Metal clay

Help with Fingerprint Jewelry

AMBER — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:33:41 GMT

Hello-

I am new to PMC, though I have taken a few classes. I bought a torch and a hot pot to try out as I dont have the money to buy a kiln right now. Salary cut at work has limited my spending on hobby supplies :-(

Anyway, I have an 18 month old and want to attempt to make some fingerprint jewelry. I have seen it all over the internet and I figure I can make my own as opposed to spending when I dont have the money to do so.

I want to clarify that I am taking the correct steps:

I need to roll out my clay, cut my shape out and then have little one imprint her finger.

Let dry, refine and fire Oh, if I want to put her name on it, do you all recommend stamping the clay while its wet OR after its fired? Also, I am looking for some scrolly and nice cursive metal letter stamps. I love the ones on beaducation.com but they are little bit out of my price range, Does anyone have any other recommendations of where to buy some?

Also, I am assuming you then use LOS to highlight the area where the print is and then polish the rest off?? I have also seen what looks like the imprints where they shrink down a palm print or foor print and maybe use a PPP method to make a plate and then stamp it on the clay? OR is there an easier way to achieve this look? Does anyone know where to purchase the inkless wipes for this type of project?

Any tips would be sooo appreciated and helpful to me. I just want to make a keepsake of my daughter to enjoy and put my PMC to good use.

Many thanks,

Amber

Silver on bronze? Firing help.

ahronya — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:09:56 GMT

1. I was wondering if a fired piece of bronze clay can be painted or plated with silver paste and then fired again?

2. Also, where can I find specific firing schedules for Copper and Bronze Clay? I can find adequate ones for silver Artclay and silver PMC.

3. And could a piece of copper or bronze be fired in a kiln that may go only as high as 1550? could it be fired longer at a lower temp? I think I found that it needs about 1700, but again, I'd like to get more info on this! And what is the absolute smallest bin of charcoal that could be used? 5" x 5" x 3" high?

Thank you all! This site is great!!

copper clay - help needed

CynthiaV — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 03:19:33 GMT

OK - so not talking about my first try at copper clay because it was a disaster! :P But basically it was a looong fire time (it took me 1 1/2 hours to get to temp on my old kiln :( !!) But I am wondering if anyone has tried copper clay compared to bronze clay. I ask because the advice I have read in here on bronze clay is so very good and am wondering if in practice it is the same as bronze clay firing.

I have an old german infinite control kiln which is, ironically, really difficult to control :)

Used my stainless tub, with pre-fired carbon (though I think the carbon may not have been the right one- activated but not sure if its coconut), and fired according to the time in the instructions which equalled 4 hours. It was sintered to a crisp - it resembled carbon steel lol.

Anyway, any insight into whether I can follow bronze clay advice on copper clay firing would be welcomed :)

Should I try for less firing time or lower firing temp incase my kiln is out? does this sound like overfiring? Ok, so I am talking about my first try :P

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UPDATE Wednesday : tried a piece tonight with a lower fire temp and less time- worked pretty well though it warped a fair bit (no biggy - just flattened it in our press but worried about dimensional pieces in future :/ ).

I suspect my kiln temp is out by a large amount!

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OK next update (thursday) I looked at my piece this morning and it seems to have tarnished a little - is this oxidisation caused from not firing enough? This is driving me a bit nuts! :) I can't seem to get it clean not even using the copper cleaning processes we use in enamelling...

thats a piccy of the test piece (front and back) with the tarnish/ox - any ideas?

BRONZclay information resource

MSchindel — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 19:54:29 GMT

There have been many questions about BRONZclay on this forum, so I wanted to let everyone know that I've published a Squidoo "lens" that you may find helpful. My goal was to pull together the best and most up-to-date information I could find on BRONZclay into a single, convenient resource organized to make it easy to find whatever information you' need. I spent several months doing research and interviewing many of the top BRONZclay artists and instructors, as well as BRONZclay inventor Bill Struve, Kevin Whitmore of Rio Grande, and Hadar Jacobson, author of "Silver and Bronze Clay: Movement and Mechanisms." There is detailed information for every stage of the BRONZclay process, including several recommended firing schedules to try and some great BRONZclay "eye candy." It does not cover every possible topic, but it's fairly comprehensive. I hope you find the information useful! Here's the link:

http://www.squidoo.com/bronzclay

Margaret

Shrinkage

Nick — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:19:24 GMT

Hi Guys I'm a raw novice. I'm just about to repair some other jewellery with the application of conical caps - so far so good. Can you confirm that the angle of the cone will remain constant if I use the item to be repaired as a former? I realise it will shrink somewhat, but if the angle is constant, I can cope with that. Thanks

need advice on digital controllers to upgrade my manual kiln

jeweliegirl — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 04:33:16 GMT

I've been working pretty successfully with a Jen-Ken GS manual kiln for some time, but I think it's time to upgrade to a digital controller. (Ok, the truth is I fired a load of pieces into a puddle of fine silver & glass goo the other day . I don't trust the analog pyrometer reading anymore.)

