For most enamel work, glass must be fired onto both the front and back. This balances the expansion coefficients of the glass and metal. Tension between the two materials always exists in finished enamels.
Counterenamel is often functional, not aesthetic, especially where it won’t be seen.
As you can see above, I have been working with different approaches to Counterenamel. I have 5 pounds of discontinued Thompson LF 500 Counterenamel, but it likes to flake off after the second or third firing. I. That case, I have to fire another coat of different Counterenamel.
I found the solution to the LF 500 problem. I set the kiln at 1700 degrees fahrenheit and fired the Counterenamel first. Once cool, I cleaned the oxides off the front in sodium bisulfite pickle solution and proceeded to complete my design.
In some cases, I use oxide patterns in the final design, but the LF500 does its job regardless. I’m looking forward to using this vintage enamel for many future artworks!
English