This week I finished my enameling class at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and there were many tips and tricks that made the class well worth the drive. I have enameled in the past and it was a hit and miss sort of thing, it always seemed like the weather had to be right or things would chip or just look nasty. I found out this isn't so, it's all in the process and they don't tell you everything in the books on this subject. Most of my projects from class are not worth taking a photo of but just simple learning experiences and experiments.
I have made enameled pennies for bracelets like the ones below in the past and they turned out cute but when you torch enamel it is impossible to not cover the whole piece. When you kiln enamel you can be selective about where you decide to place the enamel as I did on the pennies below. I used all pennies made before 1981 because I knew that they were solid copper and the new ones made with zinc will melt in a puddle when heated. On these I decided to leave the head side with the date showing on the back because I could and it gave it a more interesting look when wearing the bracelet.
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| Goldenrod Enameled Pennies Bracelet $85.00 |
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| Blue Enameled Pennies Bracelet $85.00 |
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| Red Enameled Pennies Bracelet $85.00 |
Ok, that is just a seriously cool bracelet. Didn't know that about the dates, or that you could enamel in a kiln. Beautiful color choices!
ReplyDeleteLovely work! I don't have a kiln, so it's all torch fire for me :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love the idea of enameling pennies and they turned out so nicely. I'd love to learn the art of enameling but there are other things I need to learn first.
ReplyDeleteLove them!
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