The kiln needs to be big enough to hold what you want to fire. If you think you might like to do sizes bigger than jewelry, buy a kiln large enough. A gigantic kiln is not necessarily the way to go. An alternative for doing a large piece is to do it in smaller pieces and then put the pieces together.
Allow at least an inch all away around your piece. Two inches is better. For example a 6 x 6 kiln could hold a 5 x5 piece, but extreme care must be taken when putting the piece in and care must be taken to rotate the piece on each subsequent firing. (Burnout can be an issue.) A 4 inch piece would fit in nicely and if you were firing at 1450-1500 you would not have to worry about the enamel burning out as long as you kept it in the center of the kiln. I personally prefer a minimum of 2.5 to 3 inches of space on each side of my piece.
A pyrometer while not an absolute necessity is very useful . A pyrometer gives you the temperature in the kiln.
A controller is a wonderful device, important if you are doing very expensive or time consuming cloisonné, but not crucial. A controller will hold the temperature of the kiln at the temperature that you set it at. The kiln temperature will not creep up between firings while you are applying the enamel.
Thrifty Thought
Keep your eyes peeled for used kilns. They might be the answer. In buying the kiln be sure the coils heat, if they don't, check to be sure you can get replacements. Contact us to see if there is a used kiln we might know about.
You need a fireproof space to put your trivet/piece when it comes out of the kiln. DO NOT use fake marble, It has been known to explode when the moisture inside expands. Real marble is OK. If that is not available and you do not have a safe metal table then consider purchasing PH-2 Hot Pad. What comes out of the kiln is very, very hot.
To put your piece in the kiln you need a fork. Try HF-2120 or get a cement trowel with a wooden handle. The HF-2120 comes with a metal shield so you don't need gloves. If you prefer, and definitely if you use a trowel, you will need gloves that can withstand the temperatures you are working at. K-3 Heat resistant gloves are available.
To fire a piece it must be placed on a trivet. There are many sizes of trivets and you need ones that will accommodate your work. The piece should set half way down on the trivet. This provides stability and safety. Different sized trivets will give you more flexibility. If you choose a trivet that does not have "legs", be sure to also get a stainless steel rack or base plate that the trivet can sit on and that the fork will fit under so that the whole unit can be moved in and out of the kiln.
To apply the enamel.
You need a metal (Copper, silver or gold), you need enamel and for easier application an adhesive. A sifter is generally used to apply the enamel.
Metal: Starting out most people use copper. The cost is low and pieces are available in different shapes and pre cut/stamped forms. You can cut your own copper with a jewelers saw if that is your preference.
Enamel: There are basic groups of colors to consider.
On most pieces you need a base coat to cover the front of your piece. This can be any color, but usually flux (clear glass that allows the copper color to come through),white or the design background color are chosen. This color should be bought in larger quantity. Base coat enamel is just regular enamel with a fancy title.
You also need counter enamel ( fancy name for the enamel put on the back side of the piece). Depending on the piece it can be a specific color or a mixed color.
There are a number of choices:
Then of course there are the colors you prefer to use in a piece.
A sample kit is a good buy. It has enough enamel of every color to do a test tile and a small piece. It gives you the opportunity to try the colors in combinations and to try colors you might not otherwise have purchased. Generally if you are a jeweler doing tiny pieces of enamel the sample kit with 8 oz of #2020 Flux for Silver will keep you working for some time.
If you are not a jeweler, plan on purchasing 8 oz of a generic basecoat color. If you want a number of different colors for a basecoat order a minimum of 4 oz of each color. (Tiny pieces, under 3/4 inch diameter need way less; 2 oz would do). For a selection of colors aim for 1 or 2 oz.. We have a beginner's kit of enamel that has a number of different colors and is available at a discount.
Threads (thin long pieces of enamel) and Lumps of enamels are also used in making designs. as well as millefiore and floral wafers. These are not required or necessary, but can be used in your design.
