[TheForge] Enameling

Tue Jun 25 00:02:01 2002

Enamel on steel,

Gross ignorance here, but what about all those enameled  campware cups, 
bowls, coffee pots.   I believe that there must have been a 
commercial  process to make those by 1850.  Also there are the large house 
hold appliances like my kitchen range.  Isn't that glass like stuff on my 
steel bathtub an enamel? The tub at least is magnetic.

I believe that there was a demo that covered enamel at one of the 
Blacksmith conferences, but   I watched a different demonstrator.

Dann Johnson

At 01:02 AM 6/24/2002 -0700, you wrote:
>At 04:18 AM 6/23/02, you wrote:
>
>
>The missing information here is that one needs to use  a special enamel 
>fired base coat  under the color coat for enameling on iron or steel. 
>Can't recall the name of the  iron/steel undercoat  but there are ( were?) 
>several competing brands.
>  This is especially true for larger areas  or less than gentle handling.
>  The rates of expansion for enamels and for each metal are all different. 
> Enamels don't stretch well.
>
>
>
>>I took the Enameling for Blacksmiths course at John C Campbell Folk 
>>School back in March.  First time the course had been offered.  You can 
>>enamel on steel, but it's a bit tricky and has limitations ... enamel 
>>doesn't like to fuse to bare steel (in fact, most enamelists will tell 
>>you it cannot be done).  We did most of it with a torch (propane or 
>>MAPP), not a kiln.  With practice, one can achieve excellent 
>>results.  Heat control is critical, and the steel must be clean (no 
>>scale).  Enameling has interesting possibilities for enhancement or 
>>accents on certain pieces of ironwork.  And Thompson is THE source for 
>>enamels and enameling supplies.
>>
>>David Hufford
>>Richmond KY
>>
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