A Variety of Tips + New Winner!
I would like to thank everyone for contributing a tip or trick both here and on FaceBook. I've combined them all below, and hope you will find them useful.
This will bring one of my "ways to win Free Clay to Play" to an end, but no worries, because I've got something new and fun in mind, which I'll be announcing shortly.
Thanks again to everyone who has contributed. I have a new section on my blog entitled Random Thoughts and Metal Clay Tips - feel free to contribute anything you think would help make things easier or more pleasant while we create.
We all need each other - working together and supporting each other towards a common goal just makes things more fun.
Photo courtesy of the internet.
Congratulations goes out to Corina Penner. Corina won a 10 gram package of Art Clay Silver for contributing this tip:
- to smooth edges of holes you've just cut in clay, twirl a damp brush in the hole.
Here are all the other tips:
- If you won't be using some clay for a while that's already unpackaged and wrapped in saran wrap, give it a light spritz or two of distilled water before wrapping and then place a small piece of wet sponge in the storage container as well. Your clay will stay fresh and moist for quite some time. (Mick Mamola)
- Use a water pen. Love that thing. I read about it in Metal Clay Artist Magazine and was skeptical. Now I don't even use paint brushes. The pen gives you more control than most brushes. I feel my pieces a smoother and more professional looking since I began with the pen. Less sanding at the dry stage. (The World Rocks! Jewelry Designs)
- I often stamp words on bits of clay, dry, shape and adhere to the back of a larger piece. BUT before I stamp, I roll out my clay on a piece of glass, cover glass with plastic wrap, put in a plastic bag and throw in freezer for 5 minutes. It firms up the clay so that I get a nice clean imprint with the tiny letter stamps. (Maria Paray LaMalfa)
- I am getting a small 3 inch clay pot or larger that is partially glazed outside and will hang a sponge inside on top and create a handle loop on the outside top to grap the pot to create a humidor to save the working clay from drying out. I will place this pot on a glass tile. I've been trying to find something to keep the clay longer and I know someone on ebay also sells a clay humidor if you don't want to create your own. (Gale Ann Pressman)
- I've been looking for small textured items in second hand stores and old buttons to make designs on metal clay. (Gale Ann Pressman)
- Heres a little tip which I think will work. I had a syringe clay dry on me and I thought it would be lost half full. I took and filled the glass with water that I had the syringe standing in and left it for days thinking the water would enter from the top of the syringe as it is not water tight and this seems to have worked and my syringe is working again . Wondering if anyone else has tried this.. I have not fired any clay from this syringe again yet.
I further experimented with my rehydrated syringe clay and extruded a few snakes and let them dry and all seems quite normal. I see no reason why they would not fire normally . So I would say if your syringe dries out stand it up covered in water so that water may enter from top of syringe and leave for a few days. The syringe should rehydrate and be usable again. I am wondering if anyone else has tried this. (Audrey McDoald)
- I like to do squeegles on top of dicro cabochons with the clay syringe adding to the design of the dicro. And here goes a tip, I always use wax paper (those used to bake cookies) on my work surface when working with clay, especially if I am painting leaves or paper. When the drips left over by the paste is dried, I scrape it all and it goes into the paste clay pot. If you have dried bits of clay that were not fired yet, it goes into the paste pot too. (Carla)
- Those silicone sheets meant for working with hot glue, etc., are great metal clay work surfaces, too, especially when you are covering burnable cores with slip or paste. When you're done, just let any slip or paste dry on the silicone sheet, then flex it and the dried clay will pop right off, leaving absolutely no residue... which means every tiny scrap of clay can be reclaimed! (Margaret Schindel)
- When working with a syringe, it's always a good idea to place your tip down in a small container of water. It'll keep the syringe from drying out. If you'll not be using the syringe for a few days (or longer), just be sure to top-up the water so it doesn't evaporate, and your syringe will always be fresh and ready to use. (from me)
When you roll out your clay, take a dampened cosmetic sponge & just mop around the outside edge of your clay before you stamp or cut it. This keeps the edge from drying out while you get your design cut out, thereby avoiding the small dried bits in your re-rolled clay. I hate those little rocks!!
