Surfaces: Under/Over Firing and Etching

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Underfired Surfaces:
Orange Peel
Sugar Coat

Overfired Surfaces:
Glossy with color changes dependent on enamel color.

     By varying your firing times you can get different surfaces such as sugar, orange peel, and the normal glossy. You can also intentionally overfire your piece for interesting results. 
     The enamels fire anywhere from 1450-1525 degrees. Some of the enamels fire at the low end of that range, others at the high end. The 1685 cobalt blue opaque is on the high end, 1515 baby blue opaque is in the middle, and 1995 black is on the low end. 
      If you layer a higher temp enamel like 1685 on top of a lower temp enamel, and leave the enamel in a bit longer than usual, the lower temp enamel color will start to bleed through the top layer creating a crackled or mottled effect. 
     A lot of the colors will turn black along the edges when over fired. White turns a beautiful green-blue. The Jungle green (1360) turns a very dark navy, other colors can get speckles. Refer to the firing chart for flow temperatures by color number.


Surfaces achieved through firing-

• Glossy: Fire fully. Stone in between firings for smoothest surface.
• Orange Peel: Pull piece from kiln before fully fired. You cannot fire or work with the surface again and still keep the orange peel texture. Best for solid or 2 colors. Dry sift for the best result.
• Sugar: Pull piece from kiln when the surface looks like sugar crystals. The enamel will have bonded with the metal underneath, but not smoothed out on the top. This is a very delicate surface to achieve as the enamel passes through this window of firing time swiftly. For smoother results, fire a coat to glossy first, then fire a sugar coat on top. You cannot work with the surface after sugar firing. Best for solid colors. This surface is unsuitable for areas of contact or heavy wear, as the powder can become loose and flake off over time.

Etching:

• You can make the surface of your enamel matte by applying Etch-All to it. Etch-All comes as a liquid and as a cream. 
• The liquid is excellent for etching the entire piece or removing enamel from a piece. 
• To remove enamel from a piece without hurting the metal, leave it in Etch-All for a couple days. The etch will eat the enamel and not affect the metal. 
• The Etch-All creme can be applied to specific areas to create a glossy/matte surface contrast. Apply with a fine brush or Q-Tip. 
• Leave the piece in the etch (liquid or cream) for about 15 minutes for a nice matte surface. 
• If using the cream, scrape excess back into the container. 
• Rinse, scrub with a toothbrush and dry. 

Some enamels are acid-sensitive. Test out any colors before committing your piece to the etch!!

 

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