Well,that went well.....not

Well, as you can see this what my experiement with Art clay paper type looks like. The two squares were before firing glued together, but this didnt work as i was able to split them with ease using a sharp blade. I also tried to coil a strip around a skewer to see how it went. The paper tears easily i found. But it did fire using a torch, but i was very careful. The biggest issue i see with this brand of paper type is strength, there isnt any!. I doubt this would change even if layered a few times. So i shall try to find out about PMC sheet type and whether it is thicker. On a brighter note, i did have some lump form so was able to make a start on the earrings for the 'IMPERFECT' collection. Although they do need a lot of clean up pre firing,and i need to decide on a way to secure an earwire to them, but i think i may well just craft a small 'block' to be pasted onto the back of each top square.

*Correction*

This is what i get for trying to post and having several conversations at the sametime hahaha.

The last paragraph should read 'ID style bracelet' not idea style.

Paper type

Another trip to hatton garden saw me buying some Art clay silver paper type. Not used paper type before but i've read as much as i can. After purchasing it i was a little shocked to find just how thin it is, 0.25mm YIKES. Am going to try using it to make earrings to match the 'IMPERFECT' squares pendant. With it being so thin i'm going to have to double it up as i've been told it shrinks more than the lump type. Of course all this hassle could prove fruitless as it's ment to be kiln fired. I have a feeling it's due to the nature of the product, with it being very much like paper direct flame could well simply burn it, so i may well try a gentle flame and not directly on it until the binder has burnt away. Hoping this works, whatever happens i'll post pictures of the results.
Am also hoping to use some of the paper type for a bracelet for me :D. Like an idea style bracelet with my initials. Not sure yet whether to design it with one 'plate' for the initials or 3 individual 'plates'. Most likely with be individual style as i dont want a standard rectangle and cant quite design anything i like for a single style.
So hopefully tomorrow i'll get at least one of these pieces sorted.

Imperfect-first piece

Ok so the picture isnt great..still, but it's much better than my first attempt. I tumbled the piece, but didnt quite get the surface finish i was hoping for. Was hoping it would be a little more smooth and burnished, but no matter it fits with my original idea of a brushed finish. This picture really doesnt do it justice. It turned out exactly as i wanted it too. Simple, smooth surface finish,but not mirror smooth like sterling would have, the brushing worked very well, except for the small spaces between squares, but this fits in well with the whole idea behind the mini collection of 'IMPERFECT'. To be honest the whole piece is brushed, it's just that the brushing on the overlap doesnt quite go in the same direction, but you have to look really hard to notice.
So, my first silver clay piece in ages, went exactly how i saw it.

Balancing act

No pictures this time. I have left the copper clay alone for now due to the firing issues. A shame as i really like working with it, it produced some really nice pieces i thought. Just the fact it is sold as 'torch fireable' yet the instructions from the manufacturer say nothing about this, whereas their silver clay variant the instruction sheet does. Well if i'm able to get hold of a kiln then i will go back to it.
So i got some silver clay the other week, which i have used before so know it fires well using my current torch/gashob options.
So i re-did the 'squares' piece, and this time it worked without falling apart or needing rivets haha. Having used it before i know paste making with scraps and filedust is pretty easy, i think this helped the piece work this time. Although i havent plier tested the piece i have tried to 'twist' it in my hands and it didnt budge, all good :D. I have put a brushed finish to the piece, but this is purely an initial finish and i'm going to tumble it tomorrow and then brush the foreground squares to give depth, thank you to F from making jewellery for that one, and all their lovely comments to the picture i posted there *better pic to follow*.

Unfortunately, me being me, once this piece proved a success my head went off into overdrive, as it usually does *hey i am an artist afterall haha*. I have since had various ideas to produce a mini collection based around the 'imperfect squares'. Most of these i can do without problem using either my torch, gashob or a combination of both. However my idea for a bangle/cuff is so far proving difficult. I am limited to what i can fire purely by the tools i have to hand. I have neither the space nor the wallet to get a kiln yet, so i really need to find a balancing act between wallet and head full of ideas hahahaha.

