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Enamelling Equipment Bargains For Sale

Until we retired, some years ago, my wife Avril used to design, and make enamel jewellery. This was sold at high quality craft fairs, such as those held at Alexandra Palace, Woburn Abbey, and Sandringham, where she traded under the name of Enamelwise

For various reasons, after we moved to Somerset, she closed her enamelling business, and her equipment was put into storage.  Because of her current problems with arthritis in her hands, there is now no possibility that she can use the equipment again, so we have decided to sell it.

Hopefully, potential buyers will find the prices we are suggesting mean that, although second-hand, they will be getting real bargains for anything that they purchase.

It would really please us if the whole lot were purchased by someone providing courses for people to learn about enamelling.  However, we realise that it is more likely that any customers will be students from such courses. 

I found it quite difficult to work out reasonably fair prices, but have now included them for all items.  However, there may be room for discussion, and I can be contacted on the numbers below.   The total comes to £1,550, but if someone is rash enough to want to buy the whole lot, it could be had for £1,000 (no VAT), and if the buyer doesn't live at John O'Groats, I might even deliver everything myself at no charge.

01278 455 611        077 599 41524  






One of the few pictures we have of Avril at a craft fair.
Some shots of her work can be found at the bottom of my Patchwork & Enamelwise page.



(Larger versions of this picture, and all the others on this page can be viewed by clicking or tapping on them.   Use your Browser's 'Back' button to return to this page)


£400.00

EFCO 180KF KILN

230V    2,000W    50Hz
Muffle size, approx.
11 cm high
18  cm wide
23 cm deep

An industrial controller with thermocouple is offered free with this kiln, which although not precisely temperature calibrated will maintain a steady temperature of your choosing.   Besides enabling consistent firing results, it is also recommended that a controller is fitted to prevent overheating damage. 

(A brand-new version of this kin is currently priced at around £1,000.00)

This kiln has had quite a lot of use, and the floor of the muffle has been smoothed with refractory kiln cement.   Still working fine, but priced accordingly at

£250.00

EFCO 150KF KILN

230V    2,000W    50Hz
Muffle size, approx.
8 cm high
15 cm wide
20 cm deep

An industrial controller with thermocouple is offered free with this kiln, which although not precisely temperature calibrated will maintain a steady temperature of your choosing.   Besides enabling consistent firing results, it is also recommended that a controller is fitted to prevent overheating damage. 

(Can't find a UK price for a new version of this kiln)

Loading Meshes
£10 the lot

Trivets
£30 the lot

Loading Forks & Scrolling Tools
£30 the lot

Sieves, Tools & some blanks ready prepared for final design firings
Sieves and Tools £20, Prepared blanks £30.

Copper Blanks
The number of blanks in the adjacent picture is shown in blue on  each bag.
The bags are annotated where a shape is not obvious.
  There are also four horse blanks - which missed the photo'.

Using prices less than half those I could find on the 'net, the blanks are  roughly calculated as: small £3/10, medium £6/10 and large at £20/10 to give the prices in £'s shown in red

The overall total is  around £356 - offered at £330  for the lot!

Enamels

A large proportion of the enamels shown below are NOT lead-free. 
Avril used mainly leaded enamels for their clarity, brightness and transparency.
The bogey word 'Lead' when used with enamels has caused some groups, mainly involved with education and therefore children, to prohibit the use of anything other than lead-free enamels.
However, when I examined the Safety Sheets supplied with enamels, I could find virtually no difference between the precautions needed for each type.  Basically they were mainly concerned with the need for care when working with powders, to avoid accidental inhalation, and the washing of hands to avoid ingestion.
The finished lead enamelled objects are just as safe as the lead crystal wineglasses that adorn a smart dining table!     

Most of the jars contain powdered enamels, but there are also some with 'lumps' - which Avril used to create her unique designs, using a technique called 'swirling'.   This does not appear to be a difficult process to manage, until one realises that the background enamel, and all the complimentary coloured lumps carefully positioned by Avril before firing, ALL become red when melted in the kiln at around 900 degrees centigrade.   The ability to memorise and visualise what she wished to create from the all red surface - and to repeat it for a pair of earrings - was what made Avril so successful an enameller.

 

Enamels
Mainly Milton Bridge.
The weights written on the jars are the net weights of the contents

The current prices I could find for similar products were about £50 & £65 (inc VAT) for 500g of opaque and transparent enamel powders respectively.

Calculated selling prices based on the net weight
and our price of £20 for 500g of either type
are shown in red on each pot.

Total is around £378 - offered at  £350 for the lot!

Miscellaneous Enamels

Rather a 'Lucky Dip' in both cases, so offered at £50 for each lot.