Here's me on the right looking through the microscope watching master enameler Jean Genbrugge apply some blue enamel on a dial. He's been an enameler for 30 years. On the very left is Lucie Misselyn who is still learning enameling for 1.5 years, and both Jean and Lucie are from Belgium.
My hand are trembling! I'm not used to the hand coordination in conjunction with viewing through the microscope
It took me a little while to get used to the hand coordination, and it was a blast applying some blue enamel to the dial!
This is me here again! I'm glad I trimmed my fingernails for this picture couple days ago, and doesn't it look like I'm a natural enameler prodigy? My hands looks in perfect position as if I've been doing this for 30 years like Jean!
Each dial is baked in the oven 36 times at a temperature of 700-800 degrees Celcius, and the dial is in the oven each time for around 20-30 seconds. Jean and Lucie say they can make around 3 dials a month with 5 people on the team - 1 engraver, 1 polisher, and 3 enamelers. And each year, approximately 10 dials don't make it to the final baking.
See how small this paint brush is in relation to the penny coin?
This brush is even smaller! This one is used for the black tracing and font writing on the dial.
Here's a jar containing blue enamel which needs to be ground up and then mixed with some type of fluid (I forgot to ask if the mixed clear fluid was water or some special liquid).
Here are a couple more brushes.