The Purpose of Enameling

A clear, transparent piece of glassware may not have enough artistic flair. Artists in the Renaissance age came up with the idea of applying colored designs on an initially clear transparent product, giving rise to the process known as enameling. Dating back to the 1400s, in the city of Venice, enameled glass has been continuosly made by skilled artisans.

Choosing a Piece

The artisan starts with a piece of the product that he or she will decorate. Usually this will be a transparent, clear piece such that the enameling exerts maximal effect. First, the artisan obtains some colored vitreous material and crushes it. The artisan may also acquire materials that is precrushed very finely. The fineness is necessary as it is then mixed with water and gum arabic to produce a slurry paste. The paste will be applied as coloring to the glass.

Direct Painting

Next, the mixture is picked up with a fine brush and painted directly onto the clear glassware. In addition to the brush, a sharp stylus can be used to shape the enamel. At this point, the enamel must be allowed to dry for a bit before it is placed in a kiln. The kiln is an oven at very high temperatures that sets the enamel, giving it a shiny sheen to the surface of the decorations. To further the process, the decorated glassware is then picked up with a glassware tool known as a punty. The punty is tipped with a tiny bit of softened glass that allows it to stick to the glassware. Using the punty, the glassware is repeatedly placed in the furnace to soften it. As the wall softens, the enamel will fire. That is, it catches fire.

More Shaping

The piece can be taken back to the bench and then shaped further as desired. The dots of applied enamel can be stretched by shaping with the jacks if they are near the rim, whereas the dots nearer the base remain round as originally applied.~