I have trained on enameling mostly on Champleve style enameling. I know of the concepts and processes of Cloisonne but I haven't done any of it in a meaningful capacity. This Oak Leaf is the second project that we have done with this method, and it turned out to be pretty incredible. Dame Emma asked for an enameled pendant for her new apprentice using her signature (pic below) which a stylized oak leaf with an attached 'E' at the stem. We decided that this design would lend itself really well to cloisonne because of all the lines of the oak leaf. We also wanted more cloisonne practice. As usual, [Baroness Sinn](https://www.op.atlantia.sca.org/op_ind.php?atlantian_id=7286) provided tremendous support throughout this project, in all aspects. The tedious bending of the oak leaf wire, applying the tremendous amount of enamel used, everything. She's done a lot of learning right along with me. ## Design ![[5k2rpnok.bmp]] The design itself is pretty straightforward. We used the following unleaded colors from Thompson Enamel: - 1240 Pine Yellow - 1360 Jungle Green ## Construction We started with a copper disk blank that was domed. The disk then had a thick layer of Undercoat White (1010) applied for the silver cloisonne wires to embed into. This layer can be sifted on top using an enamel sifter. Other enamel colors can be used as a base coat, but experimentation is required to make sure the glass won't 'bubble' up and affect other colors. > [!Important] > Placing silver cloisonne wires onto copper metal is potentially disastrous in this process. The silver will have a tendency to melt into the copper at kiln temperatures. See the [[Count Coronets#^ffec0b|Count Coronets]] page for a pic of that occurring. The safest option is to use copper cloisonne wire on top of the copper metal. > > That is why it's really important to have a thick base coat for the wires to sit on in this case. In our experience, sometimes even that isn't enough. Silver wire is gorgeous, so it's worth the risk in a lot of cases, but be careful! After the wires were bent into shape and laid on the metal, the disk is placed into the kiln to set them into place. We found that it helps to lay a weight on top of the disk when it is removed from the kiln just to ensure the wires were properly embedded. When the wires are set, enamel can be applied as normal, using our wet inlay technique ![[b3d2b54t.bmp]] Colors leaking underneath the wires can be seen there. Experience will help indicate how to alleviate that. Like all enameling, it looks a little nasty until the process is complete. Some colors come out of the kiln looking entirely different than expected: ![[mju02o5r.bmp]] That seems to happen regularly with reds and yellows especially. ## Progress Photos ![[rayz9izk.bmp]] ![[9p27whlo.bmp]] ![[cow8c3p6.bmp]] ## Finished! ![[evqruwgr.bmp]]