"Jeff R" wrote in message
u...

"Jonathan_ATC" wrote in message
ink.net...

I am a metalsmith as a hobby. I have not worked much in enamel, so last
night at one of our get-togethers I asked some folks who work in enamel
for
a living.
Yes, you can suspend the coin in a kiln and heat it to the melting point
of
the enamel and it will just drip right off. Just wanted to clear that
up
because it was said that would not work. If it is epoxy resin, it will
just
burn off.

That was me who said that.
I am also a metalsmith, and I have sold my enamelled pieces, so I guess I
could claim professional status (though I usually don't.)

That's cool. I would like to work with enamel, but so far I just work in
silver. My forte is hollow beads about the size of a quarter and about 3/8
inch thick. They sell pretty good. They're nice pieces. I just got a
bunch back from a juried show in a local gallery. But, I would like to
enamel some of them.

I continue to question the "drip off" contention. I reckon that a lot of
enamel would remain within the devices of the coin - and that capillary
action would keep a fair bit on the flat bits.

I figure the same, but was told it would work by several folks last night.
It was just a hypothetical though, no one in the group had actually tried to
get enamel off a coin using the "drip off" method.

What do I base this on?

I have, in the past, enamelled dishes on both sides. Picture a small
copper
dish - say 3" diameter. Many times I have enamelled the base (the convex
side) then, by carefully suspending the dish above the kiln floor on sharp
ceramic spikes, have managed to enamel the inside, which is now
rightside-up.

I've seen dishes like this and wondered why the enamel on one side would not
drip off when doing the other side. I had surmised that the one side has a
higher melting temperature once fired than the second side has when fired.
Am I close?

None of the enamel on the base has ever "dripped" off, though some will
burn
off (over-fire) around the rim.

I still doubt that enamel will run and drip off the piece.
Maybe if you shake it vigorously - not an option within my litle kiln.

Yes, shaking it vigorously is not really an option. Hahaha!

I'd still go for the heat-and-quench option, as I said before.

That said, I was told that the better way was what was described here,
heat
it with a torch and quench it and the enamel will pop right off.

Yup.

BTW - either method would leave the poor coin in a sad and sorry state.
I agree with the earlier poster who suggested selling it and buying an
undamaged coin.

I agree. I don't know why the OP would want to get the enamel off unless it
was a really valuable coin once it was off. I have not had the chance to
examine an enamelled coin up close, especially one AFTER the enamel has been
removed. I would think the surface underneath would not be real nice.

Cheers.
--
Jeff R.

Best regards,

Jonathan_ATC

P.S. I, in no way, meant to state I was an expert in enamel.