Fire in the Hole! New Paragon SC2 Kiln & Copper

At the beginning of March I decided I WAS going to take the next step in my obsession with metal clay and get a larger kiln. I love my Ultra Lite but it's to small to do anything larger than 2.5" diameter AND I can't do copper in it. SO at the end of March I ordered a Paragon SC2 kiln from Paragon rep Pam East.

How excited was I when less than two weeks later my new kiln arrived? :o) VERY! BUT... fear of the next step creeped in and it took me three weeks to open the box and 2 more weeks to fire it for the first time.

Here's my set-up.
Cleared out the rest of my garage corner and set up a 6' work station for "Blue" (my appropriately named SC2) and my enamel station. It's a bit "hoopty-bo-bo" but it works! Supplies - 1 - metal file cabinet, 1 - 16" x 16" x 2" cement stepping stone, 2 - 18" x 18" x 1/2" Travertine Tiles, 1 6' x 16" heavy-duty metal closet shelf, 5 - 12" x 12" x 1/4" Pinkish Marble Tiles. These, all combined together = one heck of a cool work area. :o) (I also borrow a corner of it to hold my light cube when taking photos... but I'm working on a new area for that.)

TONIGHT I fired up "Blue" for the first time. Did a pre-fire to get all the dust out and burn off any residue from my kiln furniture. Followed the great instructions that Pam sent with the purchase of my new kiln - much easier to understand than the garbly-goop that came w/ the kiln. Successful pre-fire! And yes dad, I had an extinguisher and my cell phone handy! :o)

THEN I heated it up to 1780 because I had a pair of copper earrings waiting to be fired. Of course, they've been waiting to be fired for 2 1/2 months. I purposely created them so that I would HAVE to get over the fear of first fire of "Blue" in order to get them done. They were too big torch fire! I had also done some quickie copper earring pieces from a mold I have so that I could test 'face up, face down' of firing Art Clay Copper on a shelf. See in my head I wondered - if I put it face down will it oxidize LESS or should it be face up.

I positioned the pieces on my small kiln shelf that came with "Blue" (the big one was already in and sitting on 1/2" stilts to allow for air flow and there were 2" stilts laying on their side to make them 1" above the floor waiting for the copper filled shelf to be placed on them) and waited for it to get up to 1780.

Note: I had a copper pod go to pieces after being fired for 30 mins in carbon and then picked, tumbled and refired w/ a torch to fix an 'issue'. I emailed Pam and told her exactly what had been done and asked for help and her recommendation was - if it's fired in carbon it needs to be fired for 3 1/2 hours. If it's done on the shelf - which she recommends for Art Clay Copper it's 30 mins at 1780, direct on the shelf. SO those are the directions I followed.

The kiln hit 1780 and I was ready. I picked up the shelf in some tongs opened the door, slid the shelf in - DANG 1780 is hot! - and then quickly closed the door. I wasn't that quick because it took approx 3 1/2 mins to get back up to 1780. Then the fun started... the binder started to burn off like it does normally - little flame... BUT the cool thing was (and I didn't know this so no pic) because there is limited oxygen the smoke that results swirls and twirls and looks so totally cool in the kiln (Love my window!). Then we wait. (NOTE: Pic is actually "Blue" cooling down after firing.)

30 mins later the kiln starts to beep and it's done. NOW... instructions are - pull the pieces out and immediately put into cold water to get as little oxidation on the pieces as possible and the cold water would help pop what oxidation did form off. WELLL... I didn't realize that the pieces may 'stick' to the shelf. So as I pull the shelf out and tip it over, nothing is falling out so what do I do?
I stuff the whole shelf upside down into the water ... bye, bye shelf! LOL! I had fire paper and why I did not use it I am not sure but next time, to be sure I will!!! (Pic is the remnants of the shelf. Kind of interesting. The pieces that came out had some areas of 'thick' oxidation. But the pieces that 'stuck' left that thick layer behind on the shelf.)

It sounded like pop corn as the oxidized copper popped off the pieces in the water bowl. Here's the results after I pulled them out of the water... Here's a pic of the pieces immediately out of the water.

The right pic shows the four pieces for the 'face-down, face-up' test. Unfortunately I forgot to pay attention to which was which but... here's my guess... the pair on the left were face up - and the back (shown on the lower left) was on the shelf and that is what stuck. The others.. the back (shown lower right) were probably up in the air and the oxidation is still there because there was nothing for it to stick to.

