The Art of True Enamelling
PIECE OF SILVER FIXED ON PITCH BLOCK, SHOWING A FIGURE
IN PROCESS OF BEING CARVED FOR BASSETAILLE ENAMEL
BY ALEXANDER FISHER
about one-eighth of an inch apart-
Now lay the bowl—it must be firmly
placed—on some coke or charcoal,
and with a blow-pipe drive the flame
gently all around the bowl, getting
gradually nearer the wire. When the
wire is touched by the flame, blow
until it becomes red hot, so that the
solder may flow along the cloison to
hold it firmly in its place. You will
first see the borax melt, and after-
wards the solder. Take care not to
melt the wire. By strictly observing
these instructions the process will not
be difficult. Now take the bowl and
put it into the sulphuric acid and water
—about 20 parts of water to i of acid
(this is called “pickle”)—and leave
it there until quite clean. The whole
of this process must be repeated f°r
every cloison. As regards the enamel'
ling, it is done in exactly the same way
as the enamelling of champleve work-
For encrustation enamelling it lS
sometimes desirable to prepare the
then cut with cutting pliers at convenient points; design in repousse. To do this well, as indeed 10
and the pieces thus made are carefully gummed to do any other part well, a very great amount 0
cardboard, so that they may not be injured or lost, practice is necessary.
When all the cutting is done and the pieces have The implements required consist of one or t"°
been bent accurately to the design, each cloison is chasers, some hammers, and a considerable number
soldered with silver solder
to the metal bowl. The
way to do this is some-
what complicated. The
bowl has first to be
cleaned with sulphuric
acid and water, and after-
wards thoroughly washed
in water. A lump of
calcined borax, moistened
with water, has now to
be rubbed upon a flat
piece of rough slate until
a thick paste is made;
into this paste dip that
edge of the wire which
is to touch the bowl,
and then lay it accu-
rately in its place upon
the surface of the metal.
Next cut up into minute
pieces some hard silver
solder, and lay them book-cover in repousse gold
on each side of the wire enriched with transparent enamel by Alexander fis
116
PIECE OF SILVER FIXED ON PITCH BLOCK, SHOWING A FIGURE
IN PROCESS OF BEING CARVED FOR BASSETAILLE ENAMEL
BY ALEXANDER FISHER
about one-eighth of an inch apart-
Now lay the bowl—it must be firmly
placed—on some coke or charcoal,
and with a blow-pipe drive the flame
gently all around the bowl, getting
gradually nearer the wire. When the
wire is touched by the flame, blow
until it becomes red hot, so that the
solder may flow along the cloison to
hold it firmly in its place. You will
first see the borax melt, and after-
wards the solder. Take care not to
melt the wire. By strictly observing
these instructions the process will not
be difficult. Now take the bowl and
put it into the sulphuric acid and water
—about 20 parts of water to i of acid
(this is called “pickle”)—and leave
it there until quite clean. The whole
of this process must be repeated f°r
every cloison. As regards the enamel'
ling, it is done in exactly the same way
as the enamelling of champleve work-
For encrustation enamelling it lS
sometimes desirable to prepare the
then cut with cutting pliers at convenient points; design in repousse. To do this well, as indeed 10
and the pieces thus made are carefully gummed to do any other part well, a very great amount 0
cardboard, so that they may not be injured or lost, practice is necessary.
When all the cutting is done and the pieces have The implements required consist of one or t"°
been bent accurately to the design, each cloison is chasers, some hammers, and a considerable number
soldered with silver solder
to the metal bowl. The
way to do this is some-
what complicated. The
bowl has first to be
cleaned with sulphuric
acid and water, and after-
wards thoroughly washed
in water. A lump of
calcined borax, moistened
with water, has now to
be rubbed upon a flat
piece of rough slate until
a thick paste is made;
into this paste dip that
edge of the wire which
is to touch the bowl,
and then lay it accu-
rately in its place upon
the surface of the metal.
Next cut up into minute
pieces some hard silver
solder, and lay them book-cover in repousse gold
on each side of the wire enriched with transparent enamel by Alexander fis
116