Thompson Lead-Free Liquid Form Enamel 2 oz Ground Coat for Iron ELGC16.2

• Size : 2 oz. (56.7g)
• Brand : Thompson
• Weight : 0.125 lbs (0.057kg)

Liquid Form Enamels – Water Base

For spraying or dipping. Add water to thin if necessary. Can be mixed to create many colors. Ceramic pigments may be added to additionally create other colors. Will produce crackle effects when fired over low expansion enamels such as the crackle bases, 1006 White, 1020 White, 2008 Clear and 1997 Black.

Sold in dry form (4 oz, 8 oz, &  5 lb. jar); available in the drop down menu.

Liquid Form Enamel
This product is available in dry powder and pre-mixed liquid form. It contains a workable blend of glass, clay, and electrolytes. You need to add only water. Colors can be intermixed when in liquid form to create new shades of color.

Mixing Instructions for Dry Powder:
For small items a simple way to mix is to place a half teaspoon of powder into a plastic spoon. Using an eye dropper add drops of water until the mixture is the consistency of ‘milk’. Apply to copper with a brush. Always make sure the powder and water have been stirred right before application as the glass falls out of suspension in the water very quickly.

For larger quantities mix ¼ cup water to 5 oz. powder. To make a gallon of liquid, mix 14 lbs. of powder to 2 quarts of water. The water to powder ratio may be adjusted up or down if needed for your particular project. If the liquid dries out, you can grind it back smooth in a mortar pestle to re-constitute.

Tips for Using Liquid Form Enamel:
1. Before application, always mix well as the glass quickly falls out of suspension in the water.
2. The water content is extremely important to application firing result you get. Too little water and your result may look like cottage cheese. Too much water and the coating may fire dark with little color.
3. Colors can be intermixed when in liquid form to create new shades of color.
4. Left over liquid form enamel that dries out can be re-constituted and used again. Take dry material and place in a mortar and pestle to break down any dried clumps. Add water and use again.

Firing Instructions:
Make sure enamel product is completely dry before firing. For small pieces (less than 2” in diameter) fire at 1450 degrees F. for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. For larger items (up to 6” in diameter) fire at 1450 degrees F. for 2 to 3 minutes. For much larger work firing times and temperature should be determined for your specific project. Firing times and temperatures are meant as a guide only. You may need to adjust up or down for your own situation/equipment.

More information:
Expanded information on Liquid Form Enamel, spraying techniques and equipment, the crackle effect and more may be found in the Thompson Enamel Workbook (#TEP-001). Other enameling technical information may be found under ‘Enameling Help’.

*It should be noted that Thompson Enamel products are meant to be used for decoration purposes only. Thompson’s liquid enamel products are not meant to be used on food contact surfaces. Thompson Enamels are not formulated for impact or heat resistance.

Copyright Thompson Enamel 2019 All Rights Reserved

Liquid Form Enamel – Thompson Enamel

This product is available in dry powder and pre-mixed liquid form. It contains a workable blend of glass, clay and electrolytes.  You need to add only water.  Colors can be intermixed when in liquid form to create new shades of color.

The product line includes:  GC-16 Ground Coat for Steel (Opaque), BC-969A (Soft Fusing) Base Coat for Copper (Transparent), BC-303L (Medium Fusing) Base Coat for Copper (Transparent), BC 1070 (Translucent/Semi-Opaque) White Base Coat for Copper, 533 White (Highest Opacity White Opaque), (All Colors are Opaque) – 767 Peacock Blue, 769 Goldenrod Yellow, 770 Princeton Orange, 771 Flame Red, 772 Black, 774 Chocolate, 788 Cocoa Brown, Imperial Blue, 791 Hunter Green, 799 Sky Blue, 800 Petal Pink, 801 Hyacinth Lavender, 929 Chartreuse, 930 Chinese Red, 935 Robin Egg Blue, 936 Beige, 937 Coral, and 940 Mouse.

Liquid Form Enamel was developed so that the enamel can be applied to a metal base by spraying, dipping or pouring and in more recent times, applying with a brush.  These application methods (except for brush application) were necessary in industry to mass produce enameled objects such as stove parts, washing machine tubs, pots and pans, etc.   Liquid enamel’s formulation includes glass, clay and other mill additions which create a ‘set’ in the liquid enamel after it has been applied and begins to dry.

Enamel artists like Ed Winter in the 1940s and 1950s saw that these enamel products also had potential for use as an artist’s material.  They have been in Thompson Enamel’s catalog for many years. Following are a few ways these enamel products can be used.

How to Use Liquid Form Enamel

Torch Firing

In the last few years liquid enamels have become popular in conjunction with torch firing.   The 533, BC1070, BC969 and BC303L can produce different colors (different from the advertised color) when over-fired, or by adjusting the thickness of application, or firing for a longer time, due to taking into solution the metal’s oxides or salts during firing.  These results may vary depending on the base metal, application method, application thickness, firing time/temperature and the person using the product.  Thompson’s primary concern in manufacturing the liquid form enamels is for customers to obtain the colors described by the product’s name i.e. 533 White.  Thompson cannot control the colors you might obtain by overfiring, manipulation of application thickness, firing time, etc.  Those types of results are solely the responsibility of the customer.