I've been researching various standalone controllers & don't think I need major bells & whistles. I don't need much more than a simple ramp and hold, plus I'd prefer to keep the cost under $300.00.

Does anyone have any ideas? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

PMC tools where you wouldnt expect to find them!

CynthiaV — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:28:35 GMT

I'm just getting geared up to play with PMC and I also have some copper clay. Over here in Oz, the stainless steel firing boxes are hard to come by, you can't just buy them from a shop, you have to order them from interstate and it adds up. Now my faince is a metal worker and can make me one but......

I was looking in our local toy store yesterday looking for interesting textures and toys to cast with and found a childs kitchen pot set - mini sized and made out of stainless! The screws need replacing (as they're zinc) but I have a set of 3 different hieght pots with lids, a cute little stainless kitchen tool set with things like egg flips etc all mini sized (useful for enamel sifting-stencils or picking up clay bits) all for a cheap price of $20. There was a cheaper set but this one was a better size for my tiny kiln.

Additionally, I got a great little $5 generic play dough rolling pin kit (all plastic! which is useful for PMC!) with cute little embellish rollers etc...

So, check out your local toy shop and see what you can find that may be useful!! check out the play dough section too..they have extruders, textures and cutters that you may find useful!

Have there been any non traditional places you have found useful tools that you would like to share?

Firing Bronze and Copper Clays

irishtess — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:40:04 GMT

Any suggestions on the best kiln for firing these new clays, especially in light of the longer firing times?

Firing copprclay and charcoal

ahronya — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:41:52 GMT

Just a few quick questions: I have an old Trinkit kiln which I think will heat up to 1700 degrees or maybe a bit higher.

1. CopprClay needs to be fired at 1750, right?

2. The interior of my kiln is about 5" x 5" x 3". Assuming I could find a small stainless box to fit in my kiln and there is at least 1" of charcoal around the piece, could I possibly successfully fire like this?

Thnak you SO much!

Ahronya

Bad experience with COOL TOOLS

Nicole Thomas — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:04:42 GMT

HI ,

I've ordered many times through cool tools and it's been okay up until my latest transaction . I asked for my items to be shipped to me expedite and they gave me 2 choices so I picked UPS, when it arrived UPS wanted a rather large brokerage fee ( I'm from Canada) that I wasn't informed of so I declined the package . Cool Tools didn't care at all, they said well you agreed to that shipping company and weeks later gave me a partial return on items purchased and of course I lost the shipping costs as well , I just find that the customer service is just not there . They were slow to respond to emails before and after my problem , the check out system is glitchy and difficult to purchase through ( I took the time to call them and explain to them the problems I was having on my dime( they don't have an 1800 number for Canada ) but they were too busy to fix they said ) and I am a unhappy customer . And they don't care . SO I 'm not going to be their customer anymore .

I just found out that they charged me for the ups return as well ! I think that is just nasty !!

Copper Clay and Gem Settings

ColleenPH — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:58:32 GMT

Hello, this is my first post to this blog, actually this is my first post to any blog on the web. :)

I am an avid user of gems and art clay. However I have only used gems with silver clay, either fired in the clay or using a sterling silver setting.

Does anyone know if I can use a gold setting or sterling silver setting in copper clay? I am pretty sure I cannot use a sterling silver setting in copper clay from the posts I have read, however I am not sure about a gold setting. I know rose gold is an alloy of copper and gold, so it would make sense that I could fire a gold setting in copper clay.

Thank you

Colleen

New & Bronze volume ?

afqu — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:30:51 GMT

Great info here. I am new to the art, and working with a friend. We both do the sculpting, she does the PMC. I am getting ready to order silver and bronze PMC. I am seeking info on the volume (tsp, TBL) of broze clay. I have a mold that will hold approximately 2 TBL of water. I am making 4 items, and trying to figure how much bronze I need to order.

Thanks for any advice.

Jean

tools -cheap & free along my PMC journey!

CynthiaV — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:08:31 GMT

I pride myself on finding new toys to play with that don't cost an arm and a leg and are only a quick trip away be it to a toy shop or the local stationary shop :)

I thought I would start a thread where I can share the things I have found that may be useful to others starting a PMC journey :)

I will edit this post as I go and occasionally add a new one if this opening post gets too long! Will always try to show pics because most people here are in the US (I'm on Australia) so our products may differ.

The big things for me living in the most remote state of Australia, is accessibility. Pretty much everything in this area needs to be ordered in from interstate or overseas so I am keen to find little resource pockets of 'like' materials and tools. Example, I find my small sheet metals at hobby shops, and I found out that carbon refills for fish filters is the same coconut carbon suggested in copper clay firing that I need to order from interstate. See this way if I am mid project I don't have to wait for postage, I can pop down to the pet store or the toy shop if I need something :)

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I found this little watercolour wash brush that you fill with your own liquid. I use distilled water in here and will be using it for the brush join method I saw where some PMC'ers have been smoothing joins with a damp brush. Tested the brush already and its the prefect texture and the brush is both firm in pressure and soft in texture. The water drips through only when you squeeze and the brush appears to not overload with moisture! It cost me $11.95 AUD. It comes with 2 additional brush heads and a lid. Brand "CONCORD CRAFT COLLECTION" I cant find a link on line but there are other similar products - I just like the brush on this one.

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This is a plastic kids clay tool set - cost around $7 from Riot Craft. Good for non stick/non absorbent basic clay tools.

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Plastic play dough set from Toyworld - got it for the plastic roller with handles - good for non stick and its the right size for small projects! Comes with a cute little wavy roller and other things you can give to your kids to play with :) $6 AUD

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For copper clay firing also from Toyworld - a kids stainless steel pot set - mini pots with lids all in stainless (note screw needs replacing with a stainless one as it is zinc). Cost me $20 AUD for all these pots, 2 lids and some cute utensils which may be useful for something lol

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Foam balls for forming - you can get these anywhere and their cheap for a pack - a couple of dollars.

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Mathematics shape templates - perfect for template cutting - you can get cutters with guards on them at RiotCraft or good craft stores which protect plastic templates as you cut. These are cheap - again a couple of dollars each from the local stationary shop.

Will this torch work for PMC3?

Vaspian — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:35:39 GMT

Hi, I am a newbie with PMC3 and I can't wait to give it a try. I was at
Lowe's today picking up some tools and I looked to see what kind of torches they sell. I saw a small torch called BernzOmatic 3-in -1 Micro Torch . I wanted to make sure this torch would work before I opened it and can't take it back.

Thanks for your help. :)

JODI

Liver of Sulfur alternatives?

CynthiaV — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:33:47 GMT

My partner is allergic to sulfur and while I can use it cautiously, and while so many household products have it anyway, I would like to still experiment with alternatives.

I have found a few links but they usually use sulfur products. Will pop my links here anyway as someone else may find them of use, but if anyone has a non sulfur alternative, I would love to hear it! I would also like to hear of experiences with any of these methods too!

Probably the only one I would consider out of these is the bleach - but any other better possibilities would be appreciated. I have some oil black enamelling products wondering if these could work? I don't know! Any suggestions?

The List of what I found so far....

Beading forum archive

RE: Alternative to liver of sulfur

"Alternative to liver of sulfur, Black Max or Lamp Black, at the local stained glass supply place."

Ganoskin

"For grays and blacks on silver one can also react the surface with sulfur compounds to form black silver sulfide. Plasticine (Plastilina) modeling clay for example contains some sulfur compounds and it can be used to create patterns of darkness where it has been stuck on in contact with the silver for some time.

Ammonium Sulfide (used as a garden spray) is supposed to work as an alternative to liver of sulfur. Egg yolks will work in a pinch."

Long Canyon Jewelry

"Hard Boiled Egg

A safe and effective alternative to liver of sulfur and chemical oxidizers, hard boiled eggs produce a similar effect, but take a longer time to work...thus allowing the user to better control the darkness of the piece.

Old eggs tend to work better than new eggs for this process.

Hard boil an egg and peel it right away while it is still hot.

Cut the egg into quarters and place into the clear container holding (but not touching) your jewelry while the egg is still hot. Close the container immediately.