In looking at the catalog you will see a number of different kinds of enamel. Some of them may appeal to you. They can be purchased up front or at a later time. If you are into painting the different painting kits maybe enticing. Keep in mind that they are just different ways to apply enamel, all of the painting kits need a vitreous surface to work. That means that you must have a base coat of enamel on the metal before you start applying the oxides, watercolors, crayons or acrylic paints.
There is also a product called black line. This product is applied with a quill pen, paintbrush or by other means on a vitreous surface. It is a fun product that can make lettering easy, it can also be used for outlining or drawing.
Adhesives: You need to moisten the copper/enamel to keep the enamel from blowing off the piece on the way to the kiln and to hold the enamel in place on the piece before it fuses to the metal. The standard in enameling is Klyr-fire. The others work well too. I think the agar has a shorter shelf life. I work with Klyr-fire and find that a 50/50 dilution with water (distilled, if the water has lots of minerals) works just fine. I use it straight if the sides of my piece are very steep or if I am putting down wires on a flat piece. To apply the adhesive, a sprayer is quite convenient. Either purchase a sprayer or get a hair spray pump spray container. The trick is that the droplets coming from the sprayer must be tiny. You want a fine mist. If you are working on tiny pieces a hair spray pump works fine, but if it is a large shape where one spritz does not cover the piece you might want to invest $3.75 in an aerosol one. The goal is to cover the piece with 1 spritz to minimize a concentration of liquid in one area.
Sifters: Our catalog notes many kinds of sifters. They are used for different purposes. To start out, the SM-1, SM-2, or the SM-3 are the sifters to choose from. If you are doing tiny things (1/2 inch diameter) use the SM-1. Pieces 1-2 inches in diameter use the SM-2, Larger pieces use the SM-3. The larger the sifter the larger the area it covers, this is a plus. If the piece is tiny, large coverage means you are sifting on your hand and the paper under your piece, increasing your opportunities to add to your counter enamel jar.
Cleaning: To begin enameling you need to clean your metal, probably copper since that is the usual metal used (Fine silver is the next choice, but for beginners unless you have access to fine silver, copper is less expensive and it allows you to learn the technique for less money.)
To clean the copper you can use a cleanser and a green scrubby purchased from the grocery store. (This is fine before the first firing, after the first firing you have firescale to deal with and a lot of elbow grease is required). To eliminate the fire scale that forms on the copper after the first firing you can do one of three things.
1) Use scalex a product that prevents the formation of firescale. Apply scalex to the backside of the piece after cleaning the front. Let it dry. Apply your base coat of enamel and fire. The scalex will stay on the piece and after the piece cools the scalex will brush off. You clean the back with the cleanser/scrubby and then enamel the back. If your piece requires that the piece have an area that receives no enamel or enamel later in the firing sequence you will need to keep applying the scalex until the metal is covered with enamel or the piece is completed.
2) Use sparex, a commercial product that is a mild acid. This acid is mild enough that you can get it on you hands, but please do not get it on a cut or sore. It stings like vinegar. The sparex removes the firescale. The piece is placed in a plastic or glass container that has the sparex. It stays there for 5 or 10 minutes. Length of time is related to the amount of firescale and the adhesion of the firescale. Rinsing the piece prior to putting it in the sparex will prolong the life of the sparex and keep the sparex cleaner. The sparex is reusable until it has turned blue and you see that cleaning is taking too long.
3) Use Penny Brite. This is a commercial paste cleaner. Works very well for the initial cleaning and works with a little elbow grease on the firescale. Mild to the hands.
To clean the edges of the piece: Choice of a file, or an alumdum stone. File the edges or use an alumdum stone with some water around the edge of the piece.
Safety Glasses: Use these when firing. The choice to use safety gear is something that each person needs to decide for him or herself. The heat and the infrared are known to increase your chances of cataracts.
Dust Mask If you are doing a lot of sifting these can be helpful in keeping the enamel dust out of your lungs.
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