The left photo here show the back and the front of the larger earrings that have been very patiently waiting for a firing. These were put face down on the shelf BUT the design is raised. I used a stencil of a vine and used copper slip to fill in the stencil so that it is raised off the earrings. Because of this piece would not lay flat on the shelf which is PROBABLY why the oxidation did not stick to the shelf. BUT... I like it on this pair. We'll see how much comes off in pickling.

Right now, the pieces are in the pickle. NOTE... I have been using Silver Prep from Cool Tools to clean silver and copper... I recently bought the natural "Pickle It" recently released by Metal Clay Supply and not very excited about it. I ended up adding some Silver Prep to it and it's working much faster now. Maybe going back to my Silver Prep for future orders.

Cross fingers that the cleaning goes well because I have got some GLORIOUS Lampwork Beads from Bastille Bleu Lampwork Beads that will be used on the larger pair and some really sweet little natural beads for the little pieces.

February 3, 2010Update...

What am I working on now?
Well, I have a 3" long copper pod that is waiting for me to figure out how to fire it. I was over excited by the pod I found in my back yard and thought ohhhhh copper! And didnt really give thought to firing it. Right now, Art Clay Copper can now be fired with a torch... but only to a certain size. You need to keep it evenly hot to completely sinter and my little micro butane is not going to cut it! (Maybe double handed torches but definitely not one.)

I also have a copper pendant that is actually fired and waiting for finishing! AND I worked more on the "copper canyons" for the wedding presents I'm still working on. BUT this time I'm taking it slow and easy. Hoping to do silver portion of the canyons this weekend.


AND right now, after I post this, I'm headed back to my 'studio' to box up a special package that is shipping to NH. My "Ribbons for Mitzi" were a big hit with her daughter and I received a request for 3 sets. One for Mitzi and one for each daughter. I finished those over the weekend and made the cutest box this evening. Sometimes I think I like making the packaging as much as I do the jewelry!!

I added some Red Picture Jasper beads to the ends of the chains. (OH THE CHAINS... I found the sweetest sterling silver chain made from linked hearts at Michael's this weekend. Nice find for this project!) The thought behind this was two-fold. One I had hopes that it would help keep the necklace from wigling around on them. And two - that the colors would help the ladies know which necklace was theirs. The mixed stone of blue/grey & pink is for Mitzi.

The box was made out of one sheet of gorgeous scrap book paper. One piece for the top and bottom. One piece. How cool! :o) The "Paris Couture" landing where it did was pure LUCK! :o)

After these are packaged and labeled for the post tomorrow, I'm going to work on a piece for my cousin who is also my 'god child'. Can't say what it is, she may be reading! :o)

More this weekend!

February 3, 2010 CRAZY WOMAN!

The weekend of January 16 & 17 I was a CRAZY woman! Not only did I complete Hope's Hibiscus and redo the 'googly-eyed' heart, I also created a puzzle piece for Hope. She saw the puzzle pieces in my blog and mentioned that they were used to represent Autism. Hearing the interest in her voice I took a neat looking piece of puzzle from one of mine and made a mold from 2-part molding compound. I then formed the silver puzzle piece.

LOVED the texture!
When I saw the texture the cardboard back of the puzzle piece left while making the mold I thought.. hmm COOOL! So I kept that along with the ridge that naturally formed around the piece during the mold process. The piece is .999 Fine Silver on a 17" 2mm sterling silver beaded chain with magnetic closure. LOVE IT!

And finally Sunday night I made another Awareness Ribbon. This one for a co-worker who lost a dear friend to Lung Cancer recently.

In my love-hate relationship with polymer clay I attempted to make 'pearl' looking inset. Not sure if I accomplished it or not but she was very happy with her surprise! The piece is .999 fine silver with polymer clay inset on an 18" sterling silver chain.

Thinking, Designing & Creating...

Yes!

Back in the saddle so to speak. Two pieces currently in the works. Started working them at the same time. One is a heart w/ 2 birth stones. The other is a grouping of Hibiscus w/ 2 birthstones.

The heart is throwing me.

First I wanted it hollow - just an outline w/ the stones hanging in the middle. Then I decided I really liked the hidden hearts I've been working into some of my pieces so I made it solid w/ a heart cut through at the bottom. I couldn't decide so I got out the polymer clay (I KNOW, I KNOW I hate polymer clay - BUT I love playing with it). I created a heart w/ a little flip at the bottom and a carved out heart. Hmmm - me likey!

