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?

Wow!  You found some treasures!  I'm always trying to be resourceful...mostly cuz it's fun to outsmart the system!  I don't know if this is a new source, but I plan on using my leather stamping tools when my PMC arrives. ( I can hardly wait! I actually feel giddy!)

Thanks for all your posts. I just started reading today and I've noticed that you are one of the more helpful and prolific contributors, so thanks very much for your time!!

I'd sure like some help inserting images, but I think I'll just go somewhere else for that help.  :)

Hello and welcome!

Sorry I hadn't replied earlier - its a bit crazy here right now!   Yeah I love the feeling of paying $6 for something you would buy for $40 at a specialist craft store - such a buzz! plus it saves money :)

To insert an image you just click on the little picture icon above the text window (2 icons to the right of the link icon) and it will give you options like url, size etc..sizing I find doesn't work properly in here so I would just stick to  popping your image url in and hitting submit :) I'm certainly not a prolific poster but this is one of the better forums around and the magazine rocks too!

On the PMC thing, its exciting isn't it!  I have pmc stuff but its been sitting there for months as I am sooo scared to fire it in my unpredicatble kiln and waste whole lumps of silver!! arrgh! 

Looking forward to seeing how your PMC goes, maybe you can give me some encouragement to take the risk and just fire the darn things! :)

Hi Cyntia,

I guess my prob is that I don't know what the URLs  are for my images.  Could you type an example?

I walk around doing my necessary daily routine stuff like I'm in a zombie state just itching to get to my work station!!  This is why I gave up reading, it's all I'd think about. 

I've decided to bite the bullet and buy a new kiln. Like you were saying, mine could become unpredictable..it is old.  It IS scary taking that first plunge into the kiln!!    I think I'll go for the Paragon Firefly cuz I want to get into the coppr clay to save money and it gets up to the hotter temps. I'm trying to find out if a fired piece of copper clay can be painted with silver paste so that it looks silver , as though it's been plated.  What do you know about this  little trick?

So, about the tools....after I last wrote, I found a section in a crafts store ( Michael's) of cake decorating tools and design templates (stamps).  I bought the fondant rolling pin which came with two sizes of thickness rings. Yes, was a bit cheaper than the "regular" one! What a coup!

And I made a design for a pendant ( similar to a celtic knot) and carved it out of soap. Then, gently pressed the silver clay into the design . Worked GREAT!! ( lubed it a little w/olive oil)

So, go ahead and fire that baby up and experiment!  Boy, if you have the guts to stand in front of a room full of people , you can "play" with your  kiln!  Good luck!

Hello :)

re:images

forgive me if I assume you don't know this (you probably know most of these things) but just to cover the bases in case anyone else is worried about this sort of stuff :)

url is the uniform resource locator (basically the www address) You will need to upload your images to an image hosting service, I use photobucket - its free and you can just upload your pictures from your computer.  It will give you the url address for that image if you hover your mouse cursor over it once uploaded into photobucket or similar account.  The URL looks something like this:

http://www.yourphoto.com/etc/etc 

you can also find a url of the page you are looking at in the address bar at the top of your browser and just copy and paste that - the same process is used for making links expecpt you click on the little "chain" icon above your text window when you type your message.

Let me know if you need clarification on these things and would eb happy to help :)

So regarding the silver on copper, I know you can combine them and I have seen a you tube video on making copper look like silver using the paste I think it was?? So you can do it but I have also read this pdf from someone who had problems combining the two clays as they had different shrinkage rates and found it easier to fire the copper first then attach the silver.. but this is all just in passing though so have a good look around on the web about it.. 

I will see if I can hunt down that you tube video - its a great place for people like us though as there is a lot of actual examples there to actually *watch* rather than read about!  EDITED: here it is - its just combining the two PMC's but its a start on that road?

So very cool about the rolling pin! Great find and with the thickness bands on it too!! Also great idea about carving into soap!

 ..........and, I should stop being a baby about the PMC and just fire it already!! :P

Wow!!   Thanks for explaining that! One can never explain too much!  I know how to upload my pix from my directories, but I never knew about picture URLs. So, there are 2 diff. things here:  uploading pix and uploading pix from a website w/ URLs?

Guess what?  I had seen those 2 videos when I started researching all this about a month ago! And right after I sent you that last email, I realized that there was a Mother Lode of how-to videos from CoolTools ( I think)  How nice of them!  I think one of those videos is from Cool Tools.

So, tonite , I'm ordering my new kiln and some copper clay, etc and going into business!!  The silver AS coating is great!  As you said, with the copper, I feel like I'll have more freedom and confidence ( less $$). 

So, let's go, "baby" and get firing!!  You and me, Kid!!  Thanks for being so thorough with your answers. And timely!  Good luck and I hope we can keep in touch!  ~ Roni