I am an airbrush artist and new to glass. I just received my "Samba" series of Ferro paints and was sent a lot of safety info, but basically NO "how to" info.
They sent me the following:
1650 Flux
683 Med.
380 Med.
1544 Med.
Can anyone tell me the basic difference in the characteristics for use of these three mediums. Do any of them dry hard or do they all dry to a basic soft powder before firing?
Do I blend the flux with the paint or spray it on the glass surface before I airbrush the image?
If I mix it with the paint...in what proportions?
Do I mix water with the mediums to run it through an airbrush? If so, is there a max. proportion of water than can be added?
I would appreciate any info. that you can pass on as I am completely in the dark!!!
Thanks!
Ferro "Samba" basics?
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Cathy Crain
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The Hobbyist
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Cathy Crain
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Cathy Crain
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The Hobbyist
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Cathy, Ask Bert about the flux. I believe he uses it or some other flux to fire his paints once before he encloses them in a fused piece.
I use denatured alcohol to spray to thin and airbrush. I get it by the gallon at Home Depot. However, I have stopped using it for my final cleaning before I fuse. I think the additive(s) leaves a scum. I now use isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol from Walgreen's. It has some water and may not work well for airbrushing but is working fine as my cleaner.
Jim
I use denatured alcohol to spray to thin and airbrush. I get it by the gallon at Home Depot. However, I have stopped using it for my final cleaning before I fuse. I think the additive(s) leaves a scum. I now use isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol from Walgreen's. It has some water and may not work well for airbrushing but is working fine as my cleaner.
Jim
"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion. " Steven Weinberg
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Cathy Crain
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Jim,
I really appreciate your input because I am completely in the dark about this kind of "paint".
If I understand you correctly, you just mix the medium with the powder...no flux used at any time.
"Pepe" is just great (makes me smile). When you painted him did you have to fire him for each color, or does the paint dry hard enough that you can lay a stencil on top and add additional colors, line work etc. before you fire?
I currently have a line of exclusive hand painted clothing etc. that I want to use my same images on ceramics and glass. ( If you want to take a peak http://www.craindesign.com )
They all use several base colors that are airbrushed then I use line work on top. So far every enamel that I have experimented with dries too fragile to overlay any additional stencil (mine do not have any 'sticky' backing) or to do line work on top of.
Also, regarding "fire hazards". I have only used acrylic based textile paints (for more years than I want to admit) and am not aware of how volitile the mediums are. My large painting tables are in the same room as the central heating furnace (nat gas) for our studio (about 15' from the table). We are in the process of building a spray booth to use with these paints. Do you think the heater will be a problem? That may be a stupid question, but better safe than sorry.
Thanks again for you help.
Cathy
I really appreciate your input because I am completely in the dark about this kind of "paint".
If I understand you correctly, you just mix the medium with the powder...no flux used at any time.
"Pepe" is just great (makes me smile). When you painted him did you have to fire him for each color, or does the paint dry hard enough that you can lay a stencil on top and add additional colors, line work etc. before you fire?
I currently have a line of exclusive hand painted clothing etc. that I want to use my same images on ceramics and glass. ( If you want to take a peak http://www.craindesign.com )
They all use several base colors that are airbrushed then I use line work on top. So far every enamel that I have experimented with dries too fragile to overlay any additional stencil (mine do not have any 'sticky' backing) or to do line work on top of.
Also, regarding "fire hazards". I have only used acrylic based textile paints (for more years than I want to admit) and am not aware of how volitile the mediums are. My large painting tables are in the same room as the central heating furnace (nat gas) for our studio (about 15' from the table). We are in the process of building a spray booth to use with these paints. Do you think the heater will be a problem? That may be a stupid question, but better safe than sorry.
Thanks again for you help.
Cathy
i use a 50:50 mix of klyrfire and isopropol when spraying micas with my airbrush. it dries very quickly.Jim Wolverton wrote:Cathy, Ask Bert about the flux. I believe he uses it or some other flux to fire his paints once before he encloses them in a fused piece.
