Ranger Industries New ~ Enamel Accents

When I first heard about this new set of products in the Accents line I was extremely excited! I had so many cool ideas zooming around in my head and I couldn't wait to try it.

Well I finally had a chance to play with Ranger's new Enamel Accents.

I experimented quite a bit with it and noticed several things right away.

Both of these Accents are thinner than Glossy Accents and much thinner than the Crackle Accents.

Now, this may be my imagination but it also seems to me that the Black Accents is thinner than the White Accents. Why do I think this ~ I found while I was experimenting that the black spread quite a bit more than the white. It seemed to me that the Black Accents rose to the top covering the White Accents. It takes VERY little Black Accents to get lots of color as you'll see below.

I also noticed that these Accents don't "stand up" as much as Glossy or Crackle Accents do. When they dry down they aren't as dimensional as the others. I will go into this further a bit later in the post.

Control - It may be because I'm new to these Accents but I find it very difficult to control these Accents than I do the other Accents. I'm sure this has to do with their being thinner but these Accents seem to spread very quickly in a short period of time. I'm not sure how well they would work for out-lineing images or "writing" with them as I have yet to give that a whirl.

Enamel Accents do dry with an amazing gloss! It even dries glossy on your fingers ;) Yes, I know this from experience - LOL!! I have a glossy black fingertip this a.m.!! Both black and white have a beautiful shine once dry.

You will also notice a longer dry time than Glossy Accents. It suggests on the bottle to let it cure over-night which I think is a good estimate if you use a thicker coating. I had one charm dry in about 5 hours but it was a thin coat.

Enamel Accent - Memory Glass Charm

I decided to try and make some charms with these new Accent colors. When I saw how thin they were after playing with them a bit I decided that I'd start with something a bit larger than the small chamrs shown on the Enamel Accent Bracelet currently on Ranger's home page. I wasn't sure how well I'd be able to control the black in such a tiny area.

Supplies:

Enamel Accents

Glossy Accents

Memory Glass

Memory Frame

Pin or Stylus

Instructions:

1. Open the Memory Frame and apply a bead of Glossy Accents around the inside track of the frame. Insert one piece of Memory Glass and close the frame back up. Place a weight on the glass and let it dry completely.

NOTE: You must do this in order to keep the Enamel Accents in the frame. I tried it w/o this step initially and much of the Enamel Accents leaked out the sides and corners. (part of the reason why my fingers are glossy this a.m.!)

2. Apply a layer of White Enamel Accents over the entire piece of Memory Glass.

3. Add a FEW drops of Black Enamel Accents where desired. I was just going for a free-form look with no particular design in mind. DO NOT add more than 3-4 drops of Black Enamel Accents...it will spread and cover the white almost entirely.

4. Use a pin or stylus to spread the Black Enamel Accents around in the White.

5. Let it dry completely...this may take several hours to overnight before it is completely dry.

And here is my finished charm!

You will notice how much black is visable....all of that came from only 4 small drops of BEA! So as you can see the Black Accents does spread quite a bit more than the White.

You'll notice I dropped a small faux gemstone in the corner before it dried completely. I thought it might add a neat little sparkle to the b/w design.

Next I decided to try using Glossy Accents and Enamel Accents together. I was hoping to create a charm that had areas that were clear (GA) as well as areas with both Black and White Enamel sections.

I glued the Memory Glass to the frame as instructed in step 1. After it was dry I applied a generous amount of Glossy Accents to various areas of the Memory Glass. I filled the rest in with White Enamel Accents then added 3 drops of Black Enamel Accents.

I swirled all three Accents using a pin and let it set. (I did add the crown charm before it was completely dry.

Here are the results.....

As you can see the Glossy Accents is no where to be seen. The Enamel Accents migrated completely over the top of the GA but you might notice the texture it has created. As I mentioned above the Enamel Accents didn't seem to dry as dimensional as the Glossy Accents. This charm proves that point. The areas that are raised is where the Glossy Accents are beneth the EA. Adds some pretty cool depth and dimension to the finished look.

Also you will notice how far the BEA has spread. That is in part due to the GA. The BEA colored the GA and created even more black.

Now, I'm not sure how Debbie was able to control the Black Enamel Accents so well to create the designs in each of her charms. I actually tried to create a flower in one of my experiments that didn't make the cut. I did just as instructed in the directions but the black flower petals spread so far it over took most of the charm leaving only a very small portion of white showing. I didn't even attempt the more intricate designs shown. I am going to continue to experiment with it to see what else I can come up with. I've already got a fun little something drying that I should be able to share this afternoon or tomorrow depending on how long it takes to dry ;)

So there you go...

Enamel Accents at first glance.

I have to say I really like the look but find it a bit more difficult to use than anticipated. I'm planning on sharing a few more experiments with you tomorrow so we'll know more then!

Have you tried Enamel Accents?

What are your thoughts, findings?

Please feel free to share them here!