Then just because it would save time I cooked (ahhh I mean cured) the polymer and made a mold from 2-part molding material. Ahh the feel of fresh, new PMC clay! I filled the mold and cleaned it up enough to play with - BUT when you put the birth stones in it looks like a silly smiley face.

Oh brother!
And then ::key the hallelujah choir:: the UPS man rang my door with ::key them again:: my delivery from ACW ::one more time just 'cause I can::.... Silver flakes - fine, medium and rough. Ohhh what fun things could I do with this? Hmmm edge the heart... encompass the bezels? GO NUTS! :o)

OMG before I go on...
The timer just went off and poof there was a precious piece ready to come out of the kiln. Now - for those of you who have never done this before, when you incorporate gems in a piece for firing and you take the cover off and see the color COMPLETELY GONE from the gem (it was Ruby when I put it in... wasn't it??) and then when you pull it out and it starts to cool... the color comes back and I swear, I know it sounds hokey but - it's magic! :o)

OK enough about that - back to the hearts. Would adding an edging of medium fine silver flakes around help?

What about prongs? instead of setting the garnet and emerald in the piece, what about pronged settings? Would they just look like GOOGLY eyes on a silly smiley face? Hmmm what if...

OK now - for the hibiscus that stole my breath away when I opened the kiln.

Pretty hibiscus family - large, medium and two small. Birthstones representing the children - Moonstone and Ruby (those are the stones, not the children! ;o)). I played with some drawings in my design book and came up with a grouping that I liked. THEN because I knew I didnt have time to spend a lot of time carving - I reproduced the design on my computer and then created a PhotoPolymer Plate (PPP).

Because I'm still learning I tend to experiment. SO this one has a fine silver bezel for the moonstone (didnt think it would fire and put the bezel in and then tested a spare stone and POOF worked) and a PMC clay setting for the ruby. Plus I added a tweek of fine silver flakes on the tips of the two larger hibiscus stamens. AND now I'm thinking as I type this that I may put some 24K gold on the medium size hibiscus.

Off to finish the pieces - will post photos tomorrow. :o)

January 3, 2010 New Year!

Hmmm...

Sickness is about gone - at least I'm sleeping now. And I'm trying to make up for losing about 12 days at the end of 2009. Not a bad thing in 'life' but when it comes to 12 lost days for "real work" that's bad.

BUT as I attempt to do 'real' work on this gorgeous 46 degree, blue sky, Memphis Sunday I keep thinking about a problem child - no, not one of the boys... but a project I'm working on for loved ones.

Here are the problems...

~ Copper and Silver.
~ Prongs.
~ Shrinkage factor.
~ Possible sintering problems w/ copper.

I think the main part of my problem is jumping for joy that the copper was available for me to use w/ a torch. I thought I had thought out the process of putting this piece together but maybe only on paper.

I started with a polymer clay carving of the heart w/ mountains and created a mold from the 2-part molding material. Originally it was going to be all silver THEN copper clay came along. Ohhh the joy! The mountains in the piece I'm making were red rock and the copper would be stunning!

So I thought use the mountain part of the mold and fill w/ copper. Then add a "tack" with the copper to the back of the mountains and fire.

Once that was done I would make a mold "filler" w/ polymer clay to block the mountain space in the mold. Then fill it with silver to make the heart portion. I was going to make a hole in the silver heart, slice it and form it around the mountains and the "tack" so that when the silver was fired it would shrink down around the 'tack' (maybe I should just call it a post) thus attaching the copper to the silver.

Here's where the problem came in. I skipped steps - I know, I know! Don't skip steps til you know the steps work in the first place!

I was over excited by the copper - and had to make a mountain - it came out awesome - really, really pretty - but I didn't put the 'post/tack' on it. Then of course I had to try the silver... but because I didn't have the post I didn't make the hole. I thought hmmm I'll use bezel wire on the silver and hold the copper to it that way.

Well - that didn't work out - I forgot about the shrinkage factor. The heart shrunk away from the bezel. (I had put it around the base of the heart and it pulled away from the bezel as it fired.)

Then I put the two pieces - copper mountains and silver heart together and POOF the heart shrunk more than the mountain and now it's a whole lotta mountain.

