Why Enamel Steel?

Steel is a very strong and durable material to enamel on in thin gauges. The earrings pictured below were made with 26 gauge enameling iron (a form of low carbon steel). This wouldn’t be possible with copper in that thin of a gauge because it is inherently soft, making it prone to warping and chipping. Making earrings this large and flat in copper would require using 22 gauge at a minimum, and that would make them far too heavy for the average customer.

Only certain types of steel can be successfully enameled. You want to look for low carbon steel, enameling iron or stainless steel. Thompson Enamel sells enameling iron and pre-enameled steel sheets that you can cut with snips or with a jeweler’s saw. If you go this route, please be careful. You are sawing into glass, and it shatters and splinters into the tiniest of pieces. I will typically cover both sides with masking tape, draw the image on the tape and saw. It takes a hot minute and leaves an okay edge. Since you are going to cover it anyway, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Raw steel has to have a ground coat applied to both the front and back before powdered enamels or other colors of liquid enamel can be applied. The ground coat can be found at Thompson Enamel (GC-16), Clay Art Center (RM27 Metal Frit Enamel for Steel by Ferro) or WG Ball (Steel Ground Coat 12559). Kat Cole has been successful in applying colored liquid enamel to raw enameling iron without a ground coat, but she sand blasts it first. This gives the metal a lot of tooth and a varied surface, which makes it much more successful. Since I’m relatively new to this and don’t have a sand blaster, I’m sticking with the ground coat.

If you are interested in learning more about enameling on steel, there are some really great teachers out there, like Kat Cole, Alisa Looney, and Amanda Denison. I have taken classes from all three gals and highly recommend them all. They each offer different techniques for applying enamel and for surface design. Additionally, I found a great article that dives into enameling all different types of steel by Melissa Cameron here. Definitely check it out if you want to pursue enameling steel!

I am very excited to be using steel in my new jewelry. Admittedly, there is a bit of a learning curve, and it’s a bit harder to cut with a jeweler’s saw than copper, but I really love the ability to make things that are thinner and stronger, and consequently more lightweight than their copper counterparts. Please feel free to post your questions or comments. I’m no expert, but I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.

Choosing Your Chain Length

It’s often difficult to picture just how long an 18” chain is when you are reading a necklace description. So, here’s a handy Necklace Length Guide from Cooksongold.

I also find it handy to take a piece of string that is the described length and wrap it around my neck. The above image is great, but we all have different size necks. That’s why there is an inch or two range in the lengths below. The string is a foolproof way to really see where the chain you are buying will land on your neck/chest. You can tape the ends together when the two ends are in front of you if you don’t want to hold onto the ends.

• Choker Length: 13 – 15 inches

• Collar Length: 16 – 17 inches

• Princess Length: 17 – 19 inches

• Matinee Length: 20 – 24 inches

• Opera Length: 28 – 37 inches

• Rope Length: 37+ inches

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment below or drop me an email at mybrownwren @ gmail.com (please remove the spaces before sending).

Rules are Meant to Be Broken

There are so many rules in enameling. They’d make your head spin. But, I’ve discovered through trial and error that some rules are meant to be broken. Rules are passed down from one artist to the next and often blindly followed. Some artists like to break the rules, and by doing so, they discover that not everything they learned is true.

Rule #1 - Always start with a clean, oil free piece of copper to enamel

I learned from Ricky Frank that this isn’t always necessary. Now, he’s been enameling a long time, so I figured is must be right. There is always a little bit of fear that goes along with breaking the rules, but I tried it for myself, and he was right. If you think about it, we use Squeege Oil to make enamel adhere to the surface of metal. It’s an oil. It burns out under the torch flame or in the kiln. However, if you are using Klyr Fire to adhere enamel to a curved surface or attempting to coat your metal with liquid enamel, it won’t stick without first cleaning the metal. Another trick I learned from Amanda Dennison, is to rub the surface of your metal with liquid enamel. It breaks the surface tension and allows the liquid enamel to stick to your metal! Other artists, like Jan Harrell, use a surfactant to increase the surface tension, which makes the enamel stick better. This is especially great when you are applying watercolor enamel, acrylic enamel or mason stains to your enamel. Alternatively, you can rub the enamel with a little rubbing alcohol on a paper towel.

Rule #2 - You have to remove all firescale in order for enamel to adhere to copper

This is another misnomer that was demystified by Ricky Frank. All you really need to do is remove loose firescale. Copper will oxidize given the right conditions, despite whether there is a surface of enamel covering it or not. So much time is wasted cleaning firescale from copper prior to enameling. Pickling the metal can cause any enamel that may be on the opposing side to permanently dull. So, give it a try. Leave that firescale and see what happens. You will be pleasantly surprised, and you’ll save yourself a lot of time and frustration along the way! The only time I really worry about removing firescale is if I am using transparent enamel directly on a metal surface.

