How to Paint Fused Glass With a Metal Clay Slip
Metal clay and fused glass are two artisan jewelry craft techniques that are a natural fit to join together. Both fused glass (glass decorated with melted sheets of thin metal) and metal clay (real metal dust made into clay) are treated with kiln heat, so it's common to join them together by placing a piece of fused glass into a metal clay setting or "slip." After completing this project, you can also add color to the finished jewelry by painting it with a shiny enamel paint, especially if your metal clay slip is made with sections of small grooves and recesses.
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Things You'll Need
- Completed fused glass and metal clay piece
- Stiff-bristled brush
- Burnishing tool
- Hand soap
- Colored permanent markers
- Nail polish remover
- Cotton swabs
- Enamel paint
- Enamel paint thinner
- Detail paintbrushes
- Toothpicks or large sewing needles
Instructions
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1
Fire the glass and clay, let it cool, then wire-brush (to remove ash) and burnish the fired silver clay before you apply any paint; any paint applied to the glass or clay before firing will scorch.
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2
Color the metal and glass with permanent markers in the same colors and patterns as the paint you intend to apply to see if you like the designs. Remove these practice designs using nail polish remover.
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3
Shake the jars of paint a few times to properly mix them before opening.
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4
Apply color to the largest areas first using the enamel paint and detail paintbrush. This will help you practice the process of applying paint and getting it to go where you want it to within the metal design before moving on to the smaller areas.
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5
Remove paint that strays outside the lines and grooves where you want it. Soak a cotton swab in paint solvent, then roll the soaked tip lightly over a dry paper towel; this will remove excess solvent so that the tip is moist, but not dripping. Rub the tip over the edge of the recess or area where the paint has strayed, rolling it to soak up the paint.
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6
Apply paint to smaller areas in the metal slip with a toothpick or needle. Tip the point in the paint, submerging just the very tip. If you get a large bubble of paint holding on through surface tension, press the tip of the tool against the side of the paint jar to break it so as to only carry a small amount of paint.
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7
Paint any designs on glass by allowing the paint to drip from your brush, rather than be spread out by pressing the bristles; this will create small areas of round paint detail, held in place by liquid surface tension until the paint dries; this affect yields a more attractive result.
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