OH and did I mention prongs above - well you won't see them in the silver piece (which actually looked better before I pulled the bezel off, in the pic above it's just setting at the bottom of the heart). In my frustration with the bezel issue I popped the prongs off figured they weren't on there right and ... hmmm that may have been correct. They snapped right off. (I had only done one set of prongs before and they were wires embedded in the piece, these were silver clay and may not have been secured down enough PLUS they were not yet hardened in the tumbler.) ANYWAY - the prongs were going to hold a piece of the red rock I picked up to go on the hearts.

Now, back to the copper canyons - because the mountains were not sitting correctly I tried to bend it down a little with plyers and PPPPPOOOOOOFFFF! It snapped off. Looking at the snapped area I think it didn't sinter 100% through.












But as I'm only partially sure I know that not being sintered correctly means in my terms - it wasn't cooked long enough. So, I'm posting pictures of what I think it's NOT supposed to look like in the hopes that one of my smart Art Clay Friends will tell me yes, indeed it is not sintered correctly and that they are good pictures of what not to do.

What to do?

Unfortunately I have to travel this week so I have a week to think about it and no time to do anything about it til the weekend.

Suggestions on what I did wrong? Or am I going it the right direction and need to follow the steps I originally laid out?

Things that make you go hmmmmmm....

(PS... it's now 37 degrees, overcast and I still have to do 'real' work.)

December 20, 2009 Puzzled Titanium

Titanium brings to mind all kinds of things - hard, metal, 'austere'... but then I discovered Crystalized Titanium from Holly Gage (www.hollygage.com). As I posted yesterday - it's terrifying to have something so special and then try and use it in a way that suits it.

A few months ago I ordered two "you pick them for me" crystalized titanium pieces from Holly. I gave them an idea of what I was going to create and she and Chris did a great job finding me two pieces that would work together with the design I had in mind. (Note: that the photos do NOT show the gorgeous colors well on these pieces.) Then the hard part started....

I needed puzzle pieces. All the pieces I found on the internet were too 'thin' or didn't connect in the manner I wanted it to. So I pulled out my old nemisis "polymer clay" and started playing. I created two pieces that fit together and then cured them. I used 2-part molding compound to make molds of the polymer pieces and then created the silver pieces.

I spent a good amount of time trying to make the edges smooth but still puzzle like (rounded on the top straight on the bottom) and then worked to carve the hearts into the center of where the titanium would sit on the pieces. The hearts were made so that a little bit of the titanium could show through the silver. I added 24K gold to the pieces - the recipients wear gold... and I think that the 24K gold and the gold chain helps bring out the pretty yellow-gold in the titanium. All in all I'm excited at how it all 'fits'.

As you can see I still have a hard time working "thin" I think these puzzle pieces are probably close to 8 cards thick. Which makes for a medium heavy piece. I was concerned that the titanium would need the thickness but then after doing some more research on Holly's website last night I discovered I could probably have gone thinner with out any problem. A quick trip to Kohl's brought me such luck! Two matching 24" flat chains - about the width of the 24k Gold stripes on the pieces. So excited!!

The pieces were fun to do. I played with them for a couple of months from start to finish working on them in between the other projects.

I only wish I could have shot them to really show the gorgeous titanium! :o)

December 20, 2009 Wisdom & Intelligence

My last Christmas gift is finished... Wisdom & Intelligence is patina'd fine silver with 18g Fine Silver loop on a 19" beaded strand of 4mm and 8mm Hematite and Amethyst with a magnetic closure.

The recipient is never satisfied with "because" as an answer. She looks deeper, researching and learning. Forever learning. The Japanese characters for Wisdom and Intelligence are stacked on this piece. It was designed to attempt an 'old' look. Note: the patina on the actual piece is not as dark as it appears in these photos. Not perfect in shape or imprint. I tried to get it to look like it was worn, by having the edges lower in some areas. The Japanese characters were stacked and the dog tag type outline were put together in PhotoShop. The image was printed on overlay and then a low relief Photo Polymer Plate was created and the piece was molded in silver clay.

Hematite and amethyst are both a favorite and the birthstone of the recipient. The back is tagged with "artist mark" (still find that funny to write! he he he!)

My hope is that she enjoys it and wears it in good health as she continues her journey.

December 15, 2009 WORK Interferes

I have read about addictions interfering with people's work - but work interfering with one's addiction? WELLL Yes! Here I am away from my studio on business of all things and I am 2 days into silver withdrawal and WORK is keeping me from posting the additional pieces I completed in my silver-crazed weekend!

What is up with that?

