Today we cut out a 4"x4" chunk of enameled bath tub.  It was white enamel o the outside and bluish black on the underside.  The enamel was thick and the steel is about 2mm.  It also has what looked like automotive tar based undercoating sprayed on the bottom underside of the tub.  I first cooked off the tar and dirt using a small homemade charcoal forge using wood coals and BBQ briquettes.  Then we put a few different enamels on both sides and re fired.  The results were ugly but promising.

There was no way to see the color of the piece as due to the fire of the forge.  Therefore the piece ended up getting over-fired. 

It came out a bit contaminated and bubbled, but the under laying enamel held up well.  

I used an angle grinder with a thin disk for the cut.  Those discs are cheap enough and usually durable, but I did notice disc wear after only 2 cuts.  I think that the enamel wears out the disc much faster than metal alone.  The grinder is dangerous. 

The enamel on this tub was easy enough to identify due to the surface tension bulge at the edge of the metal as well as the blue black coat on the back.

What I am looking for is white enameled appliances which are made of much thinner metal.

Cheers Marty

Martin, your experiments sound very interesting and I hope will be successful. I'm sure you've already thought about using the enameled surface of a white board (dry erase "black board") to cut into pieces. Pretty sure that's what Thompson's uses for the enameled steel tiles they sell. It would certainly be thinner than a piece of bathtub!

Check out washing machine lids, and sides. it's a much thinner material

Charles Winkel 

If anyone has tips or tricks on how to easily tell the difference between painted industrial steel and enameled steel i would appreciate the info. Today I put a piece of what I thought was enameled steel I cut off of a appliance into my kiln. Instead of getting shiny the surface became chalky. I am assuming it was a painted surface. Hopefully I didn't cause damage to my elements.

I would like to work with the thinner gage steel sheets that many appliances are made from, plus also skip the cleaning and ground coating steps.

Thanks Marty