Product Details
＋- Add a splash of color to your metal art
- Bright opaque colors add brilliance to any project
- Approximately 6 gm per color
How are enamels for metal fired: (courtesy of Thompson Enamels)
Enamels for metal are fired either in a pre-heated furnace (kiln) or a hand held torch. If firing in a furnace, the temperature should be between 1450 and 1500 degrees F. Whether you set your furnace at 1450 or 1500 depends on how accurate your pyrometer reading is; how long it takes you to open the door, place the ware into the furnace and shut the door; or the size of the ware that is being fired. The temperature setting may need to be adjusted up or down for these reasons.
Firing time can be as short as one minute or as long as five minutes, depending on the technique being used or the size of the work and thickness of the metal. In general we suggest firing only to gloss. On average, this would be between 1-1/2 minutes to 2 minutes. Given times and temperatures are intended as a guide to start with. You may have to adjust up or down for the above reasons.
The three stages of firing (at 1450 degrees F.) are wet sugar (about 40 to 45 seconds) then orange peel (about 55 seconds to 1 minute) and then full gloss (1-1/2 to 2 minutes).
For firing enamels in a furnace you will need a firing fork, a firing rack and an appropriate trivet. A furnace hot pad or kiln shelf is recommended for the floor of the furnace to catch any spills of enamel that may occur. The furnace hot pad needs to have the corn starch binder burned out before use. This can be done by cutting it to fit the furnace floor, turning the furnace on and letting it get up to enameling temperature before opening the door. It may smoke some, so it is best to do in a garage or out of doors. If this is not possible, place a fan in a window near the furnace to vent the smoke of the burning corn starch. Once this is done, it will not have to be repeated. The furnace pads last a long time.
If torch firing, the trick is to have a hot enough torch for the size and thickness of the piece being fired. With mapp or propane gas, copper tooling foil, malleable copper, or 24 gauge copper works best. If thicker and larger copper pieces are to be torch fired, a hotter flame may be needed.
