Editing Vitreous enamel (section)

{{short description|Material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing}}
[[File:0 Reliquaire grandmontain - MR 2648 - Louvre (1).JPG|thumb|[[Gothic art|Gothic]] [[chasse (casket)|châsse]]; 1185–1200; champlevé enamel over copper gilded; height: {{cvt|17.7|cm|in}}, width: {{cvt|17.4|cm|in}}, depth: {{cvt|10.1|cm|in}}]]

'''Vitreous enamel''', also called '''porcelain enamel''', is a material made by [[melting|fusing]] powdered [[glass]] to a substrate by firing, usually between {{cvt|750|and|850|C|F}}. The powder melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth, durable [[vitrification|vitreous]] coating. The word ''vitreous'' comes from the Latin {{wikt-lang|la|vitreus}}, meaning "glassy".

Enamel can be used on [[metal]], [[enamelled glass|glass]], [[overglaze decoration|ceramics]], stone, or any material that will withstand the fusing temperature. In technical terms fired enamelware is an integrated layered composite of glass and another material (or more glass).  The term "enamel" is most often restricted to work on metal, which is the subject of this article.  Essentially the same technique used with other bases is known by different terms: on glass as ''[[enamelled glass]]'', or "painted glass", and on pottery it is called ''[[overglaze decoration]]'', "overglaze enamels" or "enamelling".  The craft is called "'''enamelling'''", the artists "enamellers" and the objects produced can be called "enamels".
[[File:明早期 掐絲琺瑯菱花口碟-Dish with scalloped rim MET DT7072 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Chinese art|Chinese]] dish with scalloped rim, from the [[Ming dynasty]]; early 15th century; [[cloisonné]] enamel; height: 2.5 cm, diameter: 15.2 cm]]

Enamelling is an old and widely adopted technology, for most of its history mainly used in [[jewellery]] and [[decorative art]]. Since the 18th century, enamels have also been applied to many metal consumer objects, such as some [[Cast-iron cookware#Enameled cast iron|cooking vessels]], steel sinks, and [[cast-iron]] bathtubs.  It has also been used on some [[Major appliance|appliances]], such as [[dishwasher]]s, [[laundry machine]]s, and [[refrigerator]]s, and on marker boards and [[enamel sign|signage]].

The term "enamel" has also sometimes been applied to industrial materials other than vitreous enamel, such as [[enamel paint]] and the polymers coating [[enameled wire]]; these actually are very different in [[materials science]] terms.

The word ''enamel'' comes from the [[Old High German]] word {{lang|goh|smelzan}} (to [[smelting|smelt]]) via the [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|esmail}},<ref>Campbell, 6</ref> or from a Latin word {{lang|la|smaltum}}, first found in a 9th-century ''[[Liber Pontificalis|Life of Leo IV]]''.<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Enamel}}</ref> Used as a noun, "an enamel" is usually a small decorative object coated with enamel. "Enamelled" and "enamelling" are the preferred spellings in [[British English]], while "enameled" and "enameling" are preferred in [[American English]].