I converted a simple, used garage sale table into my “enameling station.” I cover the tabletop with fresh, white butcher paper (you can buy it in rolls at a restaurant supply or bulk food store) every time I work. Here’s a list of the tools I keep in my enamel kit:
1. Particulate dust mask— critically important
2. Apron
3. Enamels—I only use unleaded enamels
4. Enamel storage jars
5. Solution for holding enamel to metal—oil or water base
6. Distilled water
7. Mesh strainers
8. Dental tools
9. Sable brushes for enamel only
10. Sable brush for holding solution only
11. Stilts and mesh stands
12. Firing fork or spatula
13. Furnace floor shelf
14. Furnace/kiln9
I learned this trick from some lampworkers I know. Since I use a small “trinket kiln” to fire my enamel pieces, I set it up on my stainless steel soldering station on a sheet of Hardibacker board from the Home Depot. This light gray solid cement backer board is commonly used behind ceramic tile, but it is extremely fire resistant and relatively inexpensive. It comes in 3' x 5' sheets for about $10 to $15, and you can cover a large soldering area with it. I still anneal in an annealing pan, and solder on a firebrick, but the Hardibacker is an extra measure of heat protection. I’ve never had an overheating problem anywhere in the studio since I started using it. When it gets really gross, I replace it with a fresh sheet.
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