*Update to last post*

Ok so the pictures didnt post as linked. So they are in reverse, new shape pendant first, just after breaking, and the bar in crumbs.

Oh i dont believe it :(

Well, as you can see the copper clay may not be as torch fireable as suggested. If these have been posted as i listed them then the first should be of the bar. I noticed that the dodgey tab was also slightly off skew. So a gently grasped the piece with pliers and applied a little pressure to bend it back. It snapped in half. I noticed how the core was crumbly,so i tested with my pliers and it basically crumbled without any effort at all. The next picture is of the recently completed zodiac pendant, which i have worn since i finished it. The bail on one side hadnt quite bonded,so i was going to solder it. I had it in my hot lil paws but dropped it not 4-5inches onto my desk and it broke. Yet again the core seems crumbly. The last picture is the pendant after i saw cut the odd off. Still a usable piece, just not happy it seems that the copper hasnt sintered.

DAGNABIT

Well at least my riveting is getting better :( lmao. The bail stayed put and the element fell off shortly after the binder burnt away. Even after i removed it and re-pasted the sucker. So yet another failure in some respects. Oh and it is supposed to be the zodiac symbol for Leo, but i used a standard long needle to cut it out which was a lil too thick, but it did work and clean up wasnt too bad, just the usual rolling over the top, which is easy to clean up during sanding. Still a little uneven and i did go a lil mad with the 'swirl' but hey i like it, heck am wearing it right now :D. I should have considered the fact it may not bond to the tile when i cut it. As you can see the rivet is very close to one edge, and the rivet is 0.8mm sterling so that tells you how narrow it is, but it worked.

Considering the issues i'm having with copper clay, i may venture back to silver clay. I would like to combine the two into a design as i've seen some really nice designs using the two clays. Just wary as making paste is still an issue, which does currently limit the addition of elements like this in this piece, and the surface finish isnt always too my liking, but i shall not be beaten damn it hahahaha.

Also have been chatting to friends who keep bringing up doing a course, which would give me hints n tips to solve my lil trouble, but alas they are not cheap,so thought needs to be put into this. I shall still carry on experiementing as i'm learning all the time and improving gradually.

Hmmm, pondering issue

Ok so as you can see i'm slowly getting there with the copper clay. My surfaces with the last three pieces were much better than the roll beads i first made, but then those were not ment to have shiney surfaces, they were really just a play around. These latest pieces and indeed pieces to come for the next few weeks are also playing around, shape,form,surface, structure but i'm getting more serious now. Been doing making for a few years now, and want to more forward.
Having said that, i did throw a piece together today from the scrap clay i had left over. Another idea that came to me at 2am lol. Simple rectangle with my attempt at drawing/cutting out a design element in clay. The rectangle and element went well. Alas i forgot to put the remaining scrap into clingfilm and it had dried a fair bit, so i tried to reconstitute the thing but it didnt go too well. So the bail for the pendant was very dry and cracked as i tried to shape it onto the tile. And i'm having problems making paste from scrap bits so i feel the bail and maybe even the element may go the way of the squares and fall off as i start to fire it. The element i can remove and try again if needed. I spent a good while this afternoon trying to use paste and re-shape and secure the bail in place *crosses everything that will cross*. It should be dry tomorrow, so am hoping i can finish it to where i'm happy and i'll post pictures.

Finally a quick shout out to some of the ladies of makingjewellery mag who now follow my ramblings, welcome ladies ;) xx

Final piece from today

At this is the final piece from todays tumbling. I did try and get a good shot of the 'tab' that split, but alas none of them came out. Basically it's the one on the right, and it's where it was joined at the top, so you cant see it now, but once up close you can, still toying with ideas to sort it.
Anyways, this was/is the start of a combined piece, a statement piece i have been planning. It would be hung from a simple 1-1 sterling chain and using art clay silver i will create a flat form to hung below the bar here with perhaps a cabochon, have been drooling over some gorgeous agates at designer cabs. As i'm still unsure whether i can repair it or not, this idea may not happen, or i could just try it all again, i'll see.

