th centuries were some of the finest. Champleve enamels were a major advancement in the enameling arts and remain in widespread use, although it is much harder to do than cloisonne. The Crucible offers a cloisonné class for those interested in learning the intricate and scientific technique of this form of enameling.
