|
When it comes to precious metal clay firing, there are a whole lot of things that you must consider. The truth is that firing your silver art clay can really be a risky process. This is why it is so important for you to ensure that you understand the method from start to finish before you even get started. Some people prefer the gas hob method of firing silver art clay. Here are guidelines that will help you every step of the way. #1 Make sure that the clay you are using is totally dry before you even begin to fire it. Many people make the mistake of not letting their silver art clay dry all the way, which can result in injury or burns. This is because it is prone to exploding if it is not dried out. #2 Once it has dried out, you will want to make an outline of the piece of silver art clay on a sheet of paper. The reasoning behind this is because after the firing process, the silver art clay will actually shrink up just a bit. This will let you know that it has been fired successfully. #3 Before you begin firing, you must prepare a bowl filled with water. It is best to use a glass or stainless steel bowl. This is used for cooling off the fired piece of silver art clay once you are finished. #4 Now, you should place a stainless steel mesh on top of the burner. You have to make sure that it has stability. Then, you will turn on the burner and check out the glow. By dimming the lights, you can find the hottest area on the mesh. Then, turn off the burner. #5 Right away, you should put your silver art clay piece on top of the hottest part of the mesh. You should use tweezers so that you don’t hurt yourself. Then, cover it with the protective cover and turn the burner back on. #6 Fire the silver art clay for about five minutes, then turn the burner off and let it cool on top of the mesh. Don’t try to remove it too soon, or it will get stuck. After a few minutes, you will want to pick it up with tweezers and dip it into water to make sure it has completely cooled off. #7 Now, you will dry the piece and check the size to ensure that it has fired successfully. If not, you will want to go back through steps five and six. #8 Finally, you will finish your piece. Some of the best ways to finish the silver art clay is by using a brass brush, fine grit abrasives, tumblers, polishes or burnishing tools. As you can see, the process for working with silver art clay can prove to be quite tedious. You must follow the steps precisely to ensure that it is done correctly. If you don’t, you could end up getting hurt. Firing silver art clay can be a tedious process but this article details a step-by-step guide on how to effectively carry out this process. Customers can buy materials like silver clay from Cooksongold and other online retailers.
Related Articles -
Silver, Art, Clay,
| 