I use denatured alcohol to spray to thin and airbrush. I get it by the gallon at Home Depot. However, I have stopped using it for my final cleaning before I fuse. I think the additive(s) leaves a scum. I now use isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol from Walgreen's. It has some water and may not work well for airbrushing but is working fine as my cleaner.
Jim
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The Hobbyist
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Charlie, me too. Klyrfire is a great medium for mica and I like spraying with alcohol because it dries so fast. I'm too impatient for water based mediums. Will the klyrfire work with Ferro?
Cathy, I can't really advise you regarding fire hazard. I sprayed lacquer based model paints for years in the furnace room in Denver. I had a very small vent fan taking the fumes out because of the smell mainly. Never had a fire or explosion. Maybe I was lucky. Now, in Miami, I spray in front of an open double garage door and a large fan in front of me blowing out. I doubt if I can get better ventilation.
Pepe was done in one firing. I cut the stencil directly on the glass using a scalpel and frisket (resist). The red areas were sprayed first using a gum arabic medium. When dried I covered them with frisket, which is very low tack, and sprayed the black (683 medium). Peeled off the stencil and fired to full fuse.
The best authority on painting, and where I learned everything I know (not much), is the book by Albinus Elskus. He discusses mixing paints with various mediums including clove oil, my favorite.
To make paint, I put a teaspoon of paint powder on a square of float glass that has been roughed up to give it some "tooth". (A frosted circle is great if you have access to a sand blaster.) Then I put a 1/2 teaspoon of 683 on it and start mixing with a palette knife. Keep adding small amounts of 683 until you get a nice smooth "paint". I then use the knife to transfer it to a small airbrush bottle. If it is allowed to "rest" a few hours it seem to get smoother but I don't usually have time. Then I thin the paint with alcohol to airbrush consistency.
If you want to avoid the volatility of alcohol use can do the same procedure with a water based medium. But water based doesn't spray as well for me. Maybe it's because of the humidity here in the swamps.
Elskus discusses using gum arabic with water. It works very well but you have to find the powdered form of GA. If you do, he suggests that you lightly dust the surface of the pile of paint powder on your palette with GA to resemble frost. Mix the powder and GA dry and then add water. I have used this, as with Pepe, and it works. I'm amazed at how tough the GA paint is when dry and it has extremely good adhesion.
If you're going to be overpainting as you do with your fabrics, which are very nice BTW, you might want to go with GA. And then use an alcohol based medium for the brush work/highlights.
There are no certainties here, just try some and see what happens. Take notes and adjust until you get what works for you.
Let us know how it works out or return with more questions.
Jim
Cathy, I can't really advise you regarding fire hazard. I sprayed lacquer based model paints for years in the furnace room in Denver. I had a very small vent fan taking the fumes out because of the smell mainly. Never had a fire or explosion. Maybe I was lucky. Now, in Miami, I spray in front of an open double garage door and a large fan in front of me blowing out. I doubt if I can get better ventilation.
Pepe was done in one firing. I cut the stencil directly on the glass using a scalpel and frisket (resist). The red areas were sprayed first using a gum arabic medium. When dried I covered them with frisket, which is very low tack, and sprayed the black (683 medium). Peeled off the stencil and fired to full fuse.
The best authority on painting, and where I learned everything I know (not much), is the book by Albinus Elskus. He discusses mixing paints with various mediums including clove oil, my favorite.
To make paint, I put a teaspoon of paint powder on a square of float glass that has been roughed up to give it some "tooth". (A frosted circle is great if you have access to a sand blaster.) Then I put a 1/2 teaspoon of 683 on it and start mixing with a palette knife. Keep adding small amounts of 683 until you get a nice smooth "paint". I then use the knife to transfer it to a small airbrush bottle. If it is allowed to "rest" a few hours it seem to get smoother but I don't usually have time. Then I thin the paint with alcohol to airbrush consistency.
