Colors in Line. The French word cloisonné means partitioned. Cloisonné. Keep Your. enameling repertoire. Add a timeless technique to your

Transcription

1 intermediate/advanced metal/enamel CLASSIC CLOISONNÉ Keep Your Colors in Line Add a timeless technique to your enameling repertoire. by Jennifer Jordan Park and Cyndi Kuchler The French word cloisonné means partitioned. Cloisonné enamel is a technique that uses thin silver or gold wires to create partitions that form cells. These cells keep the enamels contained during firing, which allows the jewelry maker to create intricate designs with precisely delineated areas of color. In the first part of this project, you ll texturize, cut, and shape finesilver sheet to make disk supports for the cloisonné wires. In the second part, you ll add enamels, fire the assembly, and finish the disks. The third part of the project has you making sterling silver bezels, which you ll attach to ear wires and set the enamel disks into. If you like, you can add a stone dangle that complements the color of the enamels. FCT-MW Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher. facetjewelry.com

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3 2 1 4 a b PART 1 Metal and enamel preparation Cut the sheet metal. Use metal shears to cut a ¾ x 1¼-in. (19 x 32 mm) piece of 22-gauge (0.6 mm) fine-silver sheet. Use metal shears to cut a piece of brass texture plate that is slightly larger than the finesilver sheet. Then cut a piece of 22-gauge (0.6 mm) copper sheet that is slightly larger than the brass texture plate [1]. Texturize the fine-silver sheet. Layer the metal pieces, placing the brass texture plate on the bottom, the fine silver in the middle, and the copper on top. Line up the leading edges of this sandwich, and insert the aligned edge into a rolling mill. Tighten the rollers so they hold the sandwich snugly, but not so tightly that you can t remove the sandwich. Remove the sandwich, tighten the rolling mill about a quarter of a turn, and then roll the sandwich through the mill [2] to texture the silver plate [3] Cut the disks. Position the silver sheet texture-side down in a disk cutter, lining up the sheet in the ½-in. (13 mm)-diameter hole. Hammer the punch with a heavy mallet to cut out the disk [4]. Reposition the sheet, and repeat to cut out the second disk. Shape the disks. Anneal the disks. Place a disk texture-side down into a shallow recess of a wooden dapping block. Use your thumb to press the disk to slightly dome it [5]. Repeat with the second disk. Clean the disks. The disks must be clean before you add enamels. Clean the disks by placing them texture-side up on the floor of a beehive kiln. Position a torch flame above a disk and heat it until the surface shimmers [6]. Be careful not to overheat the disk, or you ll melt away the textured surface. Repeat with the second disk. Compare the appearance of a disk before [7a] and after [7b] it s been heated. 3 Make a sketch and select enamels. Draw several ½-in. (13 mm)-diameter circles on a piece of plain paper. Place a piece of tracing paper over the circles and sketch a design that indicates the placement of cloisonné wires. TIP: Because of the slight curvature of the disks, the cloisonné wires will be easier to seat if you avoid a design that uses straight lines to span the diameter of the disks. Use colored pencils to determine a palette for your earrings [8]. Choose enamels that correspond to your color sketch. We chose leaded enamels for the featured earrings, but you could use unleaded enamels. Wash the enamels. For information about washing and disposing of enamels, see Prepping Enamels, opposite.

4 what is counter enamel and why do you use it? Enamel expands and contracts as it is heated and cooled. If you put enamel only on the front of a piece, the enamel will likely crack and warp the metal. To counter, or balance, the stress created by the enamel on the front of a piece, you fuse an equal layer of counter enamel to the back of the piece. If the enamel on the front of the piece does crack, you can apply an additional layer of counter enamel and refire the piece. The cracks should heal. prepping enamels Why wash? When enamel manufacturers grind glass and minerals, a porcelain dust by-product gets mixed in with the enamels. By washing the enamels, you remove this by-product and prevent the colors from looking cloudy. If you skip this step, you may end up with an unwanted color deviation, most notably with transparent enamels. Safety first. Work in a clean, well-ventilated workspace, and refrain from smoking or handling food when you re working with enamels. Wear a dust mask when you re preparing enamels to avoid breathing in glass particulates. This is especially important if you are using enamels that contain lead. Always grind enamels under running water to wash away glass dust and particulates. Rinse and repeat. Place ½ teaspoon of each enamel color into a separate plastic cup, right, and then fill each cup with distilled water. After the enamel grains have settled to the bottom of the cup, pour the cloudy water off into a bucket. (You can save these enamel fines and use them as counter enamel for future projects.) Repeat this process until the water in the cup is clear. Store the enamels. Pour enough distilled water into each cup to cover the enamels: this keeps the enamels moist, which minimizes your chance of breathing in glass particulates. Cover each cup with a lid. Disposing of enamels. Do not pour enamels down the drain. Check with your local hazardous waste disposal facility for guidelines on disposing of leaded and unleaded enamels.

