Wet Process Enamels on Copper in Dry Form
Wet process enamels have proved over the last few years to be very popular, opening up a whole new range of effects. However, delivery costs can sometimes be prohibitive. The availability of the enamels in dry form overcomes this problem, just requiring the addition of water.
To achieve our recommended thickness of enamel, put 8 parts by weight of wet process dry powder into a suitable sized container then add 3 parts by weight of water and stir until smooth, it is then ready to use. If you prefer, you can vary the powder to water ratio to suit your requirements.
The photographs show the enamels applied direct to degreased copper by spraying. If spraying is used, efficient extraction must be used to remove spray vapour from the work area. The enamels can also be applied either by dipping or with a soft brush. Each photograph shows one and two coats of enamel.The gauge of the copper is 0.9. The actual size of each tile is 6cm x 10cm. Firing time was 3 minutes at 800 centigrade. The copper groundcoat can be used to give an off-white base on which to apply wet process colours. Higher and longer firing of wet process enamels on copper gives very interesting results as the tile colours become tinted with chemicals in the copper base.