If you want to avoid the volatility of alcohol use can do the same procedure with a water based medium. But water based doesn't spray as well for me. Maybe it's because of the humidity here in the swamps.
Elskus discusses using gum arabic with water. It works very well but you have to find the powdered form of GA. If you do, he suggests that you lightly dust the surface of the pile of paint powder on your palette with GA to resemble frost. Mix the powder and GA dry and then add water. I have used this, as with Pepe, and it works. I'm amazed at how tough the GA paint is when dry and it has extremely good adhesion.
If you're going to be overpainting as you do with your fabrics, which are very nice BTW, you might want to go with GA. And then use an alcohol based medium for the brush work/highlights.
There are no certainties here, just try some and see what happens. Take notes and adjust until you get what works for you.
Let us know how it works out or return with more questions.
Jim
"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion. " Steven Weinberg
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Bert Weiss
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Re: Ferro "Samba" basics?
CathyCathy Crain wrote:I am an airbrush artist and new to glass. I just received my "Samba" series of Ferro paints and was sent a lot of safety info, but basically NO "how to" info.
They sent me the following:
1650 Flux
683 Med.
380 Med.
1544 Med.
Can anyone tell me the basic difference in the characteristics for use of these three mediums. Do any of them dry hard or do they all dry to a basic soft powder before firing?
Do I blend the flux with the paint or spray it on the glass surface before I airbrush the image?
If I mix it with the paint...in what proportions?
Do I mix water with the mediums to run it through an airbrush? If so, is there a max. proportion of water than can be added?
I would appreciate any info. that you can pass on as I am completely in the dark!!!
Thanks!
Flux is clear enamel.
The medium I use is 1544. I like it because it is very slow to dry (a couple of months). This gives me a longer working time. It can be fired wet, no problem. It is also less expensive than the European mediums they carry, as it is made in the US.
I am not directly familiar with the other numbers you list, maybe they are part of the whole number?
Any of the water mediums can be thinned with water and sprayed. they also have spray mediums. I just got a sample of one that I am having shipped to my class in Hillsboro Oregon in a couple of weeks. I am away from home now, so I don't know the number. The spray medium I got is very thick, so it is essentially a binder that is thinned with water.
Klyr Fire is essentially a thin fast drying water miscable medium. The 1544 is a thick slow drying water miscable medium. The 1544 is much more versatile because it can be used as is for screen printing, thinned a little for hand painting or thinned more for spraying.
Klyr fire is fine for a fast drying spray medium.
I am teaching painting on glass for painters The first week in Feb at The Groth's in Hillsboro Oregon. Last I heard the class was nearly full, but there might be a space left. Info should be in the classifieds or Email me if it is gone.
Bert
Bert Weiss Art Glass*
http://www.customartglass.com
Furniture Lighting Sculpture Tableware
Architectural Commissions
Bert Weiss Art Glass*
http://www.customartglass.com
Furniture Lighting Sculpture Tableware
Architectural Commissions
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Cathy Crain
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2003 11:54 pm
- Location: Fort Worth, TX
- Contact:
THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!
That is exactly the type of info I needed and I plan to start experimenting tonight.
I know you all have heard it before, but this site is worth it's weight in gold. I have been working in fashion for so long where everyone is soooo tight lipped & won't share anything...not even vendor info. This is very refreshing.
Thanks again.
Bert....I would love to be in the class but I will be at various markets the first three weeks in Feb. I hope to catch some classes at a later date.
Cathy
That is exactly the type of info I needed and I plan to start experimenting tonight.
I know you all have heard it before, but this site is worth it's weight in gold. I have been working in fashion for so long where everyone is soooo tight lipped & won't share anything...not even vendor info. This is very refreshing.
Thanks again.
Bert....I would love to be in the class but I will be at various markets the first three weeks in Feb. I hope to catch some classes at a later date.
Cathy