SO - reports done, email closed and should be sleeping for 2 1/2 hour drive to another site tomorrow but instead I'm getting a little silver fix by telling you about:

Gifts two & three... Brilliant Barnacles - Ahh my pretty little shells! Made for a wonderful lady that I work with and helps keep me sane (stop, I hear you laughing... so just stop). I designed the larger shell for her. The piece is approx 1.25" top to bottom and about 1" wide. It's all .999 fine silver except for the birthstones (clear and colored CZ). It is hanging on a sterling silver neck chain and has a magnetic closure. I used a found shell and 2-part mold compound to make a mold and then went from there.

I love the way the birthstone settings came out - it's the first time I've done anything like this and I thought that the way they ended up looked like barnacles. The stones repesent each of her little girls. The birthstones worried me. First shot at firing with stones in a piece resulted in liquified 'gem' ha! what a mess but very cool to experience. So when I put the blue CZs that Cool Tools labeled as ok for firing I got realllly nervous when I peeked in the kiln and discovered the once "Aquamarine" one was clear OMG don't do this to me!

I put the cover on and did a little dance to the silver gods and asked that they not take the color away. When I took the piece out I was so excited to watch the cz turn back to blue! WAYYYY Cool! :o)

The bail is textured and is another first for me... a bail that isn't a jump ring or part of a stem. I was very nervous but quite pleased with how it turned out. If you look at the piece the bail actually makes it look like an angel - I see potential for Angel items here!!



The Baby Barnacles were designed from another found shell and 2-part compound. One for each of her daughters. They are just about 3/4" wide x 3/4" high and hang from a sterling silver chain. By the way - anyone know the actual size of a necklace for a child?

The little girls were so excited! I loved watching them wearing the necklaces all evening long - it was a great experience! I love my silver clay addiction! :o)

December 12, 2009: Tumbling & Blogging

Caught up!

I spent part of my evening running the tumbler. First time with the tumbler and I think I need to hand burnish the pieces a little more than I did this time and then tumble. OR I need to put more shot in, OR I need to put less silver in. I need to check with my Art Craft Friends on Facebook.

Then I spent the rest of the past 4+ hours setting up this blog. Going back to the beginning of my adventure with metal clay. Luckily I've posted on Facebook and taken photos of classes and projects which are all dated and once my memory was jogged I was able to post as if it was that day! :o)

Why?

Because I love what I'm doing. I'm having a blast and sometimes you just want to share that with people! As I indicated on my first post.. my family and friends are "about up to here" with listening to me go on and on about metal clay. My hope is that as they receive the gifts I'm working on they too will understand my excitement and enjoy the fruits of my labor as much as I enjoy making them!! And I am enjoying making them!!

If you are looking for gorgeous pieces to buy check out the ETSY sites of some of my Art Clay Friends from Facebook:

~ Dreamsome
~ Holly Gage
~ Lune Designs
~ Lizards Jewelry

It's 7:09 am here and I'm going to sign off and go put my polymer birth 'stones' into the wax stamp pendant then go find some breakfast!! :o)

December 9, 2009: Silver Clay Success!

EXCITED! Yes, Excited!!!

I'm working on 7 projects right now. One of them a "Wax Stamp" pendant came out soo sweet tonight. It's adorable. I created the piece with polymer clay. Cooked it and then molded it with 2-part mold compound. Then I used the mold for the silver clay. I used bezels for the first time... little fine silver cups the size of the 'gems' that it will hold. They are attached to the piece before firing.

The idea for this is that the stamp holds birthstones of the receivers children.

Here's my question though - Do I put the 'gems' in and THEN tumble or TUMBLE then put gems in? I've looked and looked and don't find anything specifically along this line. (Tumble - putting the pieces in a jewelry tumbler with mixed size stainless steel shot and the pieces are burnished by the shot. I purchased a Lortone tumbler - yes another tool! :o) and it sits on the top shelf of my work bench out in the garage.)

My Art Clay Friends on Facebook all said that it needed to be done before the tumble. Because part of the thing that tumbling does is 'work harden' the silver. Meaning the more it is burnished the harder the silver becomes. A good thing when dealing with delicate bails.

So I attempted to put the gems in and discovered something - i have the wrong type of bezel. I bought bezel cups which you normally use for cabachons but what I needed were pronged settings. Sooo now what? Make due.

