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From the lens Metal Clay Weaving Tutorial - Making Woven Fine Silver "Fabric" with Precious Metal Clay / PMC Sheet or Art Clay Silver Paper Type.

  • christymiller Apr 17, 2012 @ 8:22 pm | delete
    Great project and tips Thank you!
  • MSchindel Apr 17, 2012 @ 8:29 pm | delete
    Thanks so much, Christy!
  • bikerministry Jan 24, 2012 @ 9:27 pm | delete
    Oh, I'm a weaver too!! Love all these tips. Blessings!
  • MSchindel Jan 24, 2012 @ 10:28 pm | delete
    What fun! So glad you enjoyed this lens. And many thanks for the SquidAngel blessing!
  • LotusLandry Sep 29, 2011 @ 7:42 pm | delete
    I took a collage pin class at Piecemaker's in Costa Mesa and have made about eight gifts. I visited Shipwreck Beads in Lacey, Washington outside of Olympia. They have a fantastic online catalog. I especially love using their porcelein astronaut and mermaid beads as part of the collage.
  • MSchindel Nov 28, 2011 @ 1:58 pm | delete
    I'm glad you're enjoying making jewelry! :)
  • TrainYourDogHere May 8, 2011 @ 8:40 pm | delete
    Very cool idea!
  • MSchindel May 9, 2011 @ 10:53 am | delete
    Thank you! I'm glad you found this technique interesting! :)
  • Cardtouche Mar 20, 2011 @ 7:42 am | delete
    Excellent tutorial! I made the mistake of picking my weave up while the clay was still in the 'glowing' phase and therefore made the wonderful imprint of the inside of my tweezers.
    Fantastic lens!
  • MSchindel Mar 20, 2011 @ 2:47 pm | delete
    Thank you, Cardtouche! I really appreciate your kind comments. I hope the tweezer imprint was strategically located so that it added an interesting, if serendipitous, "design element." If not, you can always fill in the depressions from the tweezer "teeth" with lump clay, re-fire, and then sand the surface level with the surrounding areas. :)
  • bakerwoman Feb 22, 2011 @ 10:28 pm | delete
    This lens is awesome. I have never heard of weaving metal clay paper. Thanks for sharing. Favorited and blessed.
  • MSchindel Feb 23, 2011 @ 9:17 am | delete
    Thank you so much for the wonderful compliment and for Favoriting and blessing this lens! I am honored!
  • KimGiancaterino Nov 22, 2010 @ 8:28 pm | delete
    Wow ... what a great tutorial. I love the earrings in your intro photo!
  • MSchindel Nov 22, 2010 @ 8:56 pm | delete
    Thanks so much, Kim! I really appreciate your lovely comment. I made those earrings during my Rio Rewards PMC Certification class with Celie Fago and Jennifer Kahn several years ago. I still wear them all the time. :)
  • Susan Morgan Aug 12, 2010 @ 10:28 am | delete
    I've been using strip copper (found in stained glass shops to edge medallions) to weave, edge, and do other things in variations of metalsmithing. There's no reason you couldn't weave bezel wire (silver or gold) rather than cutting uniform strips in sheet metal (hummm...two-toned). Having said that...I'm a metal clay lover and the possibilities with sheet metal clay are endless. Weaving, folding (origami, airplanes, currency folds, scrapbooking mini folds), using craft punches for detailed cuts, and so on, are all possible and easy.
  • MSchindel Aug 12, 2010 @ 11:11 am | delete
    Hi Susan, thanks for your comments. Yes, bezel wire certainly is an option, although you're more limited in terms of thickness than you are with metal clay paper/sheet-type clay, which you can stack and "laminate" together with a light spritz of water and some time under a flat weight (such as a book). And, as you say, "the possibilities with sheet metal clay are endless." :) I also love the ability to choose different clay formulas for the backing sheet to achieve differeng doming effects, and of course the ability to texture the backing sheet in a few seconds, and not having to solder woven metal strips to a backing sheet.
  • MSchindel Nov 5, 2009 @ 8:52 am | in reply to Charlie | delete
    Hi Charlie, actually it would take more work to do this with sheet metal. Cutting even strips of sheet metal is more difficult than using Chris Darway's "gang blade" to cut multiple, identical-width strips of metal clay paper. Then you'd need to file and sand the edges of each piece of metal. You'd need to anneal the metal to make it soft enough to weave easily. There wouldn't be much "drape." Then you'd need to solder each strip at all the tack points instead of just dabbing water and pressing. And you'd need to trim, file and finish the edges of the metal. If you wanted to dome or otherwise shape the woven silver "fabric," you'd need to anneal it again and dap it, whereas you could just add a silver clay backing to the woven strips and then dome it on a lightbulb (or use other props to shape it) while it dries. Firing silver clay is no big deal. You can even use a small trinket kiln or even a butane torch, if you're careful not to melt the thin metal clay paper)
  • Charlie Nov 5, 2009 @ 7:05 am | delete
    Question: Why not do this with sheet metal instead of clay? Then there's not firing needed--when it's done it's done. I ask having no knowledge about either, so I'm not trying to make a point--just asking to learn.
  • triathlontraining Aug 26, 2008 @ 10:39 am | delete
    Fascinating! I had no idea you could weave metal like this. Very cool! :)
  • JLally Jul 22, 2008 @ 7:30 pm | delete
    Wonderfully clear and easy-to-follow instructions in this excellent tutorial. The illustrations really help, too!
  • Rebecca Jun 18, 2008 @ 8:15 pm | delete
    This is a great tutorial. I have wanted to experiment with metal clay for a while, and this is a very unusual application for it. Thank you.

    Rebecca
    www.labella-designs.com
  • beadinggem Apr 7, 2008 @ 10:27 am | delete
    This is a great tutorial - I plan to link to it on my blog sometime so my readers will know about metal clay paper . Thanks for visiting my one and only squidoo lens and liking it so much!
  • AEAdviser Feb 3, 2008 @ 5:29 pm | delete
    This is very interesting and the jewelry looks great! Nice lens, 5*'s. Drop by Party Time!
  • LeslieBrenner Dec 29, 2007 @ 6:35 pm | delete
    Thank you for the lesson. It was well thought-out and written.
  • ElaineLuther Sep 19, 2007 @ 5:07 pm | delete
    Amazing! Your Squidoo Lenses are always awesome and this one does not disapoint either! Thanks for creating such a wonderful resource.
  • WolfMoonHP Jul 9, 2007 @ 7:31 am | delete
    This is such a well done tutorial that I have actually ordered some paper clay, and am starting to plan out a design to use it! Now, all I will need is a little courage...sigh...
  • JLally Jun 12, 2007 @ 12:09 pm | delete
    Really clear and thorough tutorial - thanks! All your lenses are a great resource for metal clay artisans.

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MSchindel

I'm the Senior Editor of Metal Clay Artist Magazine, the author of more than two dozen Squidoo lenses (three of which have been selected for the coveted... more »

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