TORCH FIRED ENAMEL #4 - CLOISONNÉ TUTORIAL - by Chris Hierholz

  • Member
    June 14, 2012 3:14 PM EDT

    Chris your tutorial is excelent.Your work is also amazing,I like the Potato head:) all your designs are unique.

  • Member
    June 15, 2012 7:58 AM EDT

    I work in a bit different way. All my fine silver/enamel-jewelry has a rim to protect the enamel against sidewise shocks. The rims are 0,7 - 0,8 mm in height. The cloisonné wire I use are 0,15 - 0,2 mm thick and 0,8 - 0,9 mm high, so that the wires always are a bit higher than the frame.

    After conter-enamelling and polishing the front-side, I apply an only 1 grain (80 meshes) high layer of silver-flux on to the front-side and fire it. After cooling down I roughen the flux very careful with a diamond-cutter. Instead of the commercial glue (Klyfire, Blue-stick etc.), or glues from plants ( Lotus-root, rice-slime,          ) I use a solution of wall-paper-glue, which works for me best. With this glue I glue the cloisonné-wires onto the roughen flux-surface.

    Here, I make sure that the wires everywhere satisfied to rest on the Flux shift.

    Then I sift on an also only one grain thick shift of very well dedusted flux and firing again.

    I had never the problem, which the flux raised up on the cloisonné wire. 

    So as I wrote, I use this method on fine silver. Whether it also works well on copper, you must, if you want, try out.

    Edmund

  • Member
    June 15, 2012 10:20 AM EDT

    I've used the clear flux as an indicator but had not thought of the alundum stone method.  A good idea!

    When you say it's easier to see (the wires fusing) with torch firing than with a kiln I assume that would only apply if the kiln door had no window.   If one had to open the kiln door periodically to check on the wires I can certainly see the advantage (in terms of visibility) of torch firing but with a window in the kiln door I'm not sure I can see an advantage. Perhaps I've missed something here; can you elaborate a bit?

    Thanks Chris.

  • January 28, 2013 9:41 PM EST
    I would like to know the answer to this question as well. did I miss it? ( it actually applies not only to this tutorial but to the initial torch work tutorial ad well) thanks!
  • March 23, 2014 4:12 PM EDT

    Thanks a lot for this tutorial and the others. It's very clear and the steps by steps can be followed easily.

    Your work is very beautiful. I like it.

  • Member
    March 23, 2014 7:18 PM EDT

    Hi Chris

    You are an amazing illustrator, and a real artist. Thanks for sharing.

    Vince Simmons