Engraving and Enamelling E-Book

Phil Barnes

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

The exquisite colours of enamelling have been the choice of kings for centuries. This book explains the rich traditions of the magnificent technique of champleve, which combines the skills of engraving and enamelling. Champleve is a technique of enamelling requiring the creation of a cell into which enamel is then applied. Celebrating fifty years of working as a master craftsman, Phil Barnes gives a unique insight into all aspects of the process as he explains the techniques of engraving in preparation for enamelling, and then looks at enamels and how to work with them to create a piece, through to the final polishing and finishing. The book covers: a brief background to the history of enamelling, the materials and the techniques used; an introduction to the workshop and tools for the engraver and the enameller; instructions on transferring designs and making first cuts, recessing a cell and surface texturing for enamel; techniques for working with enamels, including laying over shaped surfaces, grading colours and repairing; advice on kilns and firing, polishing and finishing. A beautiful book that gives a masterclass in champleve enamel work and is fully illustrated with 209 colour photographs including step-by-step sequence shots and fine examples of finished pieces.

Leseprobe

Engraving and Enamelling

The art of champlevé

Phil Barnes

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2019 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2019

© Phil Barnes 2019

All rights reserved. This e-book is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 546 6

Disclaimer

This book and the information given is a record of my working practice. Many of the techniques used in enamelling and engraving involve hazardous materials, machinery and procedures. If all health and safety instructions are adhered to and given the respect they deserve, no problems should arise. The author and publisher accept no liability for any accidents howsoever caused to any reader following instructions from the text of this book.

Frontispiece: Abstract design No.1: silver engraved and enamelled vase by Phil Barnes. 130mm high and 90mm at the widest point.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge and thank all the people who have helped with the creation of this book, in particular those who have given images for it: Mr David Bainbridge of Milton Bridge Enamels, Elizabeth Gage Ltd, De Vroomen Design, Roger Doyle, Ingo Henn, Th e Ashmolean Museum Oxford and the V&A Museum London.

An even bigger thanks goes to my wife Linda for her support and encouragement, my ever on-hand ‘sounding board’, and above all for her photography skills that created the workshop images.

Contents

Preface

CHAPTER 1 Identifying Enamel and Champlevé

CHAPTER 2 The Beginning of a Piece

CHAPTER 3 The Engraving Workshop and Equipment

CHAPTER 4 The Preparation of Tools for Engraving

CHAPTER 5 Transferring Designs and First Cuts

CHAPTER 6 Metals and Their Preparation

CHAPTER 7 Tools, Equipment and Enamels

CHAPTER 8 Working with Enamels

CHAPTER 9 Kilns and Firing

CHAPTER 10 Polishing and Finishing

Useful Information

Glossary of Terms

Index

Silver engraved and enamelled beaker entitled ‘We can not direct the wind but we can adjust our sails’. Designed, engraved and enamelled by Phil Barnes. 90mm high, 65mm wide.

Preface

My working life began in 1967 at the age of fifteen, and 2017 marked a milestone for me of fifty years as a full-time professional enameller. During this time I trained three apprentices, ran workshops, and taught and lectured both in the UK and abroad. The passing on of knowledge is important, and to leave a written record of my way of working had always been an ambition.

I have a small book on enamelling, published back in 1927 by the French enameller Louis-Elie Millenet, which has been in my workshop for many years. This simple book, written by a professional, covers everything a book on enamelling should. I wanted to create a twenty-first century version to include engraving for enamelling, my working methods and ideas. Writing this book has enabled me to fulfil my ambition to produce a point of reference for craftsmen, not only established engravers and enamellers, but also people interested in the practical elements of the craft.

This book focuses on the skill of champlevé, covering all aspects including equipment and tools, and describing the making of a piece from idea to completion. It is illustrated with images of finished pieces and of the step-by-step processes, which I hope will both inform and inspire future generations of enamellers.

My father and teacher, Charles ‘Fred’ Barnes.

