Application of Enamel En Plein

Application of Enamel En Plein

In my 30 years of enameling and creating objects of art and jewelry, I have observed a great deal of good information as well as misinformation regarding the application of enamel en plein. As many of the secrets of the past fade into obscurity, the more misinformation prevails. The time of Carl Faberge represents an era of enameling virtually unequaled since the mid 18th century. Countries of Europe, such as Switzerland, Germany, France, and Austria, to mention too few, held the greatest goldsmiths and enamelers ever known. Examples of the work of great artists such as Joseph-Etienne Blerzy, Melchior-René Barre, Friedrich Fyrwald, J. G. Scharff, and Kirstenstein, can be seen in A. K. Snowman's book Eighteenth Century Gold Boxes of Europe, Faber and Faber. According to Snowman's text, "The term en plein indicates that the enamel had been applied directly on to the body of the box and not on panels (plaquettes) introduced at a later stage." The difference in the quality of the masters and much of the work produced today, is the application and preparation of the surface to be enameled. After that, it has to do with temperature and duration.

Enamel is usually purchased in a granular form. The granular form is called frit. Frit can be purchased in many degrees of fineness or mesh, from 60 mesh to 200 mesh. The coloring oxide has little to do with the method of application for some enamels, but not so for all.

The biggest problem facing an enamelist is oxygen. Metals, when heated to certain temperatures while in contact with oxygen, oxidize. The quantity of oxygen present between the surface of the metal and the base of the enamel, as well as the time required for the enamel to become molten, will determine the degree of oxidation that will form on the metal. The less oxidation, the clearer and more true the enamel color. It is, therefore, a fact with repeatable results, that the thinner the application, the better.

While visiting Europe's great museums, I always make a point to visit the great goldsmith collections. Collections to note are: The Pitti Palace in Florence, The Victoria and Albert in London, The Frick Collection in New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Louvre in Paris, as well as many other great collections I have as yet not visited. Observation of great art is vital to the education of any artist. I became aware of thinness as a factor of application during a visit to the Louvre. I traveled to Paris especially to view their great assembly of 18th century gold, enamel and precious stone snuffboxes. There was a marked restraint to all of the work in the exhibit. The enamels were predominantly thin, yet had intense color saturation and clarity. In most cases, a thicker layer is required to achieve deep color; however, in this case it was most definitely not true. By thick, I mean anything greater than 5 to 8 thousandths of an inch. Often enamel is around 20 thousandths.

I suggest that the enamel be ground to no less than 200 mesh for pinks and reds when applied to an en plein surface, which has been guilloched for that purpose. The enamel should be mixed with half denatured alcohol and water. I use a 10% Klyr Fire™ and water solution from Thompson Enamel if surface is domed. Apply with a brush, dry and fire quickly at a temperature appropriate to the enamel being used.

Trapping oxygen: The following analogy may help. Lets say you are walking down a rocky beach with many great boulders all around, and you come upon two huge boulders leaning against each other. The opening is so large you can walk through it. If that is the case, imagine how much oxygen is in the opening. Now imagine walking between two grains of sand, not possible, but now imagine how much less oxygen there is between the grains of sand than the two great boulders. Think of the grains of enamel as boulders and grains of sand and you can begin to understand. The less oxygen the better. Another benefit is the time to fire. A thin layer of enamel will fire much faster than a thick layer of large crystals, hence solving the duration problem. This method will require practice.

Washing of the enamel is important. After grinding, drain off the milky water after allowing the enamel to settle for about 2 to 3 minutes. This method has produced intense pinks as well as ruby reds consistently produced directly on sterling silver with no flux. Even better results have been achieved over 18kt gold. I have not experimented with 14kt.

In summary, extremely thin layer (as of this date I am working with 325 mesh and smaller) for the first firing, quick and hot first fire. The firing may have to be done by sight and not time as most enamels fire at different temperatures and because parts are rarely the same size and density. My kiln is set at 1500°F+ to allow for recovery time and heat soak. By the time I open the door and insert the object, the temperature has dropped 80-100 degrees F. Experience will teach when to pull out the object at just the right moment.

En plein enamel may require precision, but the beauty of this technique depends upon just that. A large Guilloche surface depends on the skill of the Guillocher. The outcome of the finished piece depends on the skill and judgment of the enameler, his knowledge of each color to be fired and how they differ from piece to piece as well as how they react to different alloys. En Plein enamel is an elegant method for decorating a wide variety of objects, as well as jewelry. Often, after the Guilloche surface has been fired with the main color, artists would often paint a variety of scenes, portraits, and motifs of all kind with enamel that has been ground so fine that when mixed with lavender oil, it had the consistency of paint. The object was then fired again and finished with a fine coat of clear enamel for protection.

Order of procedure: Eugene Faberge, son of Carl Faberge, spoke of meetings between the different technicians. They were called 'Round Table' meetings. They would consist of the manager of the Enamel shop, the Goldsmith, the Jeweler (if any stones were to be set), the designers and, of course, Mr. Faberge. The most important reason for the meetings was for determining what order each craft should be applied. This order is critical to the successful outcome of any piece, especially en plein.

Today, we have to be all of these skills rolled up into one person, as the individual specialists have all but vanished. This makes our job more challenging but none the less rewarding. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at robert@robertwhiteside. com, or visit www.robertwhiteside.com.

Reference

1. Snowman, A. Kenneth. Eighteenth Century Gold Boxes of Europe. Faber & Faber Ltd., 1966. Pg. 81.

By Robert Whiteside [Volume 22, Number 4, August, 2003]

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