More scrap fine silver turned into little pearls with the torch and added like yesterday’s ring. I like the rough texture to the clay. I never make wax this rough, so it’s a nice departure.
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Ring-A-Day: Eight Silver Beads
Category: MetalClay
Ring-A-Day: Silver Pearls
I torched some scrap pieces of fine silver until they turned into little shiny silver pearls. Then I attached them to the clay ring shank with slip and fired them. It’s strangely rough and pleasing at the same time.
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Ring-A-Day: Half Round Silver ArtClay Ring
The slow-dry ArtClay doesn’t seem to like sticking to itself. I had a lot of trouble kneading it. It kept separating in places that had been exposed to air. The BronzClay works a little easier. I’m going to get some silver clay from the folks who make BronzClay and see if it works easier.
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Ring-A-Day: ArtClay Square Silver Clay Ring
More fun experimentation with metal clay. This time it’s with silver ArtClay. Unlike BronzClay that has to be fired in an oxygen-free environment (activated carbon) to prevent the copper from inhaling it and becoming cuprous oxide (a.k.a. firescale), this metal clay is .999 (or 99.9% pure silver) so it can be fired in the open kiln on a shelf, or even with a torch. The binder burns away and leaves fine silver to sinter.
As with other metal clays, the fired piece distorts and shrinks a bit. What started as a square ring with round corners is now a trapezoid. I love this randomness, but would definitely use lost wax if I needed accurate geometry.
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Ring-A-Day: European Shank
Corners on the bottom are intended to keep the ring from turning under. Leave it to those socialists across the pond to figure out this puzzle!
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