5 anneal cloisonné wire Wrap 8 12 in. ( cm) of cloisonné wire around your index finger, layering the wraps to make a band. Remove your finger, and tuck the end of the wire around the band to keep it from unwinding. Place the band on a sheet of mica and place the mica in a beehive kiln. Place the lid on the kiln and heat the metal until it glows orange, as shown. You may need to use your spatula to cover the kiln opening to get the kiln hot enough. PART 2 Cloisonné disks Apply counter enamel. For an explanation of counter enameling, see What is Counter Enamel and Why Do You Use It, above. Place a disk texture-side down on a clean surface. Use a fine-tip paintbrush to apply a thick layer of wet counter enamel to the disk s untextured (back) side [1]. TIP: We used counter enamel with a slightly harder fusing formula than that of the enamel we used on the front of the disk. This saved us the extra step of applying a third layer of counter enamel. Twist the end of a piece of tissue, and touch it to the edge of the disk to wick away the moisture [2]. While the counter enamel is still wet, use tweezers to pick up the disk [3]. Turn the disk over and place it counter-enamel-side down on a sheet of 6 7 mica. Repeat to apply counter enamel to the second disk and place it on a separate sheet of mica. the disks over, and scrape away any mica that is stuck to the counter enamel. Apply another layer of counter enamel, place the disks counter-enamel-side down onto the mica sheet, and fire them again. Apply a base coat of enamel. Use a fine-tip paintbrush to apply a layer of clear enamel, also known as flux, to the textured (front) side of each disk. Wick away the moisture and place the mica sheets with the disks on them near the kiln to dry for 5 10 minutes or until the enamel looks like sand. Fire. Place one mica sheet and disk into the beehive kiln [4]. Put on safety goggles and place the lid on the kiln. Fire the disk for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, or until the flux looks smooth and glossy [5]. Use a spatula to move the mica with the disk from the kiln to a mesh firing rack to air-cool. Repeat to fire the second disk. Mica sheet is used to support the disks and to prevent them from adhering to the kiln floor. Use mica sheet for all subsequent firings. Remove the disks from the mica, turn Form the cloisonné wire. See Anneal Cloisonné Wire, above left, for tips on preparing the wire. After annealing the wire, refer to your sketch to create the cloisonné cells [6]. Use wire cutters, tweezers, and mandrels to form the wire into the appropriate shapes. You may need to manipulate the wire pieces a bit so that they conform to the convex surface of the disk s textured side. Position the wires. Pour Klyr-Fire enameling adhesive into a shallow dish, and dip each piece of wire into the KlyrFire to coat its bottom edge [7]. Use tweezers to carefully position the wires, coated-edge down, onto the disks [8]. Allow the Klyr-Fire to dry.

