Where can I buy glass enamels?
by Paula
(Exeter, UK)
Great website! For my new stained glass projects I'm going to try my hand at glass enamels. I am using a LOT of plate glass (coe 82+-) and understand I need to buy enamel with the same COE. Where can I buy enamel with COE 82?
Milly's reply: The compatibility issue is a real one if you are using float. Float manufacturers aren't interested in us lot and our art glass! They just want to produce glass that tempers well. So... test everything is my mantra. And write everything down... I can guarantee you won't remember in two years' time when you want to use it again!
You don't say if you want transparent or opaque enamels, or whether you're fusing with it or only need low firing (up to 650 C)? The best for opaque are Ferro. They'll be compatible with float as they are very strong colours, and therefore don't need to be put on thickly. They fire at fusing temps, so will withstand hotter (820 C) conditions. If I'm fusing with low firing enamels, I often fire first at 550C, and then cap with clear to 'protect' the enamel.
Transparent colours. Heraeus H31 range is the best one I've tried, and I've had no trouble with incompatibility with float. Again, I don't use it thickly, as it can craze. I prefer to repeatedly fire the glass with thin layers of enamel to achieve the density of colour I need.
Thompsons enamels are different. They are simply ground coloured glass. They are problematic with float. Enamel colours are a mix of a base clear frit with metal oxides to determine the colour. These are what you need, not the powdered glass (Thompsons) type.
Good luck, I hope your enthusiasm continues!
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