Partly happy i guess

Ok, so as you can see, refering to my earlier entry, the squares really weren't how i pictured them. The first rivit didnt quite work so i had to drill it out and do it again so there is a little dent on the reverse.
The fold pendant i'm pretty happy with, except for the inner folds which have proven hard to burnish, both by hand and tumbling, but i'm working on it.

Dang,blast and other expletives :(

Oh sod it :(
My order arrived last week and i had a couple of ideas in my head, one of which i drew a few rough sketches for and YAY i thought. So sat down at my bench and started. First piece, really simple idea, a fold of clay, like those paper fans you used to make at school, only not even. Rolled the clay, used th cookie cutter, hey presto, bobs your uncle etc etc done :D. Second piece was going to be a little more complex. A 'bar' of copper. Rolled the clay, used the snake roller to make a nice even short length of 'wire' as it were, and then shaped it as i wanted, this also worked. Let that piece dry and then added the 'tabs' through which rings will soldered for the chain. That also seemed to work. Third piece, 5 simple squares, cookie cutter, clay then the delicate job of positioning the pieces while they were still 'wet' and also ensuring that they were bonded to each other well. One didnt but as the clay had dried not a biggie and it was expected,so i bonded them using the scrap i had made into paste.
And now the bad news :(. The folded pendant fired beautifully. The surface is again a little to 'pitted' for my liking, so i really need to practise keeping the clay moist enough during working and get the paste a better consistancy. But otherwise i'm very happy with how it turned out, as i pictured it basically, which how i work, no amount of sketching will make a difference if the piece doesnt look how it does in my head, thats my sketchbook. The fold pendant will get a ruddy good tumble to see if i cant smooth the surface a little more, then maybe get the burnisher on it as well. Now, the copper 'bar' which was/is going to be combined with art clay silver at some point to produce a statement necklace. It fired well considering it is a lil larger than the recommended size for torch firing. Quenched, then pickled. It was only when i was washing it that i noticed that one of the 'tab' hangers has spilt :(:(. It is still attached to the bar, the paste seems to have worked there, the flat section of the 'tab' has split. I will post a picture so you can see what i'm waffling on about. The piece is still useable i feel, but the look has been spoilt,so need to get my head working as to how i could possibly fix that.
And so on to the squares pendant. Real simple pendant, 5 squares, slightly over lapping each other, joined and then hung on leather thong or similar. Again after careful checking and much paste, i thought it was ready to be fired. Torch on, flame on piece, as the binder began to burn off the dang thing simply fell apart, nooooooooooooo. So i continued firing them as i may well now just rivet the things together instead. And to top it all they seem to have 'curled' up so got my trusty benchblock, nice shiny unmarked one, and now it's not on one side, the copper squares have marked it, all i did was lightly hammer each square to flatten them, soooooooo annoyed.

So my experiements with copper clay are going ok-ish lol. One piece out of three that is exactly what i wanted, the other piece could still be salvagable, the third will end up as something else. Still got enough clay to try the squares idea again, which i may well do as it was a nice simple one but effective i thought.
Ah well off to get out the tumbler and see what becomes of my pitted surfaces.....oh er missus thats sounds painful

Waiting on next order

Oh i hate living so far away from metal clay stores. A couple of the lovely stores in hatton garden sell pmc and art clay, but they sell the basics so ordering in is the way to go, trouble is i hate waiting lol.
Well hopefully tomorrow my next batch or art clay copper will arrive and i wil have thought of something to make with it. Was thinking along the lines the idea i mentioned last update. Small 'tiles' either with something carved into each one, or perhaps marking out a border and whatever design i choose, then removing the material not marked out. Ok so this may sound long winded way of doing it, i could simply make a texture plate as i have plasticard, but i wanted to try out carving this clay and have a really sweet wood chisel that has a shallow 'u' cut. Thought it could leave a nice texture itself.

Oh, and as if you hadnt guessed by now, this blog isnt a 'learn from an artist' type, while i'm pretty good at things i try, i'm still learning, so it's more of a 'i like talking to myself' hahahaha.

