How to Work With Art Clay
Art Clay is one of the leading brands of metal craft clay, an innovative product designed for making small works of art in genuine brass, silver or gold using clay sculpting techniques and home firing. Because it's considerably more expensive than earthenware clays, it's important to do everything you can to get your Art Clay projects right on the first attempt.
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Things You'll Need
- Dish of water
- Cooking oil
- Sculpting tools
- Low-fire kiln or hand torch with brick
- Burnishing tool or hard polished stone (such as an agate)
Instructions
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1
Prepare your work station. Keep a small bowl of water on hand as well as all of your sculpting tools, a rag for wiping your fingers, and newspaper to cover your work surface.
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2
Apply a small amount of cooking oil to your fingers. This will keep the clay from sticking to you or coating your fingers, but be careful not to use so much that your fingers are slick or shiny, as too much oil will damage the clay.
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3
Remove the clay from its package and condition it. Work it around in your fingers, adding a few drops of water if necessary, until it's soft and pliable.
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4
Shape the clay. Almost any shape you can make that's sturdy enough to hold together in clay will become even more structurally sound when it's fired into metal, but pay attention to your pieces to make sure they have the smoothest finish possible, as any roughness or cracks will be amplified.
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5
Allow the clay to dry fully. The piece will change to a paler color as it dries. Do not fire until the clay is completely dry and hard in order to avoid cracking. Wait at least six hours and up to 24 (though you can speed up the drying process with a toaster oven or hair dryer).
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Fire the clay. Either heat in a pottery kiln (follow the instructions for the particular type of metal clay you're using regarding temperature and time), or, with silver clay only, fire with a hand torch on a fireproof surface (such as a brick) just until the piece glows orange. Let cool for at least half an hour before handling.
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7
Brush the finished silver. Briskly and vigorously brush away the ash and burnt particles of organic binder using your wire brush. Rinse the piece in water to get the last traces.
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8
Burnish the surface of the piece. Rub the silver firmly in circular strokes using the tip of your burnishing tool, the back of a spoon, or the edge of a polished stone. This will compress the silver particles and give the piece shine.
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