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Silver Clay and Dichroic Fused Glass, A Match Made in Heaven
I love the shimmer & sparkle of fused dichroic glass. I also love the cool sheen of pure silver. When the two are combined, it's truly a match made in heaven. The color and sparkle of the glass adds dramatic impact to the silver. The silver provides a beautiful background for the vibrant glass. With metal clay, it is super easy to create fabulous, one of a kind pieces that are eye-catching and beautiful. My intention in writing this guide is to provide guidance for those of you who might want to delve into the world of metal clay and glass.
Make something beautiful, it will bring you Joy!
I have lots of items for sale for both fusing glass and working with metal clay. Check my shop out at heartofthefire.etsy.com You can also check out my main website at artandsoulct.com
Getting Started
Basic Information you need to know.
There are two types of Silver Clay, Art Clay Silver, which is the brand I use, and Precious Metal Clay, or PMC.Basically, microscopic particles of silver are embedded in an organic binder which forms a putty like clay that can be rolled, stamped, molded, sculpted, carved, brushed, etc. After drying, the clay is fired with a torch, in a kiln, or on a gas stove. The organic binders burn away, and you are left with pure silver. After firing the piece needs to be wire brushed, burnished or polished in a tumbler to bring out the true beauty of the silver.
I work exclusively with Art Clay Silver 650/1200 lowfire slowdry clay. I like it the best because, in my opinion, the slower drying time allows for more creative freedom, and the low firing temperature is best for combining the clay with glass or stones. It also has the lowest shrinkage rate.
First of all, to incorporate glass into your metal clay work, you do need to fire in a kiln. Glass is very durable if it is heated and cooled in a controlled manner, but is fragile and will crack from stress if it is not annealed properly or is heated unevenly. I like to use a kiln with a digital readout, though you can work with a pyrometer instead. I use the Paragon Caldera kiln for both my fusing and metal clay. It retails for $695, and is well worth the investment. I sell it for $540. It is fully programmable and expandable so is a great starter kiln. It runs on regular 120 volt electricity. If you are serious about making jewelry with silver clay, and want to work with stones and fused glass, it is a great thing to have. There is a smaller kiln, the firefly, which I also sell for $340 for the base kiln. This kiln comes either manual or with digital programming. The programmable kiln is almost as much as the caldera, so I recommend the caldera if you are going to go with a programmable kiln because it is more versatile. The firefly is great if you are only going to do metal clay and small glass cabs, but if you want to expand into fused glass dishes, bowls, drop ring vases and more, the Caldera is better.
Alternatively, there may be craft centers in your area where you can have your pieces fired for you. I have a studio here in Windsor, CT, where I teach glass fusing and metal clay and I provide firing services to my students and customers for a small fee, so there is likely someone near you who would be willing to do the same if you are not yet ready to invest in a kiln. You can check out bead shops, art studios and craft centers, and maybe even some schools.
What You Need
A list of Materials
Directions
Begin by having a design in mind. You can do pendants, rings, pins, bracelets, anything you want.
Once you have an idea, oil your hands and the roller. Begin by cutting off a suitable size piece of clay. You want to have a strong enough base for the glass to be supported, without wasting clay. Using cards as guides, roll out your clay to an even thickness. If you are using thick cards, three card thickness is fine. You can then impress it with texture by spraying a rubber stamp or other texture item with the vegetable spray and then pressing into the clay. I like to place the clay onto the stamp or texture plate and roll the clay onto the stamp with my roller to get an even & deep impression. Alternatively, I will put the stamp or texture plate on the clay and then roll over the stamp. This works best if it is a shallow, intricate design.Decide where you want to place your glass piece on the object before you cut out your design to make sure there is enough room to support it and for the piece to have good proportions. Then use your exacto, blade or other cutting tool to cut out the shape of the piece. Roll up your scraps and put them back in the original packaging with a wet piece of paper towel to keep the clay workable.
Next, press down on your glass piece to make an impression of its shape. Remove it and use your cutting tool to cut out the clay where the glass will be going. Cut just inside the impression of the glass so there is some clay for the glass to grab onto. This saves on clay and also gives the glass a stronger "seat" in your piece. Put the clay you cut out in with your scraps, or use it to make a bail or decorative elements for your piece.
Place the glass back on the piece and press it down. Now you want to create a bezel, either by creating a thin coil of clay, or squeezing an outline of slip around the glass.