Well what a couple of weeks, mostly GRRRR, but a few YAY monents. Notably my first play with art clay copper. Ok so i havent been able to get decent pictures of the final finish, but overall i'm happy, and still dont know what to do with them lol.
So been drawing up a shopping list for this week. Another pack of copper clay, a few tools and maybe a texture plate. Although my first experiements at making my own with polymer clay are pretty good so i may just use those, we'll see. I may also order some art clay silver. But not sure. Combining the two clays isnt an option until fired, and then you have to fire the copper first and design the silver so it 'shrinks' around the copper element. This could work with my inlay idea though. Still toying with buffalo horn plates and inlaid silver designs. This could work using the two clays. Just need to think it through a lil more as i'm still pretty new to working these clays.

I diiiiiiiiid it :D

Well it worked...mostly :D. One piece broke off one of the rolls *tiny piece infront of the roll it came off*, but it's n biggie. That particular roll was very dry and the end did break off, i re-attached with paste and should have gone over it a few times once dry to build up a few more layers. Never mind i'm stil very pleased with my first proper attempt. I decided to smooth the first three and leave the last two larger pieces as is. Looking at them i prefer the last two, pitted surface, that was my original idea for the look of them, but the contrast looks good so far. I may improve the surface of the shiner three and get them smoother but we'll see.
As for firing, they are hollow and pretty thick, so i carefully guided my trusty torch and hopefully got the middles to sintering temp. I did scrape inside with a rough length of wire and as far as i can tell no clay dust came out, i could feel the wire scratching the inside, good sign me thought. I did firing them for longer than 5-10mins though. The thicker pieces got a good 10min blast,then i let them cool slightly and brought them back to a mid level orange. The fire scale is a bit of a nightmare, but most came off with quenching instantly in water and then safey pickle. Just need a cup bristle fr my proxxn to get into the rolls.

Right. Off now to decide on finishes for them and what to use them for bracelet or necklace hmmmmm

Plan, did i say that???? lol

Well ok, so you can see these arent moulds of anything. I have used the silver version of art clay before, this is fairly different. Plus the fact i forgot to get any slik or bagder balm to coat my hands and tools. Ah well experiementing is fun as i said before.
Well they didnt look so errrr body waste like when they were wet and i was working with them. They are ment to be simple rolls of metals, which, funnily enough is what they will end up as. Part of an idea i've had for a while now based around scrap metal.
Well anyway, ignoring the fact they look like turds, overall i'm happy with my first copper clay play at this stage. Having left them to dry overnight, and seen them this morning, my initial idea was to leave them as they are. But i may well sand the main flat sections smooth and just leave the edges ripped and torn. A little bit of contrast i thought, as if they fire ok i will patina them and buff and bristle brush the flat surfaces so they are a matt smooth and the edges/insides are 'aged' and a bit rough....like me really lol.
They may not fire too well, as everything i've read about this new clay indicates minor issues with getting them to sinter 'the metal bonding basically' using a torch. Ah well as i keep saying 'experiementing is fun' i have a feeling thats going to be put on my headstone hahaha.

Well, here goes

Am just about to head off to the workbench and try my hand with the art clay copper and the moulds i've made the last couple of days. Most of them will produce pieces slightly too large for me to torch fire, i do however have at least two that are just about right for 'first timer trying'. Or i may just condition the clay and make completely random obscure pieces that after firing i wont know what to do with, but hey experiementing is fun and the copper clay isnt expensive .

Wish me luck

OOOO, good 'ere init.
After much harrassment by various friends i've given in and set one of these suckers up. So yet another site to check and update daily, gluton for it, i must be.
Well anyone the remembers my livejournal will remember that i'm not great at keeping these things updated. Buuuuut, as this is for my adventures in jewellery i shall endevour to update as often as i can, or when i have new pieces to share with you all.

So first post, and first lil snippet into my life as a 'teaching self' jewellery designer.
Got some artclay copper today. Managed to find some sillygum at a good price the other day so have been moulding everything in site. Even went and bought a bag of cheap shells today and have got some really nice mouldings today. So tomorrow i shall have a go at using them to mould a few pieces, perhaps for inclusion in a necklace or as parts of a bracelet, will see how i feel if and when they fire.