Another method is to tint white enamels by washing lightly with color. White enamels can also be applied over unfired colors or fired gold. If used over unfired lustre colors it will turn reddish. White enamel fires very well though, over fired lustres.
Flat enamels are produced in a slightly different way from the raised enamels. Mix the white enamels according to the directions given before—and add to it one-fifth of the color to be used and one-eighth of flux. This is then diluted with oil of lavender. Use sufficient to reduce it to a fluid state—and mix well, a square brush is the best for this work. Let the enamel flatten itself naturally. After this is fired the ground appears higher.
One firing is all that is needed for flat enamels.
When several flat enamels are to be applied to one article, the greatest of care should be taken to see that one color does not run over the other. They should be separated by heavy lines—and each one dried.
Peach blossom or ruby are used for pink enamel. Albert yellow for yellow, peacock or Russian green for green and blue green, or turquoise blue for blue. Some colors that cannot be produced are bought prepared ready for use.
Enamels should not be fired heavily. Add one-sixth of china cement to enamels and you have an excellent filling for cracks and nicks in china.
Glass enamels give better satisfaction when mixed with water rather than oil. Mixed in this way, the danger of chipping is reduced to a minimum. These enamels are made by mixing Matt colors with white enamel. Handled in this way the enamels seldom bubble.
