Enamelling Copper Bowls with Cathy Timbrell

Course Aims

Students with use sifted enamels on copper bowls that have a fine layer of adhesive applied. Some bowls may be high-fired at 950oC and others lower fired at 850oC to show the difference in interactions.
Sgraffito and overlaying of enamels can be tried as well how to clean up bowls for presentation.
Firing only takes 1-4 minutes.

Experience level required:

• Appropriate for beginners and intermediate. Patience is required, but the techniques are basic.

I am a biochemist by training but have always made jewellery in silver and gold often using set stones and textured silver. I began enamelling silver jewellery many years ago after attending West Dean College with Joan Mackerel. Enamelling copper bowls and making enamelled copper inlay jewellery is a more recent activity but one I have found compliments and informs my other work. It is much more unpredictable and experimental, frustrating at times and always surprising and fun!

I hope students will be able to enamel at least two copper bowls/dishes that I will provide and any additional enamelled pieces they or JASSO have and that they would like to try.
Students should also take away an understanding of how enamels interact with copper, copper oxides and each other as well as the way the shape of the bowl, temperature and enamel thickness influences enamel behaviour

Equipment

• Mask, any small sieves, enamels that students would like to try and any small copper vessels. A tool to sgraffito enamels and fine and course diagrit to clean up bowls – but only if students have these.
• If students have gold or silver foil for enamelling or gold leaf, they can be fun to try
• Anything that could act as a stencil
• Card and scalpels for cutting shapes
• Fine mounted needles for sgrafitto

Students will be able to purchase copper bowls, two or more per student, spray bottles and some enamels. £25/student

Tutor will bring:

• Spray bottles to apply adhesive – which I will bring,
• copper bowls
• a few enamels
• Sgrafitto tools

Students could purchase or bring their own enamels, I find leaded and unleaded don’t mix well on bowls, but the insides and outsides could be treated differently.

Also, additional bowls could be purchased from https://www.copperbowls.co.uk/ but they must fit into the JASSO kilns on a wire mesh support on a kiln shelf.

I usually buy my enamels from https://vitrumsignum.com/home/

How course will be taught:

Show examples and explain how the different bowls were enamelled – perhaps 10
Talk through the different techniques
Short handout
Demonstrate the method and order of sifting
Students have a go at initial sifting checking in to begin with as they do it
No projector