6 Fire. Place one mica sheet with a disk into the kiln, and fire for the same amount of time as you did to make the flux turn glossy. Remove the mica sheet from the kiln, and immediately use the flat side of the spatula to gently press the wires into the layer of flux. Allow the disk to air-cool. Repeat to fire and cool the second disk. Add and fire enamels in layers. Start with the lightest color and use a fine-tip paintbrush to wet pack the enamel into the respective cells of your design [9]. (We added the transparent light-pink color first and fired it so that when we later added opaque black, the black could not bleed beyond its cells if there were any gaps beneath the wires.) Wick away the moisture, place the disk on a mica sheet, and allow the enamel to dry near the kiln. Fire until the enamel is glossy and smooth. Use the spatula to remove the mica sheet with the disk from the kiln. Allow the disk to cool [10]. Use the fine-tip paintbrush to add a layer of each enamel color to the cells [11, 12]. Wick away the moisture, dry, refire, and cool [13]. Continue to add the enamels in layers, firing and cooling the disks between each additional layer. As you build up the layers, you may have to increase your firing time slightly. Add enamel layers until the last layer is even with the top of the wires. You can also add a final layer of clear flux to bring the enamel up to the level of the top of the wires. Allow the cloisonné disks to cool completely. Stone the cloisonné disks. Under running water, use a 150-grit alundum stone, and then a 220-grit alundum stone, to grind the surface of the enamel [16]. Grind just enough to expose the wires without removing the top layers of enamel [17]. Place the dopping stick with the cloisonné disk into a freezer for 5 minutes. Remove the stick, and use a butter knife to chip away the now-brittle wax to release the disk. Repeat to stone the second cloisonné disk. Cut excess wire. Use wire cutters or small scissors to cut the wires that extend beyond the disks. Finish the cloisonné disks. Hold a disk between your thumb and forefinger and, working under running water, use the 150and 220-grit alundum stones to grind the edges of the disks, rounding them slightly [18]. Use a fiberglass brush under running water to clean the surfaces of the disks [19]. Avoid touching the disks after they re clean. Use tweezers to set the disks aside to dry completely [20]. Then, place the disks on mica sheet and fire them in the kiln for 1 2 minutes until the surface is glossy. Allow the disks to cool [21]. Make a dopping stick. Heat dop wax until it melts, and apply it to the end of a ½-in. (13 mm)-diameter wooden dowel [14]. Evenly heat the wax on the dowel, and quickly set a cloisonné disk into the wax. Dip your fingertips in cold water and use your fingers to press the wax over the edge of the disk to secure it to the dowel [15].

7 PART 3 Bezels and ear wires Make the bezel cups. See Basics, page 82, for instructions on making a bezel cup. Cut back plates from 26-gauge (0.4 mm) finesilver sheet and use hard solder to solder 1 8 -in. (3 mm) bezel wire to the back plates. Trim the excess back plate, and file, sand, and finish the bezel cups. (Skip to the step Attach the ear wires if you do not want to add a bead dangle to the bottom of your earrings.) Make wire loops. Cut a 2-in. (51 mm) piece of 21-gauge (0.7 mm) sterling silver wire. Grasp the tip of the wire at the midpoint of the jaw of your roundnose pliers. Rotate the pliers, wrapping the wire around the bottom jaw of the pliers to make a loop. Continue to feed the wire at the midpoint of the jaw, rotating the pliers and keeping the diameter of the loops consistent [1]. Continue until you have made a spring that is several loops long. Use flush cutters to cut two jump rings from the spring. Then, use flush cutters to cut out one-third of each jump ring to make a C. File the ends of the Cs to conform to the curve of the bezel cups [2]. Attach the wire loops to the bezel cups. For information on soldering, see Basics, page 82. Apply paste flux to the ends of one of the Cs, and position the C so that its ends touch a bezel cup. Use paste flux to adhere a pallion of medium solder to each join. Position your torch to the side of the bezel cup, and heat it until the solder flows. Quench, pickle, and rinse the bezel cup. Repeat to solder a loop to the second bezel cup. Attach the ear wires. Cut two 1½-in. (38 mm) pieces of 21-gauge (0.7 mm) sterling silver wire. Use a planishing hammer to flatten one end of each wire [3]. Place one bezel cup face-down on your soldering surface. Apply anti-flux to the wire-loop joins, and use a third hand to position one of the wires so that its planished end rests on the back of the bezel cup, opposite the wire loop. Place a pallion of easy solder on each side of the planished wire [4]. Heat with the torch and quench, pickle, and rinse. Repeat to attach the second wire to the other bezel cup. Polish the bezel cup assembly. Use a flex shaft with a buff attachment and tripoli polishing compound to polish the bezel cup assemblies. Use a toothbrush to clean the assemblies with liquid cleanser and hot water. Tumble-polish the assemblies with steel shot and burnishing com-pound for 1 hour (see Basics). Set the enamel disks. For hints on bezel-setting enamel components, see Easy Does It, opposite above. Shape the ear wires. Use roundnose pliers to grasp an ear wire at the base of the bezel cup assembly, and bend the wire toward the front of the piece [5]. Place a ¼-in. (6.5 mm)-diameter wooden dowel behind this bend, and wrap the wire over the dowel [6]. Secure a 5 8 -in. (16 mm)-diameter wooden dowel horizontally in a vise. Holding the bend of the ear wire in one hand and the end of the ear wire in the other, gently bend the wire against the dowel [7]. Use wire cutters to trim the ear wire to the desired length, and file the end of the wire smooth. Repeat with the other ear-wire assembly. Attach dangles. Select half-hard sterling silver wire in a gauge that fits your bead holes. We used 26-gauge (0.4 mm) wire. Cut two 1½-in. (38 mm) pieces of wire. Flux the wires. Hold one wire vertically in crosslocking tweezers, and use a torch to heat the bottom of the wire until it balls up [8]. Quench, pickle, and rinse it. Repeat with the other wire. Add beads to the balled wire, and make a wrapped loop, attaching it to the bottom loop of an earring assembly.

