Complete enameling

Full Emailing - Emailing What is scaled

Enameling explained: glass, fire and metal in a spectacular art

Emailarea este o tehnică decorativă străveche, folosită în bijuterie, artă decorativă și metalurgie. Aceasta constă în aplicarea unei glazuri de sticlă pe suprafețe metalice, urmată de ardere la temperaturi ridicate până la fusion. În acest ghid afli tot ce trebuie să știi despre materiale, metode, metale compatibile și siguranța în atelier.

Brief history of enameling

Primele dovezi ale emailării datează din mileniul al doilea î.Hr., în Egipt și Cipru. Anticii foloseau the email ca înlocuitor pentru pietre prețioase: cobaltul imita lapislazuli, turcoazul era obținut din combinații de sticlă colorată, iar nuanțele de roșu înlocuiau granatul sau carneolul.

Tehnica a fost rafinată de-a lungul timpului de romani, bizantini, meșteșugari persani, chinezi și, ulterior, artizani europeni, în special în Evul Mediu și Renaștere. Fiecare cultură a adăugat metode proprii de aplicare și decorare a emailului, de la cloisonné-ul bizantin la cloisonne-ul japonez (shippo-yaki) sau champleve-ul francez.

Complete enameling - Corina Gheorghe Cloisonne scaled 1
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What is email?

Enamel is a colored technical glass, composed of a mixture of silicon, boron oxide (B₂O₃) and metal oxides (copper, cobalt, iron, etc.). It can be:

  • Transparent – allows the texture or engraving of the metal underneath to be seen. Ideal for techniques such as basse-taille or plique-à-jour.
  • OPAC – completely covers the metal, providing uniform color and strong contrasts.
  • Opalescent / semi-transparent – has a milky or pearly appearance, often more difficult to blend correctly, but with spectacular effects.

Commercial forms of email

  • Blocks – large pieces of enamel (1 kg or more), have the longest lifespan and are preferred by artists who want maximum control over the quality and consistency of the enamel.
  • Frits – pre-crushed solid enamel shards, ideal for fresh grinding in a mortar, offering better control of grain size and color intensity.
  • dust (60–325 mesh) – the most widely used standard. The grain size influences the fineness of the layer and transparency.
  • Liquid enamels – suspensions ready to be applied with a brush or by pouring.
  • Ceramic pigments (on-glaze or underglaze) – ideal for enamel painting; offers fine details and precise shades, being fired together with the enamel layer.
  • Enamel pencils – used for drawing, contours and graphic lines; excellent for illustrative or stylized works.

Professionals prefer freshly ground enamel for maximum clarity and artistic control.

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Complete enameling - opaque enamels

Email types by content

  • With lead – vivid colors, excellent clarity, smooth fusion. Requires stricter safety measures.
  • Lead free – does not contain lead, but includes other potentially toxic metal oxides (such as cobalt, nickel, or cadmium). May have a more limited color palette and requires a longer time to fuse.

Storage and shelf life of enamel

Email is sensitive to:

  • moisture – poate activa reacții chimice între oxizi;
  • the light – affects color stability;
  • air and dust – they can introduce impurities.

For good preservation:

  • store in airtight jars, in a dry and dark place;
  • spală doar cât urmează să folosești și usucă imediat pe folie de aluminiu;
  • Enamel left in water degrades quickly.
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Cleaning and preparation

  • Enamel often contains fine residues left over from the grinding process. These impurities can cloud the color and reduce transparency.
  • Wash with distilled water to remove dust and impurities.
    Transparent enamels and those applied in multiple layers require mandatory washing.
  • Pentru culori intense și straturi uniforme, emailul trebuie cernut cu website de 325 mesh sau mai fine.

Applying the enamel

  • Aplicare umedă: cu brush sau pipeta , ideală pentru detalii, pictură, cloisonné.
  • Aplicare uscată: prin surround, potrivită pentru acoperiri uniforme, fundaluri.

