[Jewelry making - Article 00191] - Re: [Orchid] Can a Laser Be Used on Enamels?

[Joel Elfman]

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    Ken, Thanks for the info.  And I hope you don't mind entertaining a
    few more questions. :-) If the wider beam doesn't get the glass to
    stick to the metal, I wonder if it is because of the heat
    differential. Wonder if it would work if you were adding additional
    enamel as a 2nd layer, already having laid down a base coat? What
    effect would the laser be on laying down foil? Have you ever tried to
    use the laser to fix a hole in a plique-a-jour cell? BTW - What's the
    difference in width's between a wide beam and a narrow beam? 

    Thanks again Ken for answering the questions emanating from my
    foolish brain cells. Joel 

>     I can see some potential problems, but again never having worked w/
>     a laser I just don't know. 

    I've tried to fuse the powdered enamels with the laser and didn't
    have much success. Seems the intense heat in such a small area
    scorches the enamel rather than flowing it. When I used a wider beam,
    the enamel would flow but not stick to the base metal.I could see
    possibly repairing a hairline crack but not filling voids. 

>     Or like torch-firing could a laser work from underneath heating the
>     metal enough to fuse the glass powders on the other side. 

    Possibly could with a wide, soft beam but that defeats the whole
    purpose of the laser. You would have to put the peice in a jig and
    use a very fast pulse rate. Would be easier to just throw it in the
    oven. Ken 


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