Caerthe A&S 50 Team Member
Master Patrick of the QuietWood
Biograpy of the Artist:
Persona - Patrick of the QuietWood is a 10th century Celt.
A merchant trader that has traveled and heard of far off lands.
Portrayed by - Patrick Thompson is an under-employed R & D engineer that has helped develop analytic instruments for the aerospace industry.
50 Award Medallions for the Barony
By Patrick of the QuietWood
These 50 medallions were loosely based on some images I'd found in the book, "Enamels" from Cooper-Hewitt Museum, / Smithsonian Institution.
The Original Pieces: (images 17 & 18 in book)
"Medallions portraying the Virgin and St. John the Baptist as intercessors with Christ for the salvation of men's souls. These enamels exemplify the finest Byzantine gold cloisonné work: the expressions and gestures are conveyed with such economy of line that they might have been drawn freehand, belying the complexities of the processes involved. These and nine other medallions portraying busts of saints were part of a large icon of St. Gabriel, now no longer in existence, Russo-Byzantine, eleventh century 8.3 cm, (3 1/4 in.).
Metro-Politan Museum of Art, New York, gift of J. Pierpont Morgan"
The materials, size, and intended use of the 50 medallions are all SCA modern, also the method of production.
Artwork was pulled from SCA heraldic material on the Aspen and the Sable Lion of Caerthe.
To make 50 medallions, 25 of each: Sable Lion & Aspen. (Abbreviated):
Thin sheet brass was embossed with a die.
The brass sheet was then marked, and cut with scissors.
Tabs at the perimeter were bent over a wire ring.
Details were scribed into the brass.
Epoxy was mixed with color additives, and placed into recessed areas.
(Line work on Lion), was done by scribing the surface of the cured epoxy with a Dremel Tool ª. White Acrylic paint was put into the scribed lines. After drying, the excess paint was removed by scraping the surface with a fingernail.
Clear epoxy was used to cover and re-enforce the Medallion.
A hole was drilled and jump ring installed. The Jump ring was soldered closed.
After a final cleaning, a ribbon lanyard was attached.
Notes on Faux-Enamel / Cloisonné (How to Microsoft Document)
by Patrick of the QuietWood
phuddydud@Yahoo.com
Tempera, for opaque colors, (the basic Heraldic colors R-G-Blu-Vio-Blk, Yel-Wht),
(Standard clear, 2-ton epoxy mixed with the dry pigment.) The “Dustless Dry Tempera,” pigments work well, but tend to be lumpy and need to be dried and re-ground. (Grinding is done with a small mortar and pestle; drying done under a desk lamp with a 60 W incandescent bulb.)
The pigments are available at Hobby Lobby, Michaels, etc.
Dev-Con, 2 Ton epoxy can be found in most hardware places; (Ace, Lowes, Home Depot etc.),
(The best price seems to be Wal-Mart, ~$2 Pkg.)
I’d suggest not using the 5 minute stuff as a filled epoxy due to the short working time.
Mixing containers: The disposable dipping sauce containers from fast food places, or the plastic from various molded, “bubble-on-cardboard” packaging, can be used as mixing containers. You can also buy the small dipping cups at a restaurant supply company ~200ea for ~$5.
Mix slightly less epoxy that the volume you wish to fill, in a small lightweight container.
Then add an equivalent volume of the dry pigment, and mix until the dry material is completely absorbed, (the uncured mixture will be more like a slowly flowing paste than heavy syrup).
To remove air bubbles, (by using a sling):
A sling can be made from an old tuna can and three, ~32” lengths of sturdy cord. Pierce the can in three equally spaced places near the upper rim and tie one end of the cords into these. Bring the other ends of the cord together through a few large wooden beads to make a handle. Place the container with epoxy mixture in the can and spin the sling rapidly for about ~15 seconds, (Don’t bash anything!). A hot breath on the surface of the mixture will help get the small bubbles to pop.
Clean up with rubbing alcohol and paper towels.
Some folk can develop an allergic reaction to epoxy! I’ve found it convenient to cut standard paper towels into smaller pieces, (like six ea.) and use as many as needed for clean up.
Have the metal-work prepared and work quickly. Don’t try to mix a large batch for several projects at once, the working time will be shorter than would for an unfilled epoxy. Make sure void areas are filled by pushing material into them with a tooth-pick, needle, or other small tool. The mixture will slowly slump, and can flow over edges if the volume is overfilled or not kept flat. Warmer temperatures will shorten the setting time, but a full cure still takes many hours. (A few days is advised if the surface will later be sanded down and re-finished) A desk lamp with a 60 W incandescent bulb several inches above the work will speed things up, but avoid getting the work too warm, try to keep below ~125 degrees F.
Sanding to remove excess material is best done cool, (hand sanding; don’t use a power-sander,) finish with Fine, > 320 grit wet & dry (used wet), then 0000 steel wool, (used dry), and lastly buffed-out with (Turtle Car Wax or equivalent) to bring the surface back to a glossy finish.
Colors will be darker and more intense than dry material, (violet gets very dark).
More colors can be prepared by grinding colored chalk into fine powder. The side walk chalks sold at dollar stores is an inexpensive source. The white chalk that glows in the dark becomes gray when mixed with epoxy. The after-glow effect can be a pretty dramatic.
The mixture of epoxy and dry pigments works well as a backing material to fill and maintain the shape of repousse’ work presented metal side forward. Repousse’ pieces can also be cut free, and placed into the mixture before it has set for a combination effect. Let the piece settle slowly to make sure no trapped air is left under it leaving void areas.
Cloisonné cells (or pockets) are created by using barriers: Cut the thin sheet metal that is sold for repousse’ work into strips, (the width being the thickness of the enamel desired). These strips are flattened and straightened, then formed to outline the areas that will be filled.
(Fine wire can also be used to make the barrriers).
The barrier pieces are soldered or bonded into place before to adding the epoxy mixture.
Champleve’ technique, an alternate ways of preparing the recessed areas; to hammer in, gouge out, emboss the base, or by soldering together sheet metal pieces with cut outs.
Transparent colors can be produced by mixing epoxy with a little of the ink that is used in refillable felt tip markers (only a drop or two). The ink is sold separately.
Don’t make the mixture too dark. Use a light colored or reflective background to see the color. Small cells with brightly polished dividers & backing add to the reflected light.
Terms:
Enamel: a ground glass that is heat-fused onto a metal surface
Faux-Enamel: a substitute that simulates real enamel
Cloisonne’, ~Partitioned: borders of thin metal strips or wires forming cells
Basse-taille: shallow cut, chased or engraved beneath the enamel
Champleve’: hammered in or raised ridges form the cell pockets
Contre-email: or counter enameling: enameling the back side to prevent warp & cracking
Plique-a`-jour: a cell with no backing, “it lets light through”
Paillions: a precious metal, foil backing behind a translucent enamel
Filligree: twisted wire borders
en ronde bosse: on a rounded surface
Painted Enamels: Color variation without borders
Millefiori: Sticks of fused glass, patterned in cross-section
Niello: a black, metal-sulfide compound used in jewelry
Biograpy of the Artist:
