Hi Lena, thanks for contacting me. The gold is put on with gold size (vegan), after all the firing is done. This is gold leaf - as opposed to gold foil. Foil will survive in a kiln no problem but gold leaf won't - it is too thin and would burn off.

I had the same on my first piece, the guys in the club told me that sometimes colors burn. I guess it's because I wasn't paying much attention to the process so it may have stayed longer in the oven than needed. Also in the club I went they adjust the oven to 850°C. I made a flower of different color in each petal, the ones that went good were colors that I didn't combine, red, yellow, green, blue. But I tried making sub colours from primary colours 😂 and those ones look dark 😂 a red petal went good but another not so that's why I assume I also let it too long in the oven. And always put an enamel layer on the back for 1mm thick piece, that all I learnt after 😂. They told me that if you don't put that enamel layer on the back the colors in the front can crack, and indeed I also had a blue petal cracked on the front 😂😂

Hi Janet, you can use any kind of epoxy glue really - anything that won't get brittle over time.

Hi Ken, I only use Klyrfire for 3D pieces or things like bowls where otherwise the enamel would slide down with gravity. The other occasion where I use Klyrfire is if I am trying to fire the front and back of the piece at the same time: I use the very same enamel, sand the back, paint or preferably spray on the Klyrfire, sift on my enamel, wait until it is dry-ish, then turn it over and don't bother with Klyrfire, sift on your enamel to the front. Then you transfer your piece to your trivet and fire (when the Klyrfire is dry on the back). When you do this, 1. don't put on too much KFire because it will drip off along with the enamel and 2. don't put heaps of enamel on to the back because again, with gravity it will drop or drip off in the kiln and get all over the floor of the kiln.

Thanks Donita!

Happy new year and sorry for the late reply. I use rice water - which is basically starch - because it adheres the enamel powder to the copper very well. You might have noticed that when you put on liquid enamel and let it dry, and then try to do sgraffito with a toothpick for example, it can come off in slices/chunks...which you don't want. Using the starchy water to mix your enamel make is adhere much better and is then far easier to do the sgraffito technique. Also, when you are doing this technique obviously you need to have the liquid enamel dry first before scratching through it. My recommendation is not to have it bone dry - let's say you left it sitting on top of the kiln for an hour or so - it would be baked on. It chips more easily when it is that dry. So dry it but try to find the perfect dryness...not 100% but very close...

Hi Janet, I didn't use stilts for the eyes, for things that small I use ceramic fibre board cut up into small squares. So they aren't wobbling around. I cut the squares up to about 1.5 inches squared so that they are stable. If you get ceramic fibre board it usually comes in a 12x12 inch x 0.5 inch thick sheet that can be cut with a Stanley knife. But make sure to wear a mask while cutting it, it is bad for you to inhale...

Thanks Isa! Yes, flux is absolutely imperative - there are various fluxes, some for silver and gold, some specifically for copper and some will give a golden look so have a shop around. Even when I use leaded enamels I tend to use the Thompson fluxes which are unleaded - because they have a lovely colour. But do various tests on offcuts and then you'll be able to decide. Transparent enamels tend to like being fired at a slightly higher temperature than opaque enamels and the longer you fire them the more vibrant they tend to be.

Thanks Don and you're very welcome!

Good question: I wear a mask when using leaded enamels and work with an air purifier switched on. When they’re fired leaded enamels are no longer toxic but it is the very fine particles which can stay in the air after sifting that you need to be careful of. Also, I sit on a stool that is much higher than the work top so I’m always above the powder…and never use them in a living space like a kitchen or living room - you need a dedicated space like a shed. Otherwise it is simply a matter of being careful and always cleaning up properly with wet paper towels. Unleaded enamels should also be used with caution though - I wear a mask with them also because while they don’t have lead they do have all sorts of other chemicals that you don’t want to inhale

I always frame the pieces on mount board and then into a deep, glass-fronted box frame