DOI Heft:
No. 108 (March, 1902)
DOI Artikel:Sparrow, Walter Shaw: A young English sculptor: Gilbert Bayes
DOI Artikel:Fisher, Alexander: The art of true enamelling upon metals, [3]
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19875#0121
The Art of True Enamelling
equal to the horses in artistic merit ? Some among After the work in the champleve process is
them seem to lose dignity through lack of stature. finished one of the most important things is the
For all that, his statuettes are very good, more gilding of the metal parts. This is generally done
especially the one entitled A Knight on his War- by a gilder. There are two methods of gilding.
Horse, with its well-designed pedestal; and good One is called " mercury-gilding " or " water-
statuettes are rare to-day, That they may soon gilding," and the other, "electro gilding." The
become both common and popular is the hope of first is done by an amalgam of gold and mercury,
many who have at heart the best interests of which, mixed with water, is painted on the metal,
sculpture ; for statuettes may be placed in any and then subjected to a heat sufficiently great to
home, whereas large statues require such a scheme drive off the mercury, leaving the gold attached to
of room-decoration as prevents their appeal from the metal.
being aggressive. The process of electro-gilding is carried out by
Finally, as Mr. Gilbert Bayes has just started the use of an electric battery, in which the metal
on his career, it seems best to end this
short article, as Ibsen ends his plays,
with a note of interrogation. What will he
do. in the future ? He has won his spurs, he
has made an excellent beginning; and it is
to be hoped that he will go on cultivating the
real bent of his talents, and not think that
work done with difficulty must needs have
more value than that which comes most easily
to the right completion.
THE ART OF TRUE
ENAMELLING UPON
METALS. — PART III. BY
ALEXANDER FISHER.*
Champleve enamel upon the precious
metals, silver and gold, is done in identi-
cally the same manner as upon copper (see
Part II. of this series). It is better to use
silver a little above the standard, as it is
more flexible; and gold ought not to be less
than 18 carats. Enamel, practically speak-
ing, after it has been fixed is neither ex-
panded by heat nor contracted by cold. In
this, of course, it is at variance with the
copper, the silver, or the gold, and it is the
constant effort of the one to throw the other
off. And this accounts for several of the
most important parts of the processes used
in enamelling. In the case of the champleve
process, it is the reason for the enclosing
lines of metal and the keyed grounds ; in
cloisonne, the reason of the wire cloisons
and of other essential parts of the processes,
which I shall describe in their place.
* Two typographical errors occurred in the second
article of this series. On p. 94, below the illustra-
tion of enamelling tools, read " scorpers " instead of
" scoopers " ; on p. 92, in the receipt given for white
enamel, read " 10 parts of calx to 16 parts of flux." study for a fountain by gilbert bayes
108
equal to the horses in artistic merit ? Some among After the work in the champleve process is
them seem to lose dignity through lack of stature. finished one of the most important things is the
For all that, his statuettes are very good, more gilding of the metal parts. This is generally done
especially the one entitled A Knight on his War- by a gilder. There are two methods of gilding.
Horse, with its well-designed pedestal; and good One is called " mercury-gilding " or " water-
statuettes are rare to-day, That they may soon gilding," and the other, "electro gilding." The
become both common and popular is the hope of first is done by an amalgam of gold and mercury,
many who have at heart the best interests of which, mixed with water, is painted on the metal,
sculpture ; for statuettes may be placed in any and then subjected to a heat sufficiently great to
home, whereas large statues require such a scheme drive off the mercury, leaving the gold attached to
of room-decoration as prevents their appeal from the metal.
being aggressive. The process of electro-gilding is carried out by
Finally, as Mr. Gilbert Bayes has just started the use of an electric battery, in which the metal
on his career, it seems best to end this
short article, as Ibsen ends his plays,
with a note of interrogation. What will he
do. in the future ? He has won his spurs, he
has made an excellent beginning; and it is
to be hoped that he will go on cultivating the
real bent of his talents, and not think that
work done with difficulty must needs have
more value than that which comes most easily
to the right completion.
THE ART OF TRUE
ENAMELLING UPON
METALS. — PART III. BY
ALEXANDER FISHER.*
Champleve enamel upon the precious
metals, silver and gold, is done in identi-
cally the same manner as upon copper (see
Part II. of this series). It is better to use
silver a little above the standard, as it is
more flexible; and gold ought not to be less
than 18 carats. Enamel, practically speak-
ing, after it has been fixed is neither ex-
panded by heat nor contracted by cold. In
this, of course, it is at variance with the
copper, the silver, or the gold, and it is the
constant effort of the one to throw the other
off. And this accounts for several of the
most important parts of the processes used
in enamelling. In the case of the champleve
process, it is the reason for the enclosing
lines of metal and the keyed grounds ; in
cloisonne, the reason of the wire cloisons
and of other essential parts of the processes,
which I shall describe in their place.
* Two typographical errors occurred in the second
article of this series. On p. 94, below the illustra-
tion of enamelling tools, read " scorpers " instead of
" scoopers " ; on p. 92, in the receipt given for white
enamel, read " 10 parts of calx to 16 parts of flux." study for a fountain by gilbert bayes
108