Metals compatible with enamel

  • Copper – ideal for beginners; reacts beautifully with opaque and some transparent enamels.
  • Pure silver (999) – reflects transparent enamels, but can be easily deformed.
  • 950 (Sterling) Silver- reflectă emailurile transparente, nu se deformează și nu oxidează excesiv
  • Silver 925 (Sterling) – stable, but oxidizable. Requires careful cleaning before burning.
  • Gold (18k/24k) – extremely stable; provides the clearest results, but is expensive.
  • Bronze, brass, metale cu zinc – difficult to enamel due to gas release at high temperatures.
  • Steel și fier – only if they are low-carbon.
  • Platinum – possible, but difficult. Requires lead enamels.
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Flow and counter-email

  • Fluxul (fondant / clear) – is a transparent, colorless enamel that is applied as a base coat directly to metal. Its role is to protect the metal surface from oxidation during firing, increase the adhesion of colored enamels, and prevent unwanted chemical reactions between the metal and the oxides in the enamel.
  • The counter-email – is the layer applied to the back of the piece to balance the differences in thermal stress between the front and back. This balance prevents the piece from warping (curving) or cracking during and after firing. Counter-enamel is essential especially in large or flat pieces.

Enamel firing

Enamel melts and fuses with the metal only at high temperatures, between 750–900°C. To reach these temperatures and control the result, specific firing methods are used.

  • Electric oven with thermostat – is the most recommended method for artistic enameling. It ensures precise control of temperature and firing time, being suitable for all types of enamel, including lead-based ones.
  • Ardere cu arzător (torch firing) – suitable for small parts, quick tests or demonstrations. Not recommended for lead enamels, due to increased risk of toxic fumes. Requires experience and attention to temperature and flame management.
Complete enameling - Enamel firing
Complete enameling - kits

Workshop safety

  • Wear a mask especially when sifting or applying dry enamel.
  • Work in a well-ventilated space.
  • Wash the enamel with distilled water, avoid contact with skin and eyes.
  • Avoid eating or drinking near the materials.
  • Poartă ochelari de protecție UV, atunci când privești în cuptor sau când scoți piesele

More than a technique

Emailarea nu este doar un proces. Este o călătorie prin textură, lumină și culoare. Combină focul, sticla, metalul și culoarea într-o formă de artă vie, care rezistă în timp.

Whether you're just starting out or have already burned a few dozen tracks, knowing these basics gives you the foundation you need to evolve safely and confidently.

Complete enameling - Example of enamel colors - transparent layers and effects

Mini-glossary

  • Boron oxide (B₂O₃): essential component in the composition of artistic enamel, used as a flux to reduce the melting temperature and to achieve clarity and good adhesion of the enamel to metal.
  • Enamel: glass fused to metal.
  • COE: thermal expansion coefficient – ​​influences the compatibility between enamels.
  • Flow: transparent base coat.
  • Counter-email: balancing layer on the back.
  • Break up: textured effect obtained from controlled incompatibility of COE.
  • mesh: unit indicating the granulation of the powder.
  • Frits: large pieces of enamel.
  • Washing: cleaning process with distilled water.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Is lead enamel dangerous?

Yes, but only if inhaled or handled without protection. It is safe to use with a mask and ventilation.

Da, deși nu conține plumb, conține alți oxizi metalici toxici (cum ar fi cobaltul, nichelul sau cadmiul), care pot fi dăunători în formă de pulbere. Este esențial să se respecte aceleași măsuri de siguranță ca în cazul emailurilor cu plumb

Only if they have compatible COEs. Combining leaded and unleaded enamels is not recommended, due to incompatible chemical compositions. Conversely, enamels with the same type of composition (both leaded or both unleaded), but with different coefficients of expansion, can sometimes be combined to achieve special effects, such as break-up, with the caveat that these experiments should be carefully tested.

Da, în special pentru transparente/opalescente. Spălarea elimină impuritățile, cernerea elimină pulberile foarte fine care sunt reziduu.

Da. Emailul, mai ales sub formă de pulbere, are o durată de viață mai scurtî. Se degradează în timp prin contact cu umiditatea, lumina sau aerul. Devine lăptos, reacționează imprevizibil la ardere și își pierde culoarea

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