Here's the biggest problem. I originally made this piece for a different recipient. Then wanted to make 'charms' for her daughter and thought hmmm should use something else. So I decided to use this piece for another friend who also has two children. However the 'gems' I have for this project are not perfect circles and they won't fit ... what to do, what to do?

Polymer Clay!! Yep that's right. I used the correct colors mixed to look like Garnet and then went back to that slab of Skinner Blend left over from my polymer clay techniques class that is the PERFECT match for turquoise. I cooked the little pieces and once the piece is tumbled I'll glue the polymer into the bezels.

So much success - so little time!

Photos to come!

December 8, 2009: Bead Fix!

Life is good! My bead addiction is full - for this minute. My Fire Mountain Gem order came in and oohhhh how lovely are the yellow jasper, leopardskin, chrysanthemum stone, harvest stone, crazy horse, serpentine and snow flake obsidian - ahhhh some of them will go soooo well with copper ... excitement abounds!

Why the excess? Well I'm working on some silver pieces and needed "aquamarine" gems for one of the pieces - March Birthstone. But the shipping was $5. Can't pay $5 for shipping for a $2.00 'gem'. LOL

So I browsed - and found the sale section. So many beads, so little time!

Off to finish the silver pieces!!

December 7, 2009: Copper & Pickle

Sounds like a bad craving by a pregnant woman!

But it's not. Pickle is what you use to clean the black fire scale that is left on copper after you fire it. It eats away the black and leaves you with pretty copper waiting to be shined up like a new penny.

I chose to use Silver Prep. It's natural and not a haz mat accident waiting to happen. And according to some it smells 'less bad' than the regular pickle. Although it smells pretty bad!!!

So, my Silver Prep arrived. I went to Kroger in search of a Lil Dipper crock pot and found instead a 1.5 quart crock pot that was on sale for $10.88 - SCORE! Little larger and less expensive! PLUS the pot comes out and can be cleaned in my dish washer - got to love that!

I came home, read the directions for the 15th time and then let it go. About an hour later I checked and it was pretty hot so I added my copper test pieces - the good and the bad. The whole and the broken. I wanted a good test. Someone had said it may take longer with the non-toxic stuff so I left it in for 2 hours. A bit of over kill but IT WORKED! The pieces came out clean with no scale left at all.

And the mountains - ohhh boy is this piece going to be stunning!!! I'm very, very excited by copper now.

Still no pics - will post later. I'm on a mission to finish silver pieces that will be gifts before I head out on a business trip!

December 5, 2009: Copper Clay - Good & Bad

Never one to let something kick me in the butt - copper clay has almost done this! I experimented... molded some (angel mold, shell, maple leaf, mountains), textured some (about 2 cards thick) and then sliced it into triangles thinking I could make earrings from it, and all the while thinking - it dries out faster than silver.

I fired the pieces:

Angel mold - too big for torch firing so after the piece was fired and dipped into water to stop the fire scale from popping off as it cooled and hitting me in the face - I waited a while and then stress tested it. In otherwords I mauled the piece. The wings snapped off but the head remained solid. I believe it was a sintering issue - I dont think I held it at 'salmon' for 5 full minutes. THAT and the fact that in trying to use less clay (remember by propensity for using too much) I put the clay into the mold in pieces and I personally think some of the breaks were along the lines where the pieces were mushed in.

Shell mold - seems good no breakage

Maple leaf mold - the stem broke off - and the piece was not 100% stable. See final reasoning above in Angel mold - I think it was 'Stupid User Error' in putting the clay into the mold.

Mountain mold - OMG worked great... settle, settle dont get all excited.

Texture sheets - not so good. After checking with my Art Clay Friends on Facebook I discovered that it could be because it was too thin. The break test failed in a major way.

Then I created an "acorn" pretty thick. That sintered completely after 5 mins of heating to 'salmon' stage. And I made a mold of a cool acorn cap and that too sintered well - although later when trying to put a hole through the stem, it broke off. That piece had been re-attached after I dropped it on the floor - dah, hard wood floor not good for pre-fired pieces!

So far, my one wish for copper is that the heart pieces I want to make for my Brother and Sister-in-law work out seems to be good-to-go.

Waiting on Silver Prep to come in so I can "pickle" them and see how they look once I burnish them.

No photos yet.

December 1, 2009: Copper Clay!

At 12:10am I went to ArtClayWorld.com and looked and sure enough, as promised Copper Clay was available for purchase. COPPER CLAY!

