Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn enamelling
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Enamelling fuses powdered glass onto metal, usually copper to begin with, in a kiln or with a torch, so colour, pattern and texture become part of the piece. Beginners' classes start on copper test pieces and work up to small silver or copper pieces.
Moderate£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksIndoorsWith othersUK and US
Someone who has done it
These are real people who did this, as reported by the outlets named. We opened each one before linking it. None of them is connected with this site.
What you actually do
The Guild of Enamellers puts it simply, "Enamel powder is 'glass'". At City Lit, beginners apply opaque and transparent vitreous enamels to copper and fire them in a kiln, trying stencilling, sgraffito (scratching through a layer), printing with enamel and basse-taille, where transparent enamel sits over textured metal; the page says many of the techniques can be adapted for silver. West Dean's beginners' course starts with copper test pieces, moves on to small silver or copper items, and teaches washing and grinding enamels for wet packing.
Torch-firing is the other route. Metalwerx in Massachusetts describes it as "one of the most direct, satisfying, and accessible ways to work with vitreous enamel", with students cutting and shaping copper and firing the enamel with a torch.
Ways in compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| City Lit, London | Introduction to enamelling; kiln-fired, on copper; complete beginners welcome; 4 Tuesday evenings from June 2027; tools and copper provided | £209 (£167 senior, £136 concession) |
| Guild of Enamellers (UK) | Regional list of members who teach enamelling, from Scotland to South West England | Set by each tutor |
| Metalwerx, Waltham, Massachusetts | Torch-Fired Enameling; all levels; 2 days, 10am to 5pm (May 2026 run) | $425 tuition plus $80 materials fee |
| Arrowmont (US) | Smithing and Enamel on Natural Forms; one-week workshop, all skill levels (June 2026 run) | $852 tuition plus $50 registration fee, before housing, meals and materials |
How to start
- Book a beginners' class that supplies the copper, enamels and kiln, at an adult-education college, a craft school or with a teacher from the Guild of Enamellers' list.
- Take a sketchbook and some colour or pattern ideas, and wear closed shoes and an apron.
- Learn the safe habits in the workshop from the start, such as keeping food and drink out of the room and a lid on the sifter.
Where to go
- City Lit, London: Heat, light and colour: introduction to enamelling UK
- Guild of Enamellers: members who teach enamelling, by region UK
- Metalwerx, Waltham, Massachusetts: Torch-Fired Enameling US
- Arrowmont: Specimen: Smithing and Enamel on Natural Forms US
We opened these links on 10 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Two ways to plan it.
Plan it yourself Free
The links you need to book it, get there, find somewhere to stay and eat, and see what else there is to do nearby. They are searches for you to run; nothing is saved.
Show the links
Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
What is vitreous enamel?
It is powdered glass fused onto metal. City Lit's beginners' course fires opaque and transparent vitreous enamels onto copper in a kiln.
Can you do enamelling with a torch instead of a kiln?
Yes. Metalwerx in Massachusetts runs a two-day torch-fired enamelling class on copper sheet and wire, open to all levels.
Do I need jewellery experience to learn enamelling?
No. City Lit's introduction is for complete beginners and West Dean's course starts with basic test pieces, though Morley College says jewellery-making experience is helpful for its enamelling class.
Is enamelling safe to do at home?
The Guild of Enamellers' health and safety guide covers dust, kilns and ventilation, and says never to have food or drink in the work area and never to leave a kiln with something in it.
Where this comes from: City Lit, Heat, light and colour: introduction to enamelling; West Dean College, Enamelling for beginners with Sheila R McDonald; Morley College London, Jewellery (enamelling course); Guild of Enamellers, Classes; Guild of Enamellers, Guide to health and safety; Metalwerx, Vitreous in Motion: Torch-Fired Enameling; Arrowmont, Specimen: Smithing and Enamel on Natural Forms. Opened 10 November 2026.
Read next
From the Latest Music Bar to the hospital lab: Angi Mariani's first in biomedical science
How a Brighton music-bar owner and TV presenter took a part-time science degree alongside a hospital lab job, what national figures say about who keeps learning, and how to find a course or a way into laboratory work.
“Education has no expiration”: Virginia Ordaz and her mother finished their degrees in the same class
How a retired fire dispatcher from Stockton, California, finished the degree she started in 1989, and how her mother finished hers more than 40 years after her last class. How to find out what your own old credits are worth, in the US and the UK.
More like this
Moderate
Make a silver ring or pendant
Moderate
Try glassblowing
Moderate
Learn to throw a pot on the wheel
Moderate
Learn an instrument and play one piece for an audience
Moderate
Learn an endangered heritage craft
Moderate
Learn to ring church bells