CHAPTER 1

Identifying Enamel and Champlevé

A good place to start would be to make perfectly clear what is meant by ‘enamel’. The word ‘enamel’ derives from the Old French esmail and Old High German smelzen (to smelt). As a term, enamel has been loosely used to cover some materials that are actually paints, lacquers or resins, but this is not the ‘enamel’ with which the chapters in this book are associated. The enamels covered here are vitreous enamels, vitreous meaning ‘to fire’: they can be described as a comparatively soft glass, not unlike the type used in the making of stained glass windows, and have a melting temperature of between 750 and 800°C (1,414 and 1,472°F). It is a compound of flint, sand, potash, lead, borax and silica. These materials when melted together give an end result of a clear frit or glass known as ‘flux’.

Molten enamel being poured during production at Milton Bridge Ceramic Colours Ltd, Stoke on Trent.

During manufacture various colouring metal oxides will be added to this frit, the recipes varying according to the different colours and shades required. For example, a blue will have a cobalt oxide included, or a green may have a variant of chrome oxide, with Purple of Cassius, a form of gold oxide, added to make reds. When re-heated, fused and cooled, and poured out over steel plates, the end result of this process is slabs of coloured glass. These slabs, broken up, ground down in a pestle and mortar into fine particles, applied on to a metal surface and then placed in a kiln and fired, will fuse and adhere to that metal base.

This is a brief description of the type of enamelling that will be covered in this book. Enamels come in three different types: transparent, opaque and translucent (sometimes known as ‘opal enamel’). A way of describing this further is to imagine three wine glasses, two filled with water and the other with milk. Light passes easily through the first glass filled with water and the water is as clear as glass: that is our transparent enamel. The glass with milk has no light penetrating through at all: this is the opaque. Add a little of the milk into the second glass of water and the clear water turns into a semi-clear milky liquid: light does pass through, but not to the same degree as the glass containing only water – this is the translucent or opal.

THE HISTORY OF ENAMELLING

The art of enamelling has a long recorded history: the oldest known pieces of enamel work are Mycenaean. In 1952 six gold enamelled finger rings were discovered in a tomb in Cyprus at Kouklia, and a royal gold sceptre decorated with enamel was discovered in a tomb in Kourion. These pieces are the earliest examples of enamel in existence; it is uncertain whether the craftsmen who carried out the work were Mycenaean, Cypriot or Egyptian, but it does indicate that enamelling was first practised in this area as early as the thirteenth century bc.

‘Alfred Had Me Made’: the inscription along the edge of this ninth-century piece, the Alfred Jewell AD871–899. Image © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford. AN1836P.135.371

The history of enamelling can be traced even further back, with instances of enamel work occurring from across the Roman empire; ornamental enamel work can be seen from Anglo Saxon Britain, with the Sutton Hoo treasure dating from the seventh century; and also in Britain, the ninth-century Alfred Jewell was discovered in 1693 at Newton Park, Somerset – it can be seen today at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The piece bears an inscription which in translation reads ‘Alfred had me made’: the central enamelled section in cloisonné depicts a figure holding garlands of flowers in each hand, thought to be that of King Alfred the Great who reigned from 871–899. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London have many pieces of champlevé enamels which date from the eleventh century and are of religious origin displayed in their medieval gallery.

Champlevé appears to have been the preferred technique of that period, and the piece shown here, the Becket Casket, made in Limoges, France between 1180 and 1190, illustrates this. The casket is made of copper, engraved and enamelled, gilt finished and fitted over a wooden case. It is thought that the casket was made to hold the relics of Thomas Beckett, taken to Peterborough Abbey by Abbot Benedict in 1177.

The Becket Casket, Limoges, France, AD1180–1190. An example of early religious champlevé. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The art of enamelling has gone in and out of fashion during its history; it saw a revival with masters such as Peter Carl Fabergé, famous for his jewel-like gold and enamelled Easter eggs, heavily decorated with engine turning and enamel work, and produced under the patronage of the Russian royal family. The 1900s saw the rise of the Art Nouveau movement, with beautiful enamelled jewellery from Parisian designers of that time such as René Lalique and Lucien Falize. Enamel work today is still popular, freelance practitioners and contemporary designer craftsmen producing fine examples of this ancient craft. The processes used by today’s enamellers are virtually the same as their predecessors, though of course there have been improvements, today’s enamels being more stable and reliable.

