Copper Clay

Finally the long awaited copper clay has arrived!
In the photograph above are our first experiments with this exciting new clay.
In its clay stage copper looks very much like bronze but feels somewhat like rubber, it also cracks less easily. The clay was used straight out of the packet without refrigerating it first, so the rubbery-dry feel might disappear if stored in a fridge.

We use a top loading brick kiln for firing, the pieces were placed on 1 single layer and distributed evenly in the middle of a tall pan, with coconut based carbon under and over. It's a good thing to gently tap the top carbon layer to avoid any air bubbles being trapped which would result in oxidized pieces.
Why don't we fire several layers together? whilst working with bronze clay we found that the best results by far were achieved by firing only 1 layer at a time, so we continued to use this method with copper.

Firing schedule:

The instructions on the packet suggest ramping at full speed to 1700° (927°C) and hold for 3 hours. Again, thinking of our experiments with bronze and how we've had to shorten the hold time and lower the temperature, we again worked towards the same direction with copper and tried the following:

For a 2300 watts kiln:
1 hour ramp to 1650°F (900°C) and hold for 2 hours. Total firing time: 3 hours.

We left the pieces cool in the shut kiln until the temperature was 390°F (200°C) and took them out. This took about 5 hours cooling time.

With this method the pieces shrank by approximately 20% but turned out to be very strong and didn't break or snap. The texture applied in the wet clay stayed intact.

The hearts were brushed with a brass brush and burnished in a tumbler for 1 1/2 hours.
They came out very shiny and a beautiful rosey-coppery colour.

Hopefully this post will give hints and help others in their quest for the perfect metal clay object. ;-)

New Bronze and Silver Clay Video

Puzzling Bronze Clay

It's been a long time since we last wrote about our experiments with the new Bronze Clay so an update is definitely in order.
The challenge encountered when working with this fascinating clay has been such that it inspired the creation of our new design "The Puzzle Pendant" which in turn inspired the title of this new message
;-)
We found that the best firing schedule for bronze clay is as follow (but every kiln is different so do your own testing first). More over, this schedule is for pieces that are over 3 cards thick:
For a 2300 watts kiln, place your objects in the middle of a large pan with equal amount of carbon under and over and do a 7 hour ramp to target temperature of 825C/1517F and hold for 2 hours.
For the Puzzle Pendant in the photo we used coconut shell based carbon which gave it pink/blue/green highlights on the left that were difficult to catch on camera. Most places are a lovely rich gold colour.
We will soon be adding some of these pendants in our online store, we think it would make an interesting Valentine present as the 2 halves can be either worn together or divided and shared.
Please visit our store where we are currently listing new bronze clay jewellery:
http://www.arlisa-bijoux.com/bronze-clay-c-45.html

Exciting Bronze Clay

We have recently started experimenting with the new bronze clay and feel rather excited about the first results. After some unexpected outcomes and a few tests and adjustments with regards to temperature ramp and hold times we are close to finding the best way to fire this wonderful new clay. It differs very much from silver clay both in handling, shaping, not to mention firing. It appears harder when out of the packet and dries more quickly, requiring fast shaping to avoid unsightly cracks. Firing takes a very long time and whilst the instructions given by the manufacturer seem to work for most people, they don't necessarily work for every single kiln as every machine is different.

For thick pieces we have found that the slow 250F/121C per hour to 1550F/843C ramp was definitely needed but we reduced the hold time by approximately 1 hour to avoid over firing. We are still testing this procedure as total firing time seems to vary depending on how many pieces are fired together, on what pan is used (tall or short), on where the pieces are positioned in the pan and on whether they are fired in layers or not, in fact the top layers give different results compared to the bottom ones.

The pendants portrayed in the photographs were fired in coconut shell based carbon which have them a lovely light patina. The Cross and Fatma Hand came out a bright gold colour whilst the square pendant with red CZ got more of a bronzy/terracotta shade. The Pearl Heart took a slight hint of green instead.

We will update you on our trials and tests and look forward to eventually being able to sell some of these creations in our online store.

Supporting the fight against breast cancer and HIV/AIDS

Arlisa Bijoux recently launched a collection of pink and red awareness ribbon necklaces in support of the fight against breast cancer and HIV/AIDS.

10% of the proceeds from every sale will be donated to the Swiss Cancer Foundation http://www.swisscancer.ch/ and to Swiss AIDS Help http://www.aids.ch/ .

In our constant effort to create something a little unusual, we have handcrafted our support ribbons from a wonderful new material called sugar wire (see previous posts), then decorated each with either Swarovski crystals, rhinestones or seed beads.

Breast Cancer and HIV/AIDS Awareness @ Arlisa Bijoux:

http://www.arlisa-bijoux.com/breast-cancer-aids-awareness-c-43.html

New Sugar Wire Jewellery

English Garden Sugar Wire Necklace

http://www.arlisa-bijoux.com/english-garden-sugar-wire-necklace-p-132.html

More sugar wire creations are to be found here:

http://www.arlisa-bijoux.com/sugar-wire-c-42.html

Introducing Sugar Wire

What is it?

Sugar wire is a soft and flexible metallic wire covered by a multitude of spheric micro beads, giving it the aspect of sugar crystals, hence its name.
It comes in 7 basic colours but can be further colourized by using glass, acrylic, opaque or transparent paints depending on the effect one whishes to achieve. The colours found on the market are white, pale green, bright orange,sky blue, baby rose, yellow and fuchsia. The tint is given by the paper covering the metallic wire, not by the micro beads themselves which are transparent to leave light filter through and increase the "crystal effect". Its diameter varies between 1 and 2 millimeters as the coating of micro beads isn't even in all places.
The wire is very strong and malleable and can be used for a variety of arts and crafts projects as well as for jewellery making.
Sugar wire can be used alone or together with other materials, for example rat tail satin cord, ribbons, paper wire, the choice is infinite. Its usage is limitless, in fact one can beautify an object by covering it with sugar wire, braid several lengths together to create a fabric like material, or use it as classic wire in jewellery creations.


*Detail of sugar wire and lampwork necklace