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How is opaque enamel made from clear flux?
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Enamelwork
Standing dish depicting Samson crushing the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, enamel on copper by Pierre Courteys, c. 1580; in the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio. Height 9.8 cm, diameter 22.9 cm.
To create opaque enamel from clear flux, craftsmen add a substance known as calx, which is a mixture of calcined tin and lead. This addition transforms translucent enamel into an opaque state.1
Additionally, white enamel is specifically produced by incorporating stannic and arsenious acids into the flux. The density and degree of opacity in the resulting enamel are determined by the specific quantity of these acids added to the mixture.1