| dc.description.abstract | In this master thesis I investigate the possibilities and limitations of vitreous enamel on wrought iron. Despite widespread use in the industry today, vitreous enamels are almost not used at all in blacksmith works, as far as I know. The industry has different possibilities and constraints from those of the blacksmiths. With enamel as a supplementary material for steel, it opens new aesthetic possibilities for expression for artistic blacksmiths. The research and knowledge in the field is based on industrial premises. These premises differs between blacksmiths and industry, and to customize materials and methods, it needs further investigation. In this master's thesis I will investigate how the enamel and working methods work in a blacksmith perspective. The research is conducted by an experiment based study of how enamels from three different producers work on various steel types with different application methods and various pre-treatments of the steel. In a main study nine different types of steel are tested systematically, with focus on which combination of steel types, enamel types, application methods and pre-treatments provide a useful adhesion based on blacksmith premises. After a test-piece survey I apply the findings of the test-piece examination to test enamelling techniques on a full-scale object. The purpose of this is to see how enamelling techniques and enamel works when the entire process, to manufacture ironwork, is included. That way, all the factors are included to see how the materials and working method works in practice. | |
