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I'm afraid I only know about stove enamel, which is really just paint cured in an oven. A finish which 'flows out' when cured sounds like vitreous enamel, which I don't think was ever used for these badges.
The photo below shows my attempt at restoring a brass badge. I polished the brass, stoved it black, flatted off the paint on the high points and then gave it a coat of stoving lacquer.
I think Veloham's result is better than mine.
Incidentally, this Duckett frame is thought to be the only known pre-war solo example of the marque, although there is a tandem. Mine is probably 1920's and is the only 'lightweight' I've seen which came with Westwood rims. The firm advertised in the fifties and sixties with the slogan 'Wise men in the East go to Ducketts for their wheels'
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clubman
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Thanks @clubman, high praise! I have decided to have another go at it though, I think one more attempt and I will have it how I want it. Either that or chuff it up from not being able to stop fiddling.
Yours looks great too, really in keeping with the bike / age of it. Did you go for the 'art deco' Duckett decals?
veloham
@clubman might know how these were done. I think they were probably enamelled originally and he knows a thing or two about proper enamelling.
Application of the colour might have been done a bit like tampo, rolled on with a squeegee and maybe the excess scraped off if done by hand. Then oven cured which flows it out evenly on the surface. Polished up at the end. Just speculating though, I don’t actually know.
I’ve always felt that brass headbadges must have been quite an expensive item to put on a frame. First a set of stamps would have been made up to cut the shape out and then press the features into the badge, then the colouring, curing and polishing. It’s quite a lot of work!