Developments on the mechanical side, especially with the kiln, have been significant: kilns once heated by charcoal developed into the muffle kiln heated by coke, which gave way to gas and electric kilns, while today’s kilns benefit from greater heat control, better insulation and a cleaner environment in which to work. But as regards technique, the basic process of preparing the enamel, the laying and firing and final finishing have remained virtually unaltered.

The Technique of Champlevé

This book concentrates on the technique of champlevé. Techniques in enamelling all bear French names, the reason for which I have never discovered, despite research – it is possibly just one of fashion, and because France was the centre for enamel work for many years. The term ‘champlevé’ translates as ‘raised field’, and involves the creation of a cell which is then filled with enamel. There is no specific way in which the cell has to be fashioned – in fact there are many ways they can be created: by using a steel die and stamping out the cell, by acid etching, by machine routing out, and by using today’s technology of 3D printing and laser cutting.

Gold and enamelled ring with green jade centre stone, engraved and enamelled for Elizabeth Gage Ltd.

My approach to champlevé is to create cells by hand engraving: I recess these to a certain depth with the use of brightly cut engraved lines – this creates textures that bring design and line to the cell, and refracts the light, bringing the colours of the enamel to life.

OTHER ENAMEL TECHNIQUES

While this book covers just one technique, that of champlevé, there are several other styles of enamel work. A quick résumé of a few of those techniques is given below.

Bassetaille: A low relief design is engraved and carved below the enamel surface. When enamelled over, these differences of depth give variations of colour due to the variations in the thickness of the enamel, giving a monotone effect with darker shades showing in the deeper areas, and lighter shades of the colour where the enamel is closer to the surface.

Cloisonné: Fine examples of cloisonné come from China and Japan, where this technique has a long history. Designs are created by bending and forming fine wires to create the cells, which are then applied to an enamelled base and fired; when the enamel becomes molten the wires sink into the surface, and on cooling are held firm. Enamels, which are generally opaque, can then be applied and graded to finalize the design, taking the enamel and the metal wires level to one surface.

Enamel painting, sometimes called ‘Limoges style’: In this technique, metallic oxides similar to those used in the making process of enamel are mixed with oil and painted on to a prepared enamelled surface. The colours will mix as any other painting medium, and can be thinned down to a wash to give subtle effects. An enamelled painting is built up in layers, and fired in between each layer; therefore many fires are required to create a finished piece. This technique was often used in miniature portraiture.

Guilloche: In this technique a metal base is engine turned, a process in which a regular repeated pattern with a very bright cut is created. There are two types of engine-turning machine: a rose, or round machine, and a straight machine. The cutter of the machine is controlled by thumb pressure. While a pointer follows a steel pattern bar, moving the piece to echo that pattern, the engine turner applies the cutting tool, making one cut at a time. With a click of a ratchet dial the piece moves along one cut width, and the process is repeated to form a continuous, regular bright surface. Generally a plain colour is laid over an engine-turned surface, and many examples of commercial work of this type can be found in antique shops. The biggest exponent of this type of work, with many fine examples, is Carl Fabergé, the great Russian master goldsmith.

18ct yellow gold and diamond clock. Guilloche dial enamelled for Roger Doyle Ltd.

Plique à jour: This translates roughly as ‘light of day’ or ‘letting in daylight’. This technique is created by the enamel being suspended within an open framework, giving the effect of a miniature stained-glass window, with the light passing freely through it. Fine examples exist from the turn of the twentieth century, with such masters as René Lalique and Lucien Falize.

CHAPTER 2

The Beginning of a Piece

As a designer maker, one of the most frequently asked questions is ‘Where do you get your ideas from?’ This is a simple enough question, but is maybe not as straightforward to answer, because the reason is, you just don’t know. A walk along the beach with the dog, going through the woods or a beautiful sunset, or a postcard found in a second-hand shop, a visit to a museum, a detail on the side of a building – any of these places or things could spark an idea, which will develop and grow into the beginnings of a piece.

