While many of our students will be familiar with the careful and time-consuming application of traditional powdered enamels – there is another more playful side to enamelling!
Liquid enamel was originally formulated in the 1800s for glazing steel. It’s also known as wet process enamel, porcelain enamel or industrial enamel because of its similarities to ceramic glazes. It was developed so that the enamel could be easily applied to a metal base by spraying, dipping, or pouring – these application methods were necessary for industry to mass produce enamelled objects such as stove parts, washing machine tubs, pots, pans, etc. Liquid enamel is made up of glass, clay and other mill additions which help the liquid enamel ‘set’ after it has been applied and begins to dry.
Despite its industrial heritage, liquid enamel works well mixed in small quantities, and these factors made it appealing to designers and jewellers who took liquid enamel from a purely industrial process to more creative outlets within their designs. The nature of liquid enamel makes it ideal for enamelling 3-dimensional objects such as bowls, cups, beads and sculptural pieces.
In our Enamel Bowls workshop students will learn how to make up a batch of liquid enamel, combining the dry powder with distilled water to the consistency of single cream. Liquid enamel can then be applied by spraying, dipping, or painting. Like all enamel, it is essential the metal base is clean and grease-free before starting. The liquid enamel must be completely dry before firing – this usually takes about 10-15 minutes depending on the temperature within the studio but we can show you our tricks to speed this along. Once dry, liquid enamel can be torch or kiln fired between 760-900°C to melt, flow, and fuse the enamel to the surface.
Because liquid enamel is applied in thin layers, it is possible to create a range of interesting effects by adjusting the firing time. For example, firing liquid enamel white on copper can tint the enamel with chemicals from the copper – resulting in vibrant shades of green and blue. Liquid enamel is often used on copper or steel surfaces but is also suitable for precious metals like silver. It’s lead-free and easy to use, but a mask should always be worn when working with it dry.
There are many incredible artists and designers are using liquid enamel in their work, such as:
Jessica Turrell
Elizabeth Turrell
Helen Carnac
Jonathan Boyd
Mariko Sumioka
Mizuki Takahashi
Pat Johnson
You can also take a peek at our Pinterest board to see some examples of what can be done with liquid enamel. We hope this inspires you to try this new technique!