Sgraffito and Transparent Enamel Application

Another method is to apply a liquid form enamel as the first coat (such as BC 303) to copper, then dry thoroughly and sgraffito (scratch through) the dried liquid enamel with a toothpick or wooden point down to the base copper.  When fired, the exposed base metal produces a dark line or dark area.  80 mesh transparent enamels can then be sifted overtop to add color and depth.

Crackle Effect

Liquid form enamels are best known by artists for what was considered a defect in the industrial use of the product – a crackle effect. This ‘defect’ ultimately became a ‘desired effect’. The ‘crackle effect’ resembles the branch-like patterns similar to a mud puddle that has dried up and scorched by the sun.  The ‘crackle effect’ is not to be confused with over-firing or ‘pull through’ which is something altogether different.

To achieve the crackle effect, a low expansion enamel base must first be applied on both sides of a copper base.  These ‘crackle bases’ include 2008 clear, 1006 white, 1020 white and 1997 black.  The 2008, 1006 and 1997 are not acid resistant so should not be put in pickle.  They can be applied by firing one side, then using sand paper to remove copper oxide from the other side, or simply enamel over the copper oxide.  Once a base has been applied to copper on both sides, the liquid form water base enamel is applied by painting, dipping, pouring or spraying.  To make a liquid for brush application from the liquid form enamel powder place a small amount of powder in a plastic spoon or other small container.  Add water using an eyedropper.  Mix the powder and water together.  The solution should be about the consistency of milk.  More water results in more cracking but smaller cracks.  Less water results in fewer but larger cracks. For large pieces such as a bowl, where the application method is spraying, dipping or pouring, a larger amount of liquid enamel is needed.  A good mix is 1/4 cup water to 5 oz. powder.

Stir the mixture immediately prior to application.  After the enamel has been applied and allowed to dry, the sgraffito technique (scratching through) may be employed.  Fire the piece for 2 to 3 minutes at 1450 degrees F.

Over-firing or Pull-Through Effect

An effect that is often mistakenly called crackle is over-firing and/or pull-through.  533 White is applied and fired as the first coat. Several layers of transparent enamels are applied over the 533 White.  A very hot and/or long firing considered over-firing will result in colors moving around, bubbling, flowing, and pushing one color up through another color resulting in dots or circles of colors bordered by other colors. These effects are most often random with little control involved other than what colors were chosen, how and where they were applied, and how hot and long of a firing. The results can be spectacular.

Coating Large Steel Panels by Spraying – Outdoor Sculpture and Signs

Larger works can be made from coating low carbon steel panels for sculpture, architectural panels and signs.  Most often a ground coat (GC-16) is applied as the first coat.  The ground coat adheres well to the steel and other enamels applied as subsequent coats adhere well to the ground coat.  Low carbon steel is required as other types of steel create too much fire scale for good adherence of the enamel.  Low carbon steel has a carbon content of .02% to .04%.  Thompson carries low carbon steel in various sizes.  Steel should be free of rust, grease or oil.  Grease and oil can be burned off at a low temperature and heavy rust removed with emery paper.  The entire surface of steel should be coated prior to the first fire.  Although enamel powder can be sifted on, it is easier to use liquid form enamel for the first coat.  Both sides can be coated by spraying or dipping and fired at the same time.  Subsequent coats can be applied with normal techniques used on copper, silver, etc.

Mixing Instructions for Dry Powder:

For small items a simple way to mix is to place a half teaspoon of powder into a plastic spoon.  Using an eye dropper add drops of water until the mixture is the consistency of ‘milk’. Apply to copper with a brush.  Always make sure the powder and water have been stirred right before application as the glass falls out of suspension in the water very quickly.

For larger quantities mix 1/4 cup water to 5 oz. powder.  To make a gallon of liquid, mix 14 lbs. of powder to 2 qts. of water.  The water to powder ratio may be adjusted up or down if needed for your particular project.  If the liquid dries out, you can grind it back smooth in a mortar and pestle to re-constitute.

Tips for Using Liquid Form Enamel

1. Before application, always mix well as the glass quickly falls out of suspension in the water.
2. The water content is extremely important to the application firing result you get. Too little water and your result may look like cottage cheese.  Too much water and the coating may fire dark with little color.
3. Colors can be intermixed when in liquid form to create new shades of color.
4. Left over liquid form enamel that dries out can be re-constituted and used again. Take dry material and place in a mortar and pestle to break down any dried clumps.  Add water and use again.

Firing Instructions:

Make sure enamel product is completely dry before firing.  For small pieces (less than 2” in diameter) fire at 1450 degrees F. for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes.  For larger items (up to 6” in diameter) fire at 1450 degrees F. for 2 to 3 minutes.  For much larger work firing times and temperature should be determined for your specific project.  Firing times and temperatures are meant as a guide only.  You may need to adjust up or down for your own situation/equipment.

Expanded information on Liquid Form Enamel, spraying techniques and equipment, the crackle effect and more may be found in the Thompson Enamel Workbook (Cat. # TEP-001).  Other enameling technical information may be found on Thompson’s website:  thompsonenamel.com under ‘Enameling Help’.

It should be noted that Thompson Enamel products are meant to be used for decoration purposes only.  Thompson’s liquid enamel products are not meant to be used on food contact surfaces.  Thompson Enamels are not formulated for impact or heat resistance.