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HI Richard,
Are you taking an enameling class? If not, I would suggest you start from there, and have an instructor teach you the basics. Chrome is a plating and not a solid metal. You cannot enamel on plating . You can have your piece plated after it has been enameled. The metals Linda Darty has listed in her book are the only metals that can be enameled.
The definition of Chrome is as follows:
Chrome plating (less commonly chromium plating), often referred to simply as chrome, is a technique of electroplatinga thin layer of chromium onto a metal or plastic object. The chromed layer can be decorative, provide corrosion resistance, ease cleaning procedures, or increase surface hardness. Sometimes a less expensive imitator of chrome may be used for aesthetic purposes.
Hi. Let's just establish the position with enameling on Chromium (Chrome). What would be the reason you cannot enamel on Chromium metal? Assume we are NOT talking about a chrome-plated piece of metal, just a piece of chromium metal.
Is it because there are no enamels that can cope with the expansion when chromium is heated up in a kiln?
Enamel's work because molten and semi molten glass sticks well to some metals. But is does not stick to all metals. Glass, for instance, hates zinc when the alloy is greater than about 0.5% zinc. It's quite possible that glass reacts the same way to chrome. Medium temp and medium expansion series 1000 and 2000 Thompson will work with "black iron", which is 0.5% carbon steel. Basically as low of a grade of steel as you can make. And I imagine that you could have a piece of the low carbon steel (Thompson call's it "black iron") So you could get a piece of black iron from Thompson, have it electroplated with chrome and then do a series of studies to see what happens.
When I enameled on copper that would be gold or silver plated, I always enameled on pure metal sometimes putting a paillon of the same metal than the plating that was done afterward
It's quite a long time that chorome exist. I supposed that if it were possible to enamel on chrome, it would already have been done.
I'm coming from a silversmithing background so bear with me. First, plating is done using electricity. It is taking a metal and using a combination of acid and electricity to deposit a very thin layer of one metal on another. If you plate copper with silver or gold that is what you are doing. The key words here are "very thin", we are talking a thickness that is measured in atoms. Keep that in mind as I explain more. Copper, silver, and gold are all in the same group on the periodic table. Because they are so closely related, a lot of things that happen with copper, silver, and gold that do not happen when other metals interact with copper, silver, or gold. One thing that does happen is that when any two of the three metals are in contact with each other, and heated, the metals begin to join together by creating a third layer, called an eutectic alloy. This is a metal that consists of the specific alloy that has the lowest possible melting temperature. When you have two of the three metals in physical contact and heat the metals hot enough, for long enough, this alloy will form on its own. This alloy destroys the host metals, it actually eats into the host metal as atoms of the two metals are "moved" or transferred from one level to the second. In enameling, this issue is usually encountered with cloisonné work when fine silver wire is used for the cell walls and the backing metal is copper. As you repeatedly heat the piece, the silver will in essence "dissolve" into the copper. So a lot of cloisonné artists minimize the temperatures they are using and the number of times the piece is heated. Silver on silver? not a problem, this occurs when you have both silver and copper, or gold and copper or silver and gold. So silver or gold plated on copper sets up a similar issue. And add to this the fact that plated metal layers are so thin that this reaction can easily occur.
Hi Janet and all
For information regards how enamel bonds to metal you could take a look at
http://www.iei-world.org/downloads/Articolo_Baldwin.pdf
It is a technical document so I will summarise, I would add that I am not an expert on enamels but I do have a technical background - I neither wish to patronise the reader or claim expertise but simply to help where needed.
In the case of enamels on steel.
1. Wetting - just as with water on a window the ability to spread is related to the contact angle, that is how proud a drop sits on the surface - think of a water droplet on a waterproof surface. Contact angle is a measure of attraction or repulsion between the droplet and the surface it sits on.
2. Wetting is highly dependent on the layer of oxide on the steel surface. The paper shows examples of enamels fired in an inert non-oxidising atmosphere (argon gas) which suggests that wetting is poor when an oxide layer cannot form.
3. Viscosity is important
4. It seems that the bonding action of enamel on steel is due to the micro-pitting of the oxide layer which occurs as the enamel-oxide reaction. The enamel appears to be literally digging out its own handholds in the oxide layer.
Whether or not a similar story holds for copper, sliver or gold I cannot say but the steel study does at least offer a view.
Other interesting papers may be found on ....
http://www.iei-world.org/pagine/enamel04.asp
Kind regards
Jon
Not a good idea then to try to enamel on chrome-plated substrate.
Hi.
I'm a complete newbie, I've never enameled anything yet, but I'd like to make enameled objects for fun and potentially profit.
I have some ideas involving transparent glass on a chrome base.
In the book I have "The Art of Enameling" by Linda Darty on page 22 is a table of base metals. But, there is no mention of chrome. I wonder why that is.
Also, if it is possible to enamel on Chrome, would a chrome plating, on a chrome-plated piece of brass, handle a firing, or would the plating crack/flake?
Anyone any experience of enameling on chrome? Thanks. Rich