I love glass. It was my first true love, artistically speaking. In fact, I could spend hours at my torch just playing with glass, and watching the colors swirl around in the flame. So I was super-duper excited when Amazon suggested I look at the new book by Barbara Lewis on torch firing enamel called Painting with Fire. Before I bought my paragon kiln, I had tried (unsuccessfully) numerous times to torch fire some small copper/enamel pieces. The lack of clear information on the internet for this technique finally caused me to abandon the project. Now with my kiln I enamel all the time, but I wanted this book so I could A. finally learn what I had been doing wrong and B. learn this approach for making unconventional enamel pieces such as enameled beads.
I started out with my handy-dandy sticker paper and 24 gauge copper sheet. I must note that while 24 gauge is fine for a pendant, I will use heavier gauge next time I am enameling because several times while manipulating the pendant post-enameling, the thin metal would bend just enough to crack the enamel and I would have to start all over at the beginning again. Also, that seam where the two top halves of the heart come together provided another weak area where just a little movement caused enamel failure.
My tools for the project. Enamel, my cut heart, a few improvised mandrels and my old glass Hot-head and Mapp gas. Since I now have a flammable livingroom instead of a glass studio, I decided to do this outside. It was sunny and warm and thought it would work well. Unfortunately, the bright sun made it VERY heard to see my torch flame and the color of the copper as I was heating it up.
My first attempt I got the copper WAY too hot because when I put it in the enamel it immediately burned the glass a horrid black color. After much trial and error I got a fairly nice piece done and set it out to cool. When I returned, the enamel had all cracked and big chunks had popped off. According to the book, I did not get the copper hot enough and that caused my problem. So I chipped off the remaining enamel, scrubbed my heart (I really should have just cut a new heart and started fresh, but it was a matter of pride at this point) and tried again. This time it came out great and several hours later, still no sign of enamel failure.
I added a hammered copper wire bail and viola!
I could have added a few more layers of enamel to even out the color and reduce the black (which is, I presume, the oxidized copper showing through the thinner areas of glass). But I really like to the look of it, so I stopped at two coats of enamel.
All in all I learned a LOT. And I would highly, highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to try a new style of enameling, or who wants to enamel without investing in a kiln.
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