8 7 Process photos by Jennifer Jordan Park. easydoes it Because the edges of enameled pieces are vulnerable to chipping, take care when you set enameled components in a bezel. Follow these tips for trouble-free bezel-setting with enamels: Place a towel or other soft covering over hard floor surfaces where you re setting the enamel components. Put painters tape over the enameled surface before pushing the bezel walls against the edges of the enamel. The tape protects the enamel from scratches caused by a wayward bezel rocker. If an edge of enamel chips off of your piece, save the chip, reposition it on the enamel component, and refire the enamel component to fuse the chipped piece back in place. 8 materials Fine-silver sheet: 22-gauge (0.6 mm), dead-soft, ¾ x 1¼ in. (19 x 32 mm) 26-gauge (0.4 mm), dead-soft, ¾ x 1¼ in. (19 x 32 mm) Enamels: leaded or unleaded, 80-mesh, medium fusing 1 teaspoon opaque and/or transparent colors 1 teaspoon clear counter enamel Fine-silver cloisonné wire:.05 x.005 in., 8 12 in. ( cm) Klyr-Fire enameling adhesive Bezel wire: 1 8 in. (3 mm) wide, 3¼ in. (83 mm) Sterling silver wire: 21-gauge (0.7 mm), round, dead-soft, 7 in. (17.8 cm) 26-gauge (0.4 mm), round, half-hard, 3 in. (76 mm) 4 beads: 2 mm, 4 mm tools & supplies Metal shears Brass texture plate: 1 x 1½ in. (25.5 x 38 mm) Copper sheet: 22-gauge (0.6 mm), 1½ x 2 in. (38 x 51 mm) Rolling mill Disk cutter and punch, ½-in. (13 mm) diameter Mallet: heavy Soldering station: torch, solder (hard, medium, and easy), fire-resistant surface (soldering pad, firebrick, or charcoal block), third-hand, pickle pot with pickle, paste flux, steel tweezers, copper tongs Dapping block: wooden Kiln: beehive Tracing paper Colored pencils Dust mask Plastic cups and lids Distilled water Paintbrushes: fine tip Tweezers 2 mica sheets Safety goggles Spatula: metal Mesh firing rack Wire cutters Mandrels Dop wax Wooden dowels: ½-in. (13 mm), ¼-in. (6.5 mm), 5 8-in. (16 mm) diameter Alundum stones: 150 grit, 220 grit Fiberglass brush Flush cutters Sandpaper: 400 grit Hand file: #2-cut Pliers: roundnose, chainnose Hammer: planishing Finishing items: Flex shaft, buff attachment, tripoli polishing compound Toothbrush, nonabrasive liquid degreasing cleanser Tumbler, steel shot, burnishing compound Painters tape Burnisher or bezel rocker Vise Actual size