Rule #3 - You have to use eutectic solder when soldering pieces to be enameled

This has been disproved by many artists, including Ann Havel who uses medium solder when enameling. I personally have had issues with my pieces staying soldered when enameling, but as I understand it, that is more of an issue with gravity than the type of solder. When you are enameling post earrings, as an example, it’s best not to have them sticking up in the air. The flow of the enamel and the forces of gravity will pull them over. If they are hanging down, the enamel will hold them in place. Give it a shot. It has worked for me.

Rule #4 - Your edges have to be perfectly filed before you start enameling

This may just be a rule I made for myself in the beginning but I don’t follow it any longer. The reason I don’t follow it any longer is simple. I file my edges between every firing. This may sound excessive, but it really does prevent little flakes of firescale from floating off the edges and landing on the enamel. I use a diamond file perpendicular to the edge and then file from the back at a 45 degree angle to prevent the piece from sticking to the trivet in subsequent firings.

Rule #5 - Decals have to dry overnight before firing

I discovered in my own practice that when I apply decals to enamel, once I have removed as much of the moisture as I can with a soft paper towel they need only about 15 minutes on top of the hot kiln or on a cup warmer before firing. What I do differently is to partially fire them, just until the decal melts to the surface of the enamel (when you hear the poof inside the kiln or after the decal catches fire and turns clear in the torch flame. I remove it from the kiln or torch and carefully prick any bubbles with a sharp needle and then re-fire to maturity. This has been a much more successful method for me in my practice. I have far fewer image break ups and voids in the image this way.

Experimentation is key to learning if what you have been taught all along is the only way to do something. So, don’t be afraid to try new things. Break the rules. You may discover an easier or better way to do something.

Why Does Jewelry Tarnish or Oxidize?

I bring this up because it is a common question and because I recently noticed that my jewelry was tarnishing, or more appropriately, oxidizing, more quickly than usual.  Before I answer the question, I want to give you a little background on metals and their alloys that will give you a better understanding of why jewelry oxidizes.

Pure metals like 24K gold and 99.9% silver tend to oxidize very slowly.  However, jewelry is rarely made from pure metals because they tend to be too soft to stand up to everyday ware and tare.  Consequently, metals like gold and silver are alloyed to make them stronger.  For example, sterling silver jewelry is made up of 92.5% fine or pure silver and 7.5% copper.  When sterling silver is exposed to the air, it will oxidize over time.  The rate at which it oxidizes depends on many different factors, which I address below.

Cosmetics and Cleaning Products:  What we put on our skin affects our jewelry if it is in contact with these substances.  Some products are more acidic than others and can cause jewelry to tarnish.  Cleaning products, like chlorine and ammonia, accelerate oxidation and should be avoided.  Remove your jewelry before cleaning or wear gloves if at all possible.  It is better for your jewelry and your health.

Sweat:  Sweat often contains sulphur.  The more you sweat, the more likely your jewelry is to tarnish.  Take off your jewelry when you exercise to help minimize oxidation.

Hormones/Prescription Drugs/Body Chemistry:  Changes in hormones, like during menopause, can affect the rate of oxidation of your jewelry.  Prescription drugs, like sulphur drugs, antibiotics, anti-depressants and some other drugs may also have the same affect.  Additionally, some of us have more acidic skin than others, due to diet or other mitigating factors.  The range of skin’s acidity, in general, tends to be very small.  However, it can be a possible factor in why your jewelry oxidizes more quickly than your friend’s jewelry.

What to do when your jewelry oxidizes…

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for jewelry oxidation.  There are several factors that go into deciding the best method.  First of all, did your jewelry already have a patina that was applied by the jewelry designer?  If so, dipping it in the cleaning solutions you can buy from your local jewelry store won’t be your best choice.  They tend to strip off most of the patina, leaving the jewelry looking worse than before you tried to clean it.  Additionally, that solution is far too caustic for gemstones, pearls and other inclusions.  I only use this to clean bright silver jewelry when it begins to tarnish.

Sunshine Cloths and Pro Polish Pads are my go-to for cleaning up everyday tarnish on jewelry.  They work on bright silver or silver that was given a chemical patina.  They also work on other metals as well.  I am currently working on a cleaning instruction card to include with all jewelry purchases, as well an anti-tarnish strip with each jewelry purchase. These help to keep your shiny, new jewelry from oxidizing quickly. Just pop your jewelry in the little plastic bag supplied with the anti-tarnish strip when you aren’t wearing it. Click here for a short little video from Beaducation that explains the difference between Sunshine Cloths, Prop Polish Pads and anti-tarnish strips.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  I’m always happy to respond!