148 
HlEramic studio 
out. The oil will go through or be absorbed by the silk. 
Do not use cloth or any thing but silk, to avoid lint. Do this 
before you add flux to the enamel, then divide as mentioned 
before into seven parts and add one of flux. 
If the enamel has hardened in the tube, open and scrape 
out with a knife and add a ver}^ little Dresden thick oil and 
turpentine to soften. It will be quite as satisfactory as the 
fresh enamel. 
Do not take out more enamel than you need because 
constant turning with the palette knife not only darkens it 
but seems to take the life out of it. 
If the enamel seems too "fat" or oily use alcohol in put- 
ting it on. Dip the end of the palette knife in your glass 
of alcohol, drop it off on the enamel and turn over once or 
twice, under no circumstances mix or grind it much. If just 
right, use turpentine and if too dry use lavender or tar oil, 
a little, and then turpentine. Remember that even if the 
enamel is too fat in the beginning, using alcohol dries it out 
rapidly and it may become necessary to use turpentine to 
finish the work. In enamel work as well as in paste work a 
great deal depends on how you take it on the brush. Have 
first a brush No. o or No. i., Red sable rigger with good 
"backbone" as described in October number of the "Studio" 
Let it be clean, dipping first in turpentine, touching on sharp 
edge of the turpentine glass to let surplus turpentine run off 
then twisting to a point on the paper beside you. Having 
the enamel just right scoop up with the point of the brush 
just enough so that it will hang from the point, and so that, 
when swinging it into scrolls, or dropping or landing as 
jewels, the enamel only, not the brush, will touch the china. 
In making jewels after the enamel has been landed, if 
right it will stand up a little and possibly with a little point 
on top. If so, dip brush into alcohol, twist to a point on pa- 
per till alcohol is absorbed and "touch it down" gently. 
If too much alcohol is used, after firing the jewel may look 
bubbly, may flatten or you may pick a hole in it. It is 
better to use alcohol than turpentine for this purpose as 
then the brush does not cleave to the enamel. 
For Persian designs in flat enamel use lavender oil in 
putting them on. 
In coloring enamel there are two good ways, either to 
mix color with it or wash a tint over it after firing. If your 
enamel is too heavily fluxed, too oily, or is used over a too 
hard glaze white china, in the second firing, particularly if 
the second firing is not so hard as the first, it is apt to chip. 
It will not chip on Belleek. If there is one thing which has 
been abused it is enamel work, if there is one thing which 
makes or mars the beauty of a piece, it is enamel. If there 
is any one thing which is salvation in time of trouble it is 
enamel. It has covered a multitude of sins and is most 
sinned against. 
Leaving out the question of taste, if you do enamel 
work make it lacy and fine and dainty. But it has been used 
so many times to cover defects in tint or design or in the 
china that one's first impulse on seeing a design of this kind 
is to look deeper for the reason. If 3^ou put enamel work on 
china be sure that it is in keeping with the style of decoration. 
For instance do not put enamel work of any kind on a piece 
decorated in imitation of Rookwood,no, not even jewels in the 
border. It is like putting chiffon ruffles on a directoire 
gown. If you find a little crack in a plate just before the 
last firing, manage to make a stem follow it and then adding 
a little "stem" color to the enamel, paint the stem over wnth 
the same. It will hold the crack together and usually make 
the china as good as new. If you find a crack in the bottom 
of vase or pitcher paint enamel over it flat using lavender oil 
and a square shader. It is not safe to put enamel ov^er un- 
fired color although if the color is dried brown in the oven 
it can be done with satisfactory results. 
For mending handles to cups or pitchers use aufsetzweiss 
to fire them together. It is better to let such pieces dry out 
naturally for some days before firing so that they may not 
slip in the kiln. The same thing applies to jewel work. If 
your china has a tint which has been highly fluxed or is heavy 
do not flux the enamel quite so much, it may chip. Over 
dusted color it is apt to do the same. Don 't put it on dishes 
which may have to be scraped by knives, forks or spoons, it 
is not durable. 
For stamens, as in wild clematis, for dots around the cen- 
ters of forget-me-nots or wild roses, for occasional and ver\' 
sparing touches on the tips of turn over petals on white flowers 
enamel is pretty and effective sometimes, but it is not used 
so much as formerly probably because it has been so much 
abused that we have grown tired of it. Don 't use it for high 
lights on grapes. Studyyourchina.itsuse, its form and style 
and make your design in keeping. Every line means some- 
thing either for usefulness, grace or dignity. Do not put on 
a refined and dignified Grecian vase what would be perfectly 
dear on a wee small button. Do not overload your china. 
Enamel is generally superfluous. Do not do as the German 
professor suggested when he ordered a set of buttons to send 
to his sister in the Fatherland : "make them all roses, and silver 
and gold and jewels, all on one .small button, purely Amer- 
ican !" Study the oldest forms and decorate with a purpose. 
The oldest were most simple. They have lived through many 
centuries and do not weary. Make your work mean some- 
thing. 
P. S. It is interesting to know that on the dark and 
heavily painted base of a punch bowl where the color had 
separated in firing, enamel mixed with dark shading green and 
painted on with a square shader entirely covered the defect 
and produced highly satisfactory results. 
000 
Third Prize — ^Sydney Scott Lewis, Georgetown, Ky. 
To properly handle enamels and obtain first class results, 
needs much experimenting and many failures perhaps. 
Nothing in the keramic line shows so quickly the lack of 
experience as poorly applied and under or over fired enamels. 
For flat enamel work for the beginner I would advise; ist. 
draw in carefully the design, outline and fire or outline in 
color (powdered) mixed with sugar and water (need not fire). 
If the design calls for enamels in many colors get out your 
colors just as for painting, greens, blues, yellows, rub 
down each one with just enough medium to hold the powder 
together. If tube colors no medium is required. Next rub 
down with very little lavender oil some flux and German Auf- 
setzweiss (separately) to have ready for use when either is 
needed. Next prepare a body enamel for the light colors- 
t Aufsetzweiss, j Hancocks' Hard Enamel, l flux. Mix 
together any of your prepared colors to get the desired shades 
then put in the body enamel using much or little as the tones 
require. If very light tone put very little color into some of 
the enamel, if darker tones use more color and less enamel. 
For dark shades of green or blue use Aufsetzweiss (only) I. 
The colors thus prepared with the enamel are now ready to be 
used just like ordinary painting colors, only they must be 
used thin, using, to make them wet and flow easily for floating 
on the enamel, enamel medium or lavender oil or a little of 
both ; use a red sable line No. o and No. i . If the color does 
not flow on the same thickness this vibration in color does not 
detract. But the surface covered by the enamel must be 
