Joan Bolton King

Washing Them

This needs to be done meticulously if they are to capture the full magic of their potential clarity. The principal is the same as for opaque enamel, that is to remove the fine dusty particles, but maximum transparency is achieved when the grains are also ground to an even size with a pestle and mortar. Fortunately, most manufacturers supply well prepared powdered enamel so washing is usually sufficient at this stage.

Fluxes and pastel shades require the greatest care and it is advisable to give a flux up to 6 rinses after the water appears to clear. Also, if the final washings are done with purified water, it removes the chemicals found in much of our domestic tap water. One other point to remember is that it is best to use the enamel as soon as it has been washed and never to let it stand in water overnight - unused quantities, too little to be worth saving, can be dried and added to a pot kept for accumulating odds and ends for counter enamel.

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