Ok - so I was excited because Silver Clay is all I can fire with my little baby kiln or my torch. That means I didnt have to 'wish' for bronze, copper or now steel clay supplies - because I couldnt fire them. HA! THEN they introduce low fire Metal Clay - Copper. Copper clay that can be fired without using a metal can with firing materials and a cover and a huge kiln - AND at $14.99 for 50g it's way more friendly on the wallet than silver ($80.40 for 50g at least today!).

So I ordered some... and ordered the copper "pickle" that I need to clean the fire scale off the copper and copper tongs.

Copper clay - another addition to my metal clay addiction!!

November 29, 2009: Thinking of Others

I have a friend that I work with who is fighting a major battle with throat cancer right now. And every day I think of his strength, his good spirits and ::soft chuckle:: his self-proclaimed theme song "Tubthumping" by Chumbawumba.

I have another friend - from high school - that I recently learned went through her own battle with breast cancer while her sister fights every day a battle with colon cancer.

All these people - and so many more fighting every day. I kept reflecting and the more I thought the more I wanted to do something to celebrate them and their families and possibly help in some little way.

I created this piece - a medalion of .999 Fine Silver with lapsis blue-colored polymer clay. It's hanging on an 18" sterling silver 2mm beaded chain with a magnetic clasp for easy closure. The design represents the The Fifth Chakra - Throat Healing.

I don't know how to express the feeling behind this piece. Depending on what you believe it could be a form of grasping at straws thinking that the dark lapsis blue color combined with the natural silver, the Fifth Chakra symbol, wearing it around the neck and the good thoughts, love and concern that were always present before - during the design and creation of the piece - and will continue after the gift is given, will - in some way - help to 'clear' the illness from his life.

Learn more about the Fifth Chakra.

For my friend from high school I made a necklace for her mom. The 18" sterling silver chain holds two "Awareness Ribbons" that I designed. The .999 fine silver ribbons are filled with polymer clay - one pink for breast cancer and one blue for colon cancer. The ribbons measure approx 1.25" long. I'm excited to post that I have received a request to make 2 more sets - one for her and her sister. A little part of me feels that I'm helping knowing that my pieces are going to help them bring awareness to the diseases that so need to be cured.

Notes: I used new techniques to create the molds for these pieces. Photo Polymer Plates. It's a way to take something you create on you computer and then print onto overlay material and then transfer to the Photo Polymer Plate using UV light. It's a great technique that I love along with making pieces from polymer clay and then molding them in 2-part molding compound.

November 15, 2009: Polymer Clay & Silver Metal Clay

The skinner blend I came home from Polymer Techniques class with was making me crazy. It looked like the ocean. I cut a shape out of it and cooked it.

It burned.

I tried again.

It burned.

One more time... not a lot of 'good' variations left... it worked. THANK GOODNESS! (of course I sat in front of the oven the entire time!)

I keep thinking ocean. I love the ocean. Being originally from New England I grew up being only an hour at the most from the ocean. I miss the wind, the smell, the pounding of the waves, the sounds. I miss it all. And the skinner piece kept making me think ocean - nature - natural ... then I started thinking: drift wood and shells. Ok back to polymer clay. They said I could mold it with my hands - lets see what I come up with. Ta Da! Drift wood (yes, it's over cooked but it worked!) I sprayed it with matte clear coat and after seeing it together wished I hadn't - I think that wet/dry sanding it would have been better - BUT I learned that technique AFTER I created the piece.

After molding the drift wood I used 2-part mold compound to make a mold of the drift wood and 3 tiny shells that I had laying around.

After this I filled (have I mentioned I STILL have issues with using too much clay?) the molds with metal clay and when dried I cleaned them up and fired them. I ran into problems. I should have attached the pieces together before firing them. Then fired them as one piece. But I was afraid that the torch wouldn't be able to handle all the pieces together because it was so big. (I had not yet fired up the kiln... you know back to that fear of stepping into the unknown mentioned in an earlier post.)

After much messing around and practically melting the silver pieces I finally got them to stick - Note to self: when firing multiple pre-fired pieces together use Metal Clay OIL not Metal Clay paste. Metal Clay paste works on pieces that are not yet fired, but Metal Clay Oil is what I should have used.

And now to put it all together - the torch makes cool little balls when you heat fine silver wire. AND if you pull the heat off just at the right moment the balls will stay attached to the wire - in what I think looks like seaweed! So I've put the polymer clay w/ the silver pieces and fine silver wire seaweed and come up with a really cool looking piece - a really cool HEAVY piece, but a really cool piece non-the-less.

