Painting with Reusche enamels

[Greg Hall]

I did a test with Reusche enamels. Firing temp 1050-1080 F. The enamels shrunk and cracked. I haven't used Reusche enamels before. I didn't allow them to dry first. Is that necessary? Did the water-based medium boil away and create the shrinkage? Or is there another factor? Is there an ideal consistency when mixing powder to medium?

[Bert Weiss]

I did a test with Reusche enamels. Firing temp 1050-1080 F. The enamels shrunk and cracked. I haven't used Reusche enamels before. I didn't allow them to dry first. Is that necessary? Did the water-based medium boil away and create the shrinkage? Or is there another factor? Is there an ideal consistency when mixing powder to medium?

You applied them too thickly. Possibly, if you mixed them with plain water, the water could have boiled up in the drying process. A thin application would not do that. Using any water friendly medium, technically called a water miscible medium will not boil because the medium raises the boiling point such that it will dry before it boils.

You want the paint to feel like paint, not a paste, and not a watery wash. The book to get for this technique is The Art of Painting on Glass by Albinus Elskus. http://www.albinaselskus.com

[Greg Hall]

Thank you. I used the Reusche water-based medium but mixed it very thick. I'll thin it some and make a new test. Thanks for the tip on the book, too.

[Don Burt]

Kathy Jordan and Melissa Janda are teaching a glass painting course within a few hours drive from you next spring.
http://www.willethauser.com/glass-painting-intensive

Kathy uses the Reusche Water Friendly Medium for a lot of her line work and expressive brushwork. I haven't seen her use it for enamels.
But she knows her way around that medium and is a master at the traditional stained glass painting techniques as well.

I haven't studied with Melissa, but if Kathy advocates her, its saying something.