The Dunwich Bowl: silver, engraved and enamelled centrepiece illustrating the flora and fauna of the Suffolk coastline by Phil Barnes. 180mm wide, 110mm tall. PRIVATE COLLECTION

Another designer maker once said: ‘You don’t wake up in the morning and say “I think I’ll be creative today!” – you are constantly creative, and an idea can come at any time, often at three o’clock in the morning when you are trying to sleep!’ Those early thoughts start to develop and grow, and if you sit down with a pencil and paper and rough out designs, the idea begins to take shape. In this book I use a piece I have made called ‘the Dunwich Bowl’ to illustrate the path of a piece from beginning to end.

STARTING THE DESIGN PROCESS

The Dunwich Bowl came to life from what was seen one day while walking the dog along the quiet beaches of the Suffolk coast. The sky was a cloudless brilliant blue, the headland lined by wild plants that flourish in that salty habitat. Different coloured pebbles were catching the sun as the waves moved back and forth. What you take in with your eyes begins to stimulate ideas, which progress into the next day, and so you go back on that beach again, this time with a camera, taking shots of things that had somehow clicked with you the day before.

Later, in the workshop, with the camera images printed out, you start the design process, juggling around ideas and images as the first layouts of the piece begin to take shape. These develop as work continues and you make drawing after drawing, altering and refining each one until the final design is there, and you are ready to move on to the next stage.

CHOICE OF MATERIALS

The practical side of how to make the piece is next: the choice of materials, what thickness of metal will be required, aspects of construction – even the kiln and the size of the firing chamber will have some influence on construction and will have a bearing on the eventual size of the piece. For an engraved and enamelled piece the construction is important: get these early stages wrong, and the results will reflect that, so you must think through every part of the process and try to eliminate any foreseeable problems before you start.

Working technical drawing for the Dunwich Bowl.

For example, the Dunwich Bowl is made using .925 standard silver, because it is more resilient than fine silver at .999; although the latter is cleaner and has fewer problems with fire stain – we will touch on this later in the book – it does have the drawback of being very soft. For a practical piece such as a beaker, which may take a lot of handling, this softness can be a problem, particularly during the enamelling process, when the risk of the silver moving may result in the enamel bending and even cracking. Thus the thickness of the silver you choose to work with will depend on certain aspects of your design – size, for instance, in that the bigger the piece, the thicker the silver needs to be. And if the piece is to have engraved cells, recessed all over for enamelling, you will need to make sure the silver is thick enough to allow for this.

First stage in production: all the spun sections for the Dunwich Bowl together for the first time.

On average the gauge to choose would be 1.2–1.4mm thick. A recess for enamelling would be engraved down to a depth of 0.3mm, so the actual base to be enamelled over would be 0.9–1.1mm. Start with too thin a material and problems could arise as work progresses: it is always better to allow for this at the start, and not find out later that you have made the wrong choice.

METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION

The next thing to consider is the method of construction. An enamelled piece, even the simplest of pieces, will go through a firing process at least four times, while a more complicated piece will perhaps have as many as twelve or fifteen firings. On average an enamel colour will fire at approximately 750°C (1,414°F), and with each firing the piece goes into a kiln set at 1,000°C (1,832°F): the higher kiln temperature is there to ensure a rapid fire to achieve better results, so the choice of which solder to use in construction is important.

Silver discs all ready to go to the spinners.

Stefan Coe, master spinner at work.

Wooden patterns are made in the shapes over which the silver sections will be formed.

There are generally five melting points of silver solder to choose from: extra easy, easy, medium, hard and enamelling. The solder to use is the hard, as anything below this will only melt and re-run in the kiln during firing. The other choice would be enamelling solder, although this has a working temperature very close to the melting point of silver, so close in fact that when working with it there is the danger of melting the silver itself. Because of this, the soldering process is often cut short before a good, well fused joint is achieved. However, it is better to ensure a good solid joint with hard solder and be confident of the strength of that joint, than risk damage to your piece with enamelling solder.