The silver will start tarnishing and until you get a good feel for the process, you will probably want to check the piece every 5-10 minutes to see the progress. Do not open up the container...instead try to see the progress through the drip of condensation on the sides of the container.

If the container is set out on the counter, if will take about 1-2 hours for the piece to get sufficiently dark.

If the container is put in the refrigerator, it may be left over night (the process is not as fast in the colder environment).

Bleach

A 50% solution of bleach and water will darken silver jewelry in about 10 minutes."

Suite101.com

"Silver can be blackened in a cup of normal household bleach. As this will not be as strong as the chemicals mentioned above, the silver may take a few minutes to blacken.

...Some people put a chopped, hardboiled egg into an airtight container such as a sandwich box with the silver, the silver will oxidize in the same way as it would above. However it will take much longer and the results may be patchy."

need help about combining copper clay with silver clay

Elisheva — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 12:53:53 GMT

Hello,

I am trying to combine copper clay with silver clay.

I made a copper clay pendant and wanted to add a silver clay inlay.

My try wasn't successfull, I fired the silver clay with a torch, but all the copper went black and the silverclay did not alloy with the copperclay.

I must be doing something wrong !

I'd be very grate ful for any help and explanations about how to do that

Thanks so much !

Elisheva

Need help and advice from experienced PMC'rs

Raven815 — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:40:48 GMT

Hi everyone,

I am just getting started in the world of PMC. I ahve been making jewelry for a while and I also have some experience in PC. Now I want to expand into metal clay and maybe eventually combine all three. Here is what I need from you:

Any advice on getting started?

What tools and supplies will I need to just get started? (I saw a great starter kit on Rings&Things for 68.00. I think I'll get that and build around it. Good idea?)

What are some other web sites that have a good seletion and who has the best prices on these supplies?

Thanks in advance, everyone. I'm so excited. I can't wait to get started, but it will probably be awhile because these supplies look like they're a little costly.

Laura

Metal Clay Paste Problems

plutselig — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:36:31 GMT

I'm having a recurring problem with metal clay paste. When painting an object after a couple of coats (thin), the paste starts to flake off in random areas. I first experienced this with leaves dry and green. I thought it may be due to the flexible nature of the leaves. I am painting a hard seed pod, and yesterday was dismayed to see the same problem. The only other reason I can see for this is when I ordered my paste, I mistakenly ordered Art Clay overlay paste. I'm not sure how much of the original paste is in my jar, but perhaps that is causing the problem? I would love to hear ideas or if others are able to apply paste to leaves and other objects without this problem. Thanks Jennifer

help with bronzeclay..panic and blame!

pixiemog — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:51:28 GMT

Wotcha,

I have had a read of lots of other posts regarding this and they are directing me to similar info and posts, so I know I'm being a bit impatient by posting a new post about it - but its my 1st ever post and its an emergency!!

I am proficient with metal clays - the silvers - and have had bronzeclay knocking about for a while but not used it yet. Aanyway, a project at uni needed me to make a master of something I've designed and to do it quite fast. Since I don't yet have good wax working/control I opted to turn to my old familiar, metalclay. But because I'm poor as a church mouse at the moment decided to try the bronze.

I spent hours and hours laboring over my model and getting it perfect - a bit daft considering I have never fired or used this different clay!!lol.

Anyway, after firing its split and ruined to hell. I followed so much guidance and advice over firing, and was meticulous about everything. All the comments to other firing "problems" I did. Yet it still cracked up. It took a beautiful patina and has come out strong and bronze - but split, as if it had a core material causing it to stretch (it didn't)

I wondered if the carbon got into the holes of the piece and acted like a core? but I thought I had to eliminate as much "space" as poss?

I demand perfection and a clean and professional look from most of my pieces (allowing sometimes the process of naturalities) but in the main I don't want them to look homemade, I want them to look fabricated and modelled/structured. So, I ask you - am I not really suited to bronzeclay? should I persist? can it be controlled?

I don't mind the complex firing, but it does make me want it to turn out right 1st time! because its so long!! I was gutted this morning when i saw that I've been set back a whole project!! Panic set in and I blamed the bronze! lol. I'm sorry bronzey, but i did do all that was required, so what gives?

I'm going to have to do this again in silverclay and bear the expense, but I really want to know more about this bronze and how to master it - for future ref.

what a wonderful community we artists share here with each other eh?

questions, answers, comments and product lust!! lol.

thanks to any with guidance and patience to read my rant. (O:

Gia. x

electric kiln ???

Romenation — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:22:43 GMT

What to do?

