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Just got through painting some small square float pieces with enamels(have never used them before) Mixed them with a a drop of medium and water to consistency. It looks grainy to me. Is this the way it's supposed to look? I wouldn't think It would give good coverage. I bought these in sample pkgs. so I don't know who made them. Reading information on a thread, said Ferro Sunshine enamel fires and looks like full fused flat glass. Does it look this way when painted on?

Kay wrote:Just got through painting some small square float pieces with enamels(have never used them before) Mixed them with a a drop of medium and water to consistency. It looks grainy to me. Is this the way it's supposed to look? I wouldn't think It would give good coverage. I bought these in sample pkgs. so I don't know who made them. Reading information on a thread, said Ferro Sunshine enamel fires and looks like full fused flat glass. Does it look this way when painted on?

Kay

Glass and china painting are ancient skills. Glass paint is like no other as you can see every grain of enamel when light is passed through the glass. This means that you have to apply the paint with this in mind.

I recommend reading "The Art of Painting on Glass" by Elskus. You can buy it through board sponsor Whitehouse Books. He doesn't deal much with enamels, but after learning the basic skills, I was able to adapt my knowledge to applying enamels.

I like to stipple the paint, It makes for a blotchy surface, but it is uniformly blotchy. Sponge stippling is nice. Screen printing is probably the most even application. A skillfull use of a badger blender can give you an even application. Spraying can be even, but this is a skill I have yet to master.

After learning the basics, you can come up with a technique and style that works for you.

Kay wrote:Just got through painting some small square float pieces with enamels(have never used them before) Mixed them with a a drop of medium and water to consistency. It looks grainy to me. Is this the way it's supposed to look? I wouldn't think It would give good coverage. I bought these in sample pkgs. so I don't know who made them. Reading information on a thread, said Ferro Sunshine enamel fires and looks like full fused flat glass. Does it look this way when painted on?

I bought some red and green opaque enamels and used them for christmas stuff last year. I was suprised that they weren't glossy when sprayed-on and fired to maturation temp. I called Reusche to check and verified that they were indeed glossy enamels. Eric the Reusche dude-who-knows said it probably would have to be sprayed very thickly to be glossy. But when I spray transparent enamels or traditional glass stainers paint, it gets glossy and generally doesn't look grainy. I'd be curious to know what type of enamels you've obtained, but it sounds like you don't know.

Will get the book next month Bert(have myself on a GLASS BUDGET smile) How are the Ferro Paints applied? Will be working with float for awhile, so next task is to learn a firing schedule for that also! WHOW! so much to learn! Immediate gratification? Afraid Not.

Kay wrote:Just got through painting some small square float pieces with enamels(have never used them before) Mixed them with a a drop of medium and water to consistency. It looks grainy to me. Is this the way it's supposed to look? I wouldn't think It would give good coverage. I bought these in sample pkgs. so I don't know who made them. Reading information on a thread, said Ferro Sunshine enamel fires and looks like full fused flat glass. Does it look this way when painted on?

Get a thick peice of glass

Make a clear thick peice of glass that U can hold round off the bottom edges but flat bace (the secret word 4 this is a muller)

Although the is the budget version

Use that 2 grind the enamel

An old bendy knife makes a good spatula

I've had success airbrushing Ferro Sunshine (Thanks Bert). I've used their glycol medium thinned with alcohol as well as gum arabic with water. Both spray well, dry hard and fire glossy. Here is a pic of Pepe, airbrushed on white Spectrum.

G'pa Jim

http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/i/silverc5/pepe.jpg

I am new to airbrushing with enamels but am getting quite good results using an airbrush over a template ... I took advice from a graphic artist who recomended many fine coats rather than one or two heavy ones. So I airbrush 5 or 6 coats, each with a very fine spray, letting them dry in between. The many coats build up to make a very even, smooth finish. I hold the airbrush quite far from the glass surface to avoid making thick and thin areas. I also avoid changing the direction of the spray while it is on the glass, in stead spraying all the way from one side of the glass to the other before changing direction. I also have a potters wheel and find that I get the most beautiful smooth finish by spinning the piece of glass on the potters while I am spraying it!

