I got myself a kiln – Yay – second hand from eBay. This
means that I can make bronze clay items that actually look like bronze (see myprevious post on all the grief).
I’ve been making smaller pieces to hone my skills and trying
my hand at rings – which are really hard to get right – they break easily and
shrink an unpredictable amount. But I will keep trying.
But here’s my new line of experiments. Since I have the kiln
I can make bigger pieces, which makes me lean towards bracelets with big clasps.
The mechanics of them isn’t my invention - I’ve seen similar plaques and clasps
on Etsy and other markets, but I love that nice big surface where you can
really play with the design and add some writing even. Seems a perfect choice
for unique handmade jewellery and trying out different designs in metal clay.
I’m still very much experimenting. Everybody seems to have a
different idea about firing schedules and ramp and hold times on the kiln, how
many pieces you can cook at the same time, how far apart they should be etc
etc. Reminds me of starting out with the electroforming process. So many
variables and experiments take a long time.
 |
| That phoenix will never fly... |
Most of my pieces have cracked or crumbled, which breaks my
heart, but a few have come out just brilliantly, making it all worthwhile.
Making my Own Texture Plates
The butterfly is a stamp I got from Christi Friesen, but the
flower one is uniquely my design. I got some grasses from the garden, then
rolled out a slab of polymer clay and pressed them into it. Then the polymer
clay was baked - straws and all. After the clay was hard I scrubbed away the
remnants of the plant and now I have
great texture plate for making imprints which is one of a kind.
I’m so pleased with these and I hope others will like them
too. They will hopefully make their way to my shops very soon.
I love exploring new jewellery designs.