Complete your project
If you are using a syringe, you can squeeze out a line of slip at the very base of the glass, making sure it adheres to the background piece of clay as in this image. If you don't have a syringe, no problem. make a thin coil of clay, brush some slip on your background piece, and adhere the coil to the background around the base of your glass.Once your glass is adhered, you can decorate your piece by adding balls, coils, or pieces of clay, carving into the clay, squeezing syringe clay, whatever your heart desires.
If you are making a pendant, you need to consider how you will hang it. You can either put a hole at the top, or create a bail with clay.
Once your design is complete, let it dry thoroughly, do any sanding or smoothing you feel necessary, clean off the glass cab with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, and then fire it.
I fire to 1250 degrees farenheit, then turn off the kiln and let it cool slowly to allow the glass to anneal. I usually let the kiln cool overnight and open it in the morning.
To finish the piece, I wire brush it, being careful around the glass, and then tumble or burnish the silver. The tumbler does not harm the glass.
I hope this guide helps you to explore the creative and wonderful worlds of both metal clay and dichroic glass. Remember to have fun and enjoy the process.
If you have any questions, you can feel free to contact me at lisel33@sbcglobal.net. I sell all the tools and materials you need to get started. There is also a lot of information on the artclayworld.com website.
Dichroic Cabs and Glass Fusing Kits
I sell pre-fused glass cabs, metal clay, and kits for fusing, as well as kilns & tools to help you get started.
I have a wonderful glass fusing kit that is perfect for creating glass cabs. It contains 1/2 pound of precut glass in a variety of colors and shapes, including a great selection of dichroic. I also include easy instructions. All you need is a kiln. The fusing kit is only $25 plus shipping. I have lots of items for sale for both fusing glass and working with metal clay. Check my shop out at heartofthefire.etsy.comI also teach a variety of classes and workshops in metalsmithing, fused glass, metal clay, mosaics and more. I teach in CT and other locations. To view my current schedule, just check out my main website at artandsoulct.com
I also sell Art Clay Silver, syringes, tools, kilns and more at excellent prices. If you are interested in more information, feel free to contact me directly. My email address is lisel33@sbcglobal.net.
Great kilns at great prices
My two favorite kilns, the Paragon Caldera and Firefly
As a distributor for Paragon, I am proud to sell the Caldera and Firefly kilns at reduced prices to help people get started with both metal clay and fused glass.I can sell other kilns in the Paragon line, but these are the two I recommend for this purpose.
For more information and to see some of my work, check out my store heartofthefire.etsy.com and my main website artandsoulct.com
Feedback, Guidance and Ratings
Please take a moment to give me feedback
I'm new to creating lenses. I love the opportunity to share with others and would love to receive your feedback and suggestions. If you find this lens valuable, please consider adding your rating by clicking on the appropriate star at the top of the page (you must be registered on Squidoo to rate a lens).If there is anything you think would make this lens more valuable, a topic you would like to see added, or any feedback of any kind (what you like, what you don't, what you'd like to see more of), please let me know! You can contact me at lisel33@sbcglobal.net.
My website is artandsoulct.com
You can see some of my work at heartofthefire.etsy.com
Wonderful books on the subjects of metal clay and fused glass
You can learn so much from books. They are a worthwhile investment and great reference to keep around.
Metal Clay The Complete Guide: Innovative Techniques to Inspire Any Artist
I haven't yet read this book. It's brand new, but I have heard raves about it and can't wait to get it.
Amazon Price: $19.79 (as of 07/26/2008)
Dichroics: Art Glass All Dressed Up
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Metal Clay and Mixed Media Jewelry: Innovative Projects Featuring Resin, Polymer Clay, Fiber, Glass, Ceramics, Collage Materials, and More
This book shows a wonderful variety of other media that can be mixed with metal clay for innovative & beautiful designs.
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 07/26/2008)
Metal Clay for Beaders
I love this book for the basic ideas & projects.
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/26/2008)
Metal Clay Beyond the Basics
Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/26/2008)
Please take a moment to sign my guest book.
I would love to hear your comments and suggestions on what I can do to make this lens better.
I ordered your Glass Fusing Kit and I'm having a great time. Thanks for this tutorial, it's a big help.
Posted May 31, 2008
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GeminiSky
Thanks for this informative lens! Beautiful jewelry too! Posted April 04, 2008 |
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DazzlingDesigns
A really wonderful lens on Dichroic glass and PMC. I gave you 5-Stars! Please feel free to stop by my Unique Handmade Jewelry lens. Posted April 01, 2008 |
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GulinoArtware
What a great lens. Posted March 25, 2008 |
I just found your writing on MC and fused galss. Thanks for the info
Posted March 21, 2008
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