Thompson… mixture… “Counter Camo”
Maybe a cop out for Day 15, but I have had requests before to see the counter enamel as a dial.
Anytime there’s extra enamel that may have some contamination I put it into a counter enamel jar. Over time it takes on a color of its own.
Funny enough for this mixture, I don’t think there’s any green. Gotta love how color theory works! (Yellow and blue are definitely in there)
Thompson Enamel 1211 “Candy Yellow”
Another dang speck! Might have to change the name of my page to the “war against dust”
Thompson Enamel 1605 “Isle Blue”
All it takes is one darn speck to ruin a good thing!
There are so many shades of blue for enamel. Once I go through a couple more I will have to post some side by sides.
Thompson Enamel 1890 “Victoria Red”
Red on copper is an exceptionally hard color to crack on copper blanks. Unfortunately this one is a failure with all the spots on it. Still trying to solve it.
It may need to be a color that’s reserved for silver blanks.
Bonus picture at the end of what an under fired dial looks like. It’s called “orange peel” when it is under fired like this.
Thompson Enamel 1505 “Pastel Blue”
Fume blend of Thompson Enamel 1820 “Goldenrod Yellow” and 1830 “Marigold Yellow”
Every 5 days my goal is to do something more than just an opaque. Tonight I tried to do a fume blend of 2 yellows.
Fume is typically done through a variation in depth of the metal underneath transparent enamels… here I am using two opaques… the results were, well, meh to me. Fairly hard to get the fume even using a sifter. I didn’t have time to try with a wet pack. Will likely revisit at some point.
Thompson Enamel 1720 “Mauve Purple”
Thompson Enamel 1820 “Goldenrod Yellow”
Sometimes life happens and in this case I was without power for over 24 hrs and had a sick kid to care for… I think those are reasonable enough to give myself a break on missing yesterday.
I really struggled with this yellow. I think the kiln may have been a too hot. I’ve been experimenting with the amount of enamel I sift on each layer. The last image is a failure dial where there just wasn’t quite enough, plus the kiln was too hot. The black isnt just oxidation, I think some of the enamel was burnt as well.
The purple came out clean though!
Thompson Enamel 1308 “Lichen Green”
This color gives me the most pistachio green vibes that a lot of brands are doing now a days.
This one came out real smooth. I think this is one I definitely want to make a full on production dial with after the challenge.
Thompson Enamel 1620 “Daphne Blue”
I absolutely mangled this dial when I went to grab it with the pliers. I have been struggling with the dials sticking to the trivet.
Still a good turnout aside from the plier mark. If I put a logo there it would probably cover it up.
Thompson Transparent Enamel 2660 “Nitric Blue”
Day 5 of the 30-Day Challenge
This is my first time trying out transparent and I wanted to do something a bit more fun for day 5. I carved sunburst lines into a blank and then did the transparent enamel over it.
I’ve still got a lot to learn when it comes to transparent enamels, but it still came out okay
This is two layers over copper. The copper usually doesn’t do well under transparents because of the whole oxidation issue, I think that’s why this is so dark.
Also I think there’s a fair amount of bubbles in it maybe? And that’s what look like the “specks” ? I’m not really sure.
I think I like the opaques a bit better since I’m dealing with copper.
Once I can get some silver then I’ll have to do a deeper dive on transparent enamel
Thompson Enamel 1830 “Marigold Yellow”
Day 4 of the 30-Day Challenge
Unfortunately I have to throw this one in the bucket of shame. This is a definite failure. When I went to pull it after the first fire I dropped the firing mesh and it dented the dial.
Definitely a scary moment with the kiln door open and red hot metal falling. I am okay though! Reminder to always take your time and be patient. Kiln safety has to always be priority number 1.
Thompson Enamel 1850 “Pumpkin Orange”
I really love this orange - hard color to track down. I actually made this one at the carpenter center where they had some there, but none available for sale.
Thompson Enamel 1760 “Iris purple”
Thompson Enamel 1380 “Mistletoe Green”
Today starts the 30-Day challenge where I’m going to try and enamel 30 dials in 30 days!
Hey everyone!
Today kicks off my 30-Day challenge where I aim to enamel 30 dials in 30 days. At the end of the challenge I plan on giving away a dial for free!
If you are interested in winning the free watch, or following along to see the dials each day, check out my Substack!
(Mods sorry if this breaks personal promotion rule, if it does please remove!)
Thanks!
Hey everyone!
Been a little while since I’ve posted! This article I talk about my process for making blanks before enameling.
Also!
Exciting news. I’m starting a 30-Day challenge where I try and enamel a new dial every day for 30 Days.
During this challenge anyone can join and participate to try and create their own enamel dial by the end.
If you have never enameled before or are experienced, all are welcome to participate! More details to come in the next week or two before it starts!
Thanks,
Patrick
Over the last year I have been teaching myself how to enamel watch dials. The dial pictured above is the first one I was able to get into a case. I still have a long way to go, but I have really enjoyed learning this new skill.
My most recent project has been trying to get more professional looking pictures. The enamel dial adds another layer of complexity when photographing. I think this one turned out great though!
Next I need to try and start learning how to pad print onto them… that’ll be fun… 😅
What are your thoughts on enamel dials?
It can be really challenging to convey how beautiful enamel dials are through pictures.
Here is one of my prototypes in a couple of ‘scenes’ I set up to try my best to capture the beauty.
I am still using my phone to photograph them. I am hoping to get a nicer camera soon.
Keep in mind these are prototypes! I’m not launching my kickstarter anytime soon :) still a long ways to go before that happens. (Like I should probably figure out how to get an hour hand on these things…)
Anyways, let me know your thoughts!
Hello all!
This week I tried my hand at my first ever cloisonné dial. Man it is really hard to get the wires at that scale to hold the shape that you want.
I used a combination of 3d printed forms and a metric F ton of elbow grease (maybe knuckle grease) to manually bend them all to the desired shape.
Here are some progress pictures from different parts of the build.
Next on the to do list is to get the wires secured to a dial and enamel them!
Hello!
I was able to get a couple of enamel dials into a case this last week. So far I have been progressing well and feel like I am getting closer and closer to a production level dial. My next goal is to experiment with tons of different colors.
Thoughts on these two dials? What about the mixture dial?
(Full write up on my Substack if you are interested in reading more about the process)
Thanks!