Project designed by Linda Bernstein.
Materials:
metal clay
olive oil
work surface - preferably glass
deck of cards
small roller - about 3/4" x 8"
plastic kitchen wrap
craft knife
cereal or snack food crackers
tooth picks
Sobo glue
nail files or salon boards
kiln
Black Max
craft brush
paper towel
water
brass brush
polishing paper - 600 grit
polishing cloth - Sunshine Cloth
Steps:
1. Coat the armature with sobo glue and allow to dry (figure A).
2. Place olive oil on palms. Remove a small amount of clay and roll it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap to keep the moisture in.
Round beads
1. Roll the clay into a sheet six cards thick (figure B). Cut out some circles. Cover the armature with a base coat of clay (figure C). Allow to dry. Complete any details such as carving, applique work or small clay ropes (figure D). Allow to dry.
2. Make holes in it the bead.
Tube beads
1. Use bamboo skewers, toothpicks or plastic straws for armatures to make tube beads. Be sure to vent the kiln well if using plastic.
2. Cover the armature with a sheet of clay three cards thick. Allow to dry.
3. Complete any details such as applique, carving or adding clay ropes. Allow to dry. Remove the bead from the toothpick.
Refining
1. Using a nail file, refine all the edges of the beads.
2. Fill any cracks with slip (clay that has been thinned with water).
3. Perfect the piece before firing.
Firing
1. Fire the piece at 1650 degrees for two hours or follow the instructions for the metal clay you are using.
2. Fire each bead in a saucer with alumina hydrate for support.
Brass brushing or tumbling
1. Remove the fired piece from the kiln. It will look white because the surface of the metal is open crystals. Use a brass brush to start smoothing and begin the polishing process. Fill a tumbler with mixed stainless steel shot also can be used to save time if you are doing many pieces at once.
Oxidation (optional)
1. Brush on the Black Max so that the piece turns black. Wipe off the Black Max and wash the bead to stop the oxidation (figure E).
Polishing
1. Polish the bead with polishing paper and cloth to make the raised parts of the bead a shiny silver again.
Tips:
- Set up the work area with all the tools needed before getting the clay out.
- Have a specific design in mind before beginning to work with the clay since it dries out very quickly.
- Keep the clay covered with saran warp classic while working.
- Keep the clay tightly wrapped up in plastic, in the box, in a closed zip lock plastic bag with a wet paper towel when not using it.
- If the clay dries out, re-hydrate it with a little water.
Resources Precious Metal clay and kilns
PMC Connection
Phone: 972-485-0200
Toll Free Phone: 866-762-2529
URL:
www.pmcconnection.com
Precious Metals Clay Guild (PMCG)
The Precious Metals Clay Guild (PMCG)
Phone: 970-419-5503
URL:
www.pmcguild.com
Precious Metal Clay Silver in No Time videos
featuring Linda Bernstein
Vol. I - Beginner Workshop; Vol. II - Intermediate Workshop
Artique.org
E-mail:
LBernstein@artique.org
Website:
www.artique.org
Guests Linda Bernstein
Artist
Phone: 847-478-0284
E-mail:
lbernstein@artique.org
Website:
www.Artique.org
Also in this Episode
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