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In all reality many people end up with dry or cracking clay. With the costs of silver metal clay being so high it is important  to know how to bring clay back to life or  to reclaim pieces that aren’t quite right.  So what do you do if your clay dries out?

1. Metal clay before it has been fired can be reclaimed into a clay or paste type.  Although you may never get your clay back into the exact fresh consistency as when it came out of its package….often you can come real close.
2. First don’t try and mix partially dry clay with fresh…you will end up with a lumpy mess.
3. If you find your clay is starting to crack as you roll it out; the quickest and easiest solution is to roll it out and paint a layer of water and then fold the clay in half trapping the water inside.  Then roll again and repeat adding water and rolling the clay to compress the water in repeat until the clay becomes the consistency you are looking for.  Ideally allowing the clay to rest after adding water will give you the best consistency.  (A variation of this is to roll the clay between two lightly oiled pieces of plastic this works better for some and can help deal with the problem that some people find with the clay sticking to the roller).
4. If the clay is partially dry (meaning it is beginning to hold its shape and drying on the surface) the above technique may not work.   I have found that putting the piece in a humidifier that I described in last post works well.
5. If you have completely dry piece that you want to reclaim;  there are several solutions  a) Place the piece in a humifier and let it sit for 12-24 hours until it softens (then roll and add water as above) b) break it up into bits them place inside plastic wrap and add a few drops of water and let sit for 12 hours or more then you want to knead the lump through the plastic and add more water if needed and proceed until you get it to the consistency you want it to be. (Some people find that they need to break the clay into a powder form which they use mortal and pestle, coffee grinder or other tools; for me this creates quite a bit of silver dust which I try and avoid as much as possible) Be careful not to add too much water. If you do add too much water  you may turn it into paste. I personally like to have a thick paste on hand for filling any cracks or helping in my sculptural work.

There are some ideas of what to do to revive your clay.  Hopefully this helps-stay tuned for the final part in this three part series –Fixing cracks.

Keep an eye out for a post on Promethius Bronze – My order finally arrived so stay tuned for the results!

One of the biggest problems that plagues most newcomers to metal clay is that the clay dries fast.  It is a concept that most people new to metal clay cannot fathom until they actually experience it and probably the biggest challenge as an instructor is to help impart to students how to handle the clay

PREVENTING DRY CLAY
Prevention is the first and foremost skill for students to learn.  So here are the basics:

1. Have a plan of what you want to do.
2. One trick that I find helps a lot for the students I teach is to take some polymer clay or playdoh to try out textures and shapes. It also helps try out desgin so that you are not wearing out you clay.
3. Be prepared with all of your tools, textures and cutters before you even think about taking that clay out!
4. Use a moisture barrier on your hands to prevent your hands from absorbing moisture from your clay and to prevent the clay from sticking you your hand! (Note about moisture barriers – I use canola oil – it is cheap, handy, I always have some on hand and it does the trick…. there are many other choices out there pick one and don’t forget to use it)
5. Carefully oil your surfaces, textures rollers and such. I suggest that students have a towel on hand to wipe off excess oil from textures so that you don’t get too much oil into the clay.  I also find that an old toothbrush works best at spreading oil on to texture sheets and getting it into small spaces.
6. Cut our your piece and immediately and quickly roll our scraps into a tight ball and put them back into your airtight container.
7. An airtight container I use is “little plastic Buddy Cups”.  These are available in Canada at Micheals and through Shades of Clay (an online site with lots of fun textures and tools www.shadesofclay.com).  I find these handy containers are easy to open and close and airtight.  My clay lasts for a long time in them.  Before I used the buddy cups I could never open the clay keeper I had purchased so I just put my clay back in the zip lock package my clay came in.  (if you do use your package be sure to remove the paper directions or they will suck all the moisture out of your)
8.  Another option while you are working with the clay is to create a humidifier – using a terracotta pot.  I have a terracotta pot that is glazed on the outside and unglazed on the inside.  I soak the pot in water and the unglazed terracotta will absorb the water then I put a damp sponge in the hole and use it upside down over clay.  This is something new I am trying out.  I am finding it works to rehydrate clay a bit and keeps the clay from drying out as well.  Note: This will not work for long term storage of you clay though.
9. Work quickly while your clay is exposed to the air….hard to do as a newbie I know.
10. Don’t pause with your clay sitting out or you will find that it will dry out before you know it. (If you must stop to get a tool and you don’t have a humidifier to cover your work have a piece of plastic wrap to cover you work)
11. Minimize overhandling the clay.  Every time you handle the clay it is being exposed to the air and will lead to it drying out. Rolls and cutting should be quick as well as you’re handling i.e. rolling it into a ball.

