[Jewelry making - Article 00001] - Re: [Orchid] Few details about Enamels...

[Comstock Art Glass]

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    I don't work with traditional enamels, but since they are made from
    glass and I do work with fused glass and special enamels made for
    glass, let me suggest that if you don't get an answer here, another
    place to get some of the answers to these questions may be from a
    glass blower who is familiar with making his/her own glass and deals
    extensively with glass chemistry. 

    There are several boards on the InterNet for glass blowers, some of
    whom deal with glass chemistry and can explain why different
    materials are added to glass batch. There may be books on glass
    chemistry, as well. 

    I can't answer your first two questions to much more extent than you
    have except to say that there is risk dealing with enamels, whether
    or not they contain heavy metals. They are basically finely ground
    glass and the long term hazard of inhaling glass dust is an
    ultimately fatal disease known as silicosis. 

>     Is it possible to lower the melting point of glass, in
>     order to be used on precious metals? 

    As for your last question, enamel is in fact ground up glass. 

    As well as being enamels being used on used on metals, metals can
    also be used in glass, which is something that kiln-formers such as
    myself do all of the time. We usually use metal foils because leaf
    tends to burn out at fusing temperatures. Pieces much thicker than
    foil can be problematic and caused breakage due to the vast
    differences between the COE (Coefficient of expansion) of glass and
    the COE of various metals. 

    By the way, there are lead free enamels that I use in my glass work.
    I don't think they'd work in traditional enameling applications,
    though, since they aren't really transparent. 

God luck -

Geri Comstock
Glass Artist/Jeweler
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