I have just been given a wonderful gift… the starting supplies to create fantastic items with PMC3. The sister knew I had half the battle won – as I create abstract equine sculpture out of low fire earthenware clay using a small ( inside 9” wide X 14” tall) electric kiln.

My question is this – this kiln is somewhat old and is fired using a ‘kiln sitter’

How do I go about using the preexisting kiln???? I believe I need to purchase a

Pyrometer , but I posted the question hoping some one else has had this same problem/question and can point me in the right direction right away!

I look forward to searching through the volumes of information on the forum!!

Thanks!

Submissions: Art & Design of Metal Clay Jewelry by Holly Gage

gagedesigns — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:34:31 GMT

Calendar Submission for 2010 Submissions will start June 15, 2009 through Aug. 15, 2009 Release date: Late - October 2009 I am seeking images to feature in our next annual calendar, The Art and Design of Metal Clay Jewelry and More 2010. All jewelry forms - necklaces, rings, bracelets, earrings, brooches, and others will be considered. Unique and diverse design styles and techniques are desired. Metal Clay is the predominant material, but other media - resin, gems, metals, enamel, and more may be incorporated into the design. High digital images will be accepted by mail or e-mail: Gage Designs c/o calendar submission 2010 P. O. Box 614 Bowmansville, PA 17507 E-mail: hgage1@ptd.net Artwork submitted must represent work that is unique and original in design. New unpublished/unseen work is preferred. Group shots or individual pictures will be accepted. Please don't send actual pieces. Professional photo quality is a MUST. Please consider the fact that viewers will only see your photo not your orginal work, so clear, uncluttered photos with an accurate representation will be priority for the selection process. Images should be 300 dpi, in tiff, jpg or psd format with no compression. Artists retain copyright of their work. Each calendar page measures 8.5 x 11, Opened it is 11 x 17. Please include the following: 1. Name 2. Address 3. Website or e-mail (indicate if this information should be included on the calendar) 4. Title of piece 5. Materials used 6. Dimensions 7. Brief Description of process and/or motivation to how it was conceived (50 words or less) 8. File name 9. Has your file been retouched 10. Is your file 300 dpi? Please direct all inquires to: Holly Gage, e-mail: hgage1@ptd.net http://www.HollyGage.com

Keum-boo Supplies

TKL Design — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:03:54 GMT

I know I am not supposed to advertise, so I won't mention prices, but I am desperate. My jewelry isn't selling and I need to sell anything I can to raise some cash to help pay the bills. DH found out tonight that a huge carpet install job got canceled, it would have caught us up plus some. Now there is no work for about 2 weeks. I have many silver clay books on Etsy for half retail (ID tonjastreasures) and I have everything you need to do Keum-boo on metal clay, including a laboratory hot plate. Another thing I never got around to trying.

I also have a bunch of glass frit, a banding wheel, torch holder (clamps a propane tank to table), purple mandrel w/ 2 tips. I got this stuff to make copper enameled beads, but never got around to it.

3 new glass molds for the kiln.

Take pity. My B-Day is the 10th and now we have to cancel our plans. :(

Why Get Certified??

lbellabeads — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:52:12 GMT

I see that you can get certified in PMC? And I see that it is expensive. What are the pros & cons of becoming certified? Can you get certification through an online course rather than travel to do so?

:) Linda

Burnishing in a tumbler: help!! pieces turn black

beadmanic — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 05:29:25 GMT

I have been working with PMC for only a few months and purchased a tumbler to use with stainless steel shot for extra burnishing. The first time before I used it I cleaned it out well and washed the shot mix. and everything came out black. I was petrified, so I re-fired it and it looks better but not quite like it looked when I took a class and was under my instructors supervision. could anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong. One of the pieces actually turned kinda brownish snd looks like I patina'd it and is not so bad. But even after re-firing the others they still look like crap.

Thank You!

beadmanic

Shrinkage problems when attaching fine silver bezel wire to pmc base

Shinyrocks1 — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:57:37 GMT

I have read --and tried--a couple of methods of attaching a fine silver bezel to a base of pmc. I'm trying to do this to incorporate freeform cabs into my pmc work. I've tried just setting the bezel on the pmc and using paste (also tried art clay oil paste) to attach the two. Also tried sinking the bezel part way into the clay and then using paste inside and outside to join the two pieces..

Each time, the clay shrinks away from the bezel wire and then I have a lot of patching and refiring to do. Does anyone know a better way??