There are some basic tips. Stay tuned for Part 2 – Reviving dry clay.

Heather

Here is an updated version of my lost Art Clay Copper post from December 2009.

Art Clay Copper linked Chain

Art Clay Copper (AC Copper) is the newest of the copper clays available on the market.  It was released December 2009 to the general public.  The reason why many metal clay artists are excited about this new product from Art Clay is that it eliminates the messy carbon and the need for a kiln that is required for the other copper clays on the market.  AC  Copper can be both torch or kiln fired.  Art Clay World has a detailed pamplet on their website  (Art Clay Copper  PDF) but the following are some of my thought and photos.

In working with the clay I found it to be quite user friendly, it is not as soft and smooth as other copper clays  I have used but it is quite workable.  It takes texture well, holds it shape, and will attach to itself with homemade paste.  It does tend to crack a bit but with good and periodic conditioning this problem can be solved. Overall it  is a great inexpensive way to work with metal clay.

Firing the AC Copper

Fired and Unfired Art Clay Copper

FIRING – There a several ways to fire your Art Clay Copper: torch, kiln, (even using a speedfire cone).  I have used a torch and a kiln to fire the AC Copper. To torch fire your piece it is recommended that you heat up your piece and hold it at a cherry red glow for 3-5 minutes.  Whether you kiln or torch fire the AC Copper it is ideal to quench your piece immediately after firing.  (Make sure you are well protected when you remove items from your kiln goggles, gloves…) Immediate quenching is to reduce to production of firescale.  The longer the piece is exposed to heat and oxygen the greater the firescale can be.

What is Firescale? Fire scale or fire stain is a reddish purple toned ‘bloom’ or ’stain’ that appears on silver/copper alloys such as sterling silver when they are heated in the presence of oxygen.  (Charles Lewton-Brian – taken from Ganoskin site).  In the situation for the AC copper what you get it oxidation on the metal since it is fired in open air.

What to do about firescale? – Embrace it or pickle it.

AC Copper Birdhouse

Embrace it – In this piece above I did nothing.  I really liked the colour in this piece (unfortunately the picture does not display as well).  It was a rose burgundy colour and well it sold!

AC Copper Chain unpickled

Pickle it – This photo is of the chain from the beginning of the post.  Here is is before it is pickled.  Pickle is an acid solution that removes the oxidized coating off metal.  The brand I use is Sparex.  It requires that you use copper tweezers to remove items and works best if it is heated.  I have tried some eco friendly solutions but have found that with the AC Copper it is really hard to get all the firescale off with them.  If there is anyone out there who has found a more eco-friendly pickle – please let me know.

The one drawback -Unfortunately there is one drawback to AC Copper  -  I am not sure how to repair fired AC Copper pieces – I have added paste to the piece and fired and tried AC overlay paste without much luck.  I have a few more complicated ideas but I have yet to experiment with them.

There is lots to say about Copper Clay but I think for now this is a good start.  Enjoy your metal clay!

This Saturday, I will be teaching an Art Clay Copper Class at BeadFX!!! (February 13th, 2010).

Heather

Well, perhaps the best way to describe this is a rebirth.  I started blogging back in October but apparently somehow last evening as I was modifying and updating and generally trying to houseclean my BLOG something got MESSED up.  I spent most of last night and this morning trying to solve the problem without much luck.  My webhost support was quite helpful and well at least I can say I have learned a thing or two. BUT I could not retrieve my stuff.  My adoring husband has not given up and is now reviewing the data to see if he can salvage any bits.  In the meantime, I am trying to let it got and over the next little while I will be trying to recreate some of my old posts with updated info.  Thanks for your patience.

Heather :}