Hi Elaine, what brand of airbrush/compressor are you using? I've worked with enamels by hand, but would like to try airbrushing. Is there a special sized tip or anything? I know nothing about airbrushes. Where did you buy yours? Thanks! S

Thank you all for your responses. Sounds like air brushing might be the answer, just want to get some color on float. Also will be waiting on Bob's post on the book using float glass. Jim- Love Pepe!

G'ma Kay

Kay wrote:Thank you all for your responses. Sounds like air brushing might be the answer, just want to get some color on float. Also will be waiting on Bob's post on the book using float glass. Jim- Love Pepe!

G'ma Kay

Kay

I've been at it since 1981 and I'm just learning myself. I paint the Ferro enamels withWindsor Newton badger varnish brushes and fire to 1480 with a 10 minute soak. I have been playing around with lower temps and longer soaks, but sometimes the gloss is elusive.

I have been experimenting mixing pearlex with squeegee oil and essence turpentine and over spraying enamels painted with 1544 water mixable medium. I left home this morning with last nights experiments cooling. I won't be able to see until tuesday. Don't you hate that

Thanks again- you guys are so patient with this newbie. You share so freely.

Jim, what proportions are you using with glycol med. and alcohol and gum arabic with water? As long as we're coloring float, are mica's used in the same way?

Bert,
will be awaiting the outcome of your trials.
Kay

Bert Weiss wrote:

Kay wrote:Thank you all for your responses. Sounds like air brushing might be the answer, just want to get some color on float. Also will be waiting on Bob's post on the book using float glass. Jim- Love Pepe!

G'ma Kay

Kay

I've been at it since 1981 and I'm just learning myself. I paint the Ferro enamels withWindsor Newton badger varnish brushes and fire to 1480 with a 10 minute soak. I have been playing around with lower temps and longer soaks, but sometimes the gloss is elusive.

I have been experimenting mixing pearlex with squeegee oil and essence turpentine and over spraying enamels painted with 1544 water mixable medium. I left home this morning with last nights experiments cooling. I won't be able to see until tuesday. Don't you hate that

Yo Bert

In order 2 get a gloss

Heres a few things 2 consider

Say 150 f bellow current high temp creap up slowly at about 40 f or slower untill U get a gloss

Alternatively

Above aneal temps fire on full till gloss then crash cool

This method is 2 flash heat the top of glass

A kinda mixture is

Carry on with current method but

150 f bellow high temp fire fast till gloss

The fast fire methods rely on not openig kiln just using peep holes

Kay wrote:Thanks again- you guys are so patient with this newbie. You share so freely.

Jim, what proportions are you using with glycol med. and alcohol and gum arabic with water? As long as we're coloring float, are mica's used in the same way?

Bert,
will be awaiting the outcome of your trials.
Kay

I follow the directions given in the Elskus book. The glycol is mixed, on a glass with a palette knife to an even, thick paint then thinned with alcohol for spraying. The gum arabic is lightly dusted, dry, atop the paint powder, mixed and then watered to spray thinness.

How thin to make the paint depends on the airbrush and how you like to spray with it.

I took advantage of painting on white glass and used a light table to check on the coverage I was getting.

G;pa Jim

One of the reasons I like the Reusche line of paints despite the color limitations is that they are ground much finer that china paints. You won't have graininess with any of them, even the low fires. Because of that and the application techniques, it's possible to maintain a quite high level of transparency. This, of course, is important if you are doing fused work that requires transmitted light to be effective. It's probably unnecessary when painting bowls made of opalescent glass. Just depends on your objectives.

Good luck,

Dani
PS You might try grinding your paint with a glass muller and water to make it finer.