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For more than two thousand years, goldsmiths have fused glass onto their work for color enrichment. Wonderful enameled work can be found from many ancient cultures, providing familiar icons of the technical skill and aesthetic sensibilities of their makers.... (2001) Complete Story
Enameling on pieces made from Precious Metal Clay is a joy! The clay is malleable and will take any shape or texture: it handles like ordinary clay before it is sintered. After the sintering, the material is usable in a variety of enameling techniques. Sintering, an evaporation process, is done by firing the formed clay in a kiln at a high temperature that removes the binder and water and compresses the minute metal particles into solid metal. After sintering, the object is pure silver or gold and is enameled as such.... (2002) Complete Story
Enameling involves the firing and melting of suitable glasses onto and into metals for decorative effects. It is done at fairly high temperatures, from 1200F (649C) to a high kiln temperature of 1700F (927C) or so.The primary dangers involve dusts, the particle size of the enamel used, the chemical constituents of the enamel (older enamels frequently contain lead and other toxic metal oxides and chemicals), the infrared radiation of the kiln and sundry opportunities to burn oneself. Enamelists in factories have even been killed by scalds from water when molten enamel was dumped into it.... (1999) Complete Story
Marianne Hunter had been a painter and crafts explorer when she began enameling in 1967. She is self-taught. After 12 years of discipline in the grisaille technique, she turned to color and foils that gave her a feeling of limitlessness. Her metalsmithing techniques are her own, the necessity of concept driving the ability to execute. Everything about her work is personal - it is driven by passionate yearning. Enamel work has been her only employment since 1967....
(2004) Complete Story
