May Meeting - Making Ceramic Beads for Metal Clay

The next KCPMC guild meeting is Tuesday, May 21 beginning at 7 pm. We also have a pre-meeting no-host eating out at 5pm. Feel free to join us for  some social time before the meeting! (This month we'll eat at D'Bronx, at  D'Bronx (7070 W 105th off Metcalf).

This month we begin a two-step project -

 Making Ceramic Beads Covered with Silver  

 The possibilities are endless, and clay is much cheaper than PMC!!! So coating the outside of a ceramic or bisque bead makes for larger silver beads but less investment!

 You can also add surface embellishments, paper clay punches, or textures.

 I THINK this is silver clay around a glazed ceramic bead, but don't know for sure. Hopefully, we'll find out on Tuesday night!

 Silver-coated ceramic beads with designs.

 

Phase 1: (May meeting) At the meeting, we will be making beads by hand from dirt clay - to be fired before the next meeting.

Phase 2: (June meeting) At the meeting, we will cover our fired clay beads with PMC paste clay. After firing, these beads will look like silver, but have a clay core.

Members will be provided with both dirt clay in May and PMC silver paste in June. (Your dues at work!!!)

To the May meeting, you should bring:
Your PMC Tool Kit
Needles, oiled toothpicks, mandrels or other things to hold the formed clay beads.
Polymer clay, foam, bead rack or other things to hold your wet clay beads.

The clay MUST be completely dry, or it will explode in the kiln, so firing must take place later next week. We will have firing information or those of us with kilns will help with the firing.

May Meeting Report

We had a small crowd last night – sorry if my late information caused anyone trouble….

Here’s what you missed….

Gale demonstrated putting a metal clay bezel around a piece of pottery or china. NOTE: transfer-ware works best. Some glazed pottery loses color upon high-temp firing, so test fire the pottery first or you may end up with a color-less piece! This sample - which is still adorable - originally also had a lot of dark pink, which almost completely faded.

Tips from Gale:

• Cut a “window” in the back to prevent tearing or pull-away

• Designs that span the top of shard must be anchored (with slip, not just water) to 2 or more locations of the bezel or it will straighten and shrink away from the bezel
• Wide bezels that wrap over the shard can tear upon firing. She recommends adding clay inside bezel instead. (Think window glazing….) Note the tiny tear in lower left of  photo.....

• Use thin strips of clay rather than syringe clay for more precise, even look.

Those who came to the Saturday workshop at Lynette’s house saw this first….an easy and cheap way to make a metal clay turntable…..we brought beads and condiment cups last night, so everyone took one home.

Here’s a link to Wanaree Taylor’s blot – she a metal clay artist and the condiment cup spinner was her idea. http://artwarebywanaree.blogspot.com/2012/02/make-your-own-metal-clay-turntable.html . I think I’m going to glue the top of a cup to the center of a 6” square piece of matboard – so it’s less tippy.

Cecelia brought a pasta machine, some pieces of take-out box Styrofoam and leaves. Everyone present played with making a nice, FLAT texture plate. NOTE: the 2-part silicone we used last night was slightly sticky and hard to roll - it made you hands feel oily and wanted to cling to the rollers. 

Cecelia used a cheap product she found at Hobby Lobby and said it was very easy to use!

 This one went through the pasta machine a 2nd time, with a thin leaf. Do not change the thickness setting, or the texture material may embed into the silicone.

We were using pens, pencils and stylus on the foam - 

Then mix the putty, flatten slightly and run through the pasta machine - using the thicker settings. Lay the putty over your design and using a brayer or acrylic roller, roll ONCE and step away until the molding compound sets. Don't try to re-roll or you'll get shadows or imprecise images.

When the putty has set (test with your fingernail - if it doesn't leave an impression, its done.)