Is it a pendant or a "broach"? I'm not sure. Right now it has a bail on it, but I really think it needs a pin.

November 7, 2009: Polymer Clay

Ugh! I think I have a love-hate relationship with it. I don't like the little people and creatures that some folks make. It's nothing against them, I just don't like them. HOWEVER I took this class - Polymer Techniques again at the Memphis Botanical Garden (MBG) with ... yep you guessed it - Brandy Boyd! :o) Now... if you may be asking... "if you don't like polymer clay, why take a class?" Because I need to learn! LOL

Techniques learned in one medium can be used in others - sound familiar? I learned how to make a cane, make skinner blend, cook (although I have to admit I tend to burn pieces at home... thankfully I mainly use them for molds) and more!

I came out of the class with a better understanding that polymer clay is so much more than the little people and little animals that I feared we would make. I learned that I could use it in my silver pieces - and that you could make some cool looking jewelry with it if you wanted to!

October 22, 2009: Wanted: Bigger Studio Space!

Well... the closet isn't cutting it! I need more room. Where to go, where to go? The 'dining room' in my house is not really a dining room. It's a 'library' it has book shelves, and display shelves, and a 6' Aruba Cat condo. But it has potential I mean what do I really use it for?

So - I did some hunting. The furniture I put in there is actually from the Christopher Lowell "Shores" set that is available at Office Depot. And wonder of wonders they have a computer armoir. hmmm bigger space. doors that close. close to the garage - ohhhh did I forget to mention that addition? (More on this later!)

I bought the new piece. It matches perfectly of course - and it's GREAT! I added boards to the inside of the open spaces that you can use to hang hooks, baskets, and more from. I put in a light with a magnifier on it, it has display area for my pieces as I get more done - right now if you look closely it holds my 2010 Holly Gage Metal Clay calendar - OMG - talk about eye candy!! The pieces are gorgeous!

(OH and the mascot on top? That's Nubbles - on is good as long as he and his brother don't figure out how to get IN! :o) )


Did I mention I bought a kiln? ha aha ha! I knew it wouldn't last, you probably knew it wouldn't last. I mean it's another tool! Don't get me wrong the micro torch is awesome. I use it for 80% of my works but I also wanted to do pieces that have 'gems' in it and you can't do that with a torch so I invested in a itty bitty kiln. It works perfect for metal clay - silver and enameling.

So I cleaned out the other side of my garage and put the kiln and my 'mini photo booth' on the work bench. (In the very near future it will hold my polymer clay oven and my Lortone tumbler - yes, yes, I know, I know... more tools! geeze!)

So now I'm working out of the 'library' it's right around the corner from the door to the garage - which puts it close to the kiln and the polymer clay oven. I have a wall that I could add another table if needed. And I have book space for my inspiration books. PLUS the boys can hang out and the guest room is once again a guest room! :o)

September 26, 2009: Vessel Making with Precious Metal Clay

Another great class and further cementing me into this wonderful world of metal clay! Back at at the Memphis Botanical Garden (MBG), Brandy Boyd again was the leader of this terrific class. She came prepared with really cool little shapes made from cork clay. Yes, Cork Clay. I couldnt believe it either - first you tell me there's clay made from precious metal - silver, bronze, copper, gold - and now you tell me there's cork clay too? Hmmm

The theory behind the class is to paint many layers of metal clay that has been watered down to be a paste-like consistency onto the cork shape. Then you add design using metal clay, carving, texture... whatever you choose. And you fire. Here's the thing - when you fire the cork BURNS OUT and you are left with a hollow fine silver form. Be it bead or vessel - it's fine silver and it's hollow.

The picture is all I have from my class I was so engrossed in what I was doing I forgot to take pictures!! I probably sat there with my tongue between my teeth concentrating all I know is I was committed (or perhaps should be). The silver beads are hollow as is the vessel. The little pieces of black "coal" is what is left of the cork after it burned.

How cool is that? Warning though - the cork smells when it burns out.

Now I need to get some supplies. It's to much to handle. I must have supplies so I ordered -

~ silver clay
~ cork clay (gotta have cork)
~ tools (roller, torch, knives)
~ and so much more!

Where do you get these supplies?
www.firemountaingems.com ~ www.metalclaysupply.com ~ www.cooltools.us ~ www.wholelottawhimsey ~ www.riogrande.com ~ artclayworld.com