metalmom ask questions

[metalmom]

I'm just starting with ACS, serious trouble keeping it workable, within seconds of opening it starts cracking and drying out, when adding a little water it then becomes really sticky with more of it ending up on my fingers and stuck to my roller.  Also I have made a handprint pendant from a photopolymer stamp I made, how do I get a shiny finish into the crevices of the handprint/footprint/fingerprints etc. As it is I think I spend too long on the finishing of the pieces. Does a tumbler take the effort out of trying to get a mirror finish?

[Metalman]

Hey Metalmom [I like it]
Let's see:
1]Moisture and your clay - big balancing act here. You location in the country as well as in your house can affect this. If you are in a low humidity environ - you will need to mist your clay and or your work area to raise the moisture content. If you are using air conditioning you may need to humidify your studio. I use the small misting bottles from the cosmetic travel section. Fill with water and a light misting will help you control the amou7nt of water you are adding to your clay. I squish it out flattish, 2 misting sprays then fold the clay back up - wrap in plastic [squares cut from trash bags work great] then let it rest a couple of minutes [this allows the moisture to move through the clay] then I knead it again - usually good. I always hydrate before I put the clay away. I assume you are using Olive oil on your fingers to help keep the clay from sticking - a very light film does the trick. I have Olive oil on a cotton rag in a plastic bag - I get a small amount on my finger tips , rub it over my hands and then onto any tools I plan to use - this will help with your roller as well.
2]Shiny in the crevice: This is difficult. We have some pointed burnishers [in different sizes ;  http://shop.rings-things.com/cart/pc/showsearchresultsCustom.asp?pageStyle=M&resultCnt=10&keyword=burnishers&submit=Go+%3E%3E] which you could use to work into the lines and crevices - this should work
3]Tumbling with steel shot works great - gives a pretty nice finish - it is not a high polish but is a decent bright finish.
4]I am quite particular about a 'mirror finish'. For something to be called a "mirror finish' - it needs to be exactly that - not a scratch or a pit or a blemish -perfect, in a word. This is a hard finish to achieve and there is no way that I know of to 'take the effort out' Many commercial finishes look pretty good, but do not actually qualify as 'mirror' finish - It is a balance of design, intention and purpose. I would only use a mirror finish for my higher end 'show' or 'competition' pieces where I am willing to put in the time.

As you are just starting - I was wondering if you had taken any classes? I highly recommend the starter classes even if its only a 4 hour afternoon class - really helps with managing the the workability of the clay and all sorts of other little tips and tricks

[metalmom]

Thought you'd like the name, btw, love your trapped papermen.

Thanks for the quick reply. I thought about taking a class, but the money I would have spent taking it I put towards buying some starter essentials and then trawled the www for info and just got going with it.

I've made about 1/2 dozen little things, nothing like what you're upto, but it's a start. pair of earrings, a simple pendant, a charm ring.  My latest is a handprint pendant of my nearly 3yr old son. I am surrounded in playgroups etc that I attend by mums brandishing their latest fingerprint pieces, so I jumped onboard the current moneytrain and it's not a bad effort. My next hopeful creation is my sons latest drawing of daddy on a pendant, see if that raises any interest at playschool when I turn up wearing it with a nice blue crystal to show it off a little! Thing is until I start selling stuff it works out a bit expensive, but unless I start spending money to make stuff I wont have anything to sell!!

Tonnes to think about, getting on and making stuff, business cards, website.  All this to make a bit of money from home! But I enjoy it, so hey.

Gotta go, dirty bum to wipe, eeeeeeooooow!!
Prob speak again with more questions.

[metalmom]

I am trying to make fingerprint jewellery, (like everybody right now!). I cannot get a decent print from my 3 year old son. I have tried pushing his finger straight into Art Clay Silver, I've tried pushing his finger into 2 part putty then pushing polymer clay into the dried out putty. Not a decent ridge in sight. My next thought would be to push his finger into a mould material that would set hard and then push the polymer clay into that.  I know that it could just be that my son doesnt have decent ridges just yet and I may need to try another 3 year old, or somebody older. Anyone got any further tips.

Next I am moving onto kissing lip prints, paw prints and my little boys drawing into silver. Hopefully these will be pretty much the same procedure as the foot/hand prints I have already done quite successfully?!

Yours hoping for a reply from somebody in the know.

[Metalman]

I suspect the youth of your son's fingers but..... There are various , very fine mold-making materials. I would think that the 2-part paint-on silicon molding materials would be able to pull something - the problem you are encountering is that the press in mold materials are distorting your son's finger print when you push them in. You know - I was always fascinated by the way that white glue or 'Elmer's' would make great fingerprints if I spread it and let it dry on my fingers. You might be able to work this out with some experimenting. A couple of layers  - mostly dry so they will peel, then a support [maybe poly clay] so they can dry harder - then press a mold material into the dried glue. You would have a 'positive' mold then and would need to do a second mold to get a 'negative' mold.
Another consideration as you explore this is the safety of the chemicals you are using - just keep track.
For lips and faces - mold-making supplies from the dental industry are the most often used. there are also sculpture and body casting materials y6ou should be able to find.
Keep us posted

[metalmom]

Hi again,

Just thought i would update you on what i'm up to, plus a question or two!

Since our last convo I have made a fair few pieces of jewellery including hand print pendant, foot print pendant, paw print pendant, lip print pendant, my sons doodle pendant, and have placed them in a library for advertisement, (I know not exactly the place that people go to spend money!), but it was free to put them on display and they have a few groups etc which use the library, mums etc I thought it wouldnt hurt to just display there).  Not a sausage of a sale though, really need to move them to somewhere that people go to buy jewellery! Like the cutesy little gift shops up the road, seriously need to get my .... into gear and research how to proceed with that avenue.

I attended a little village arts and crafts day with all my stuff, let me tell you it was more like a jumble sale, I felt like I was in the wrong place, the other jewellery stalls around me were little old women selling stuff like beaded jewellery for a couple of quid or so, so I felt a bit silly sat there with £30+ pieces for sale.

I had a few people take a business card, and one lady came through and wanted a 'double sided' fingerprint pendant for her diagnosed husband, since passed away.  I was quite nervous especially knowing the circumstances of why she wanted the pendant, pressure to get a decent result, I went round her house and rolled quite a thick rectangle of clay and cut a heart out and got him to squish his finger and thumb together onto the clay and asked her whether she was happy with the result, she seemed more than happy, I wasn't so sure myself, but I offered to do another try, but also advising her with every extra try the clay would get drier and wouldnt probably get such a good result so she stopped there.

From there I had her daughter purchase two charms for her sterling sweetie bracelet, one of her sons handprint and name and the other of her daughters footprint and name, again she was very happy.  Next a girl at work wanted a handprint and name for a friend.

Need to keep the ball moving forward really.  Maybe next time I will tell you that I've got my stuff into a little cutesy shop and its flying out the door and I cant keep up with the demand, I've considered even selling on 'folksy' or 'etsy', there are a few people there that when you work out how long they've been selling and how many pieces they've sold, it doesn't seem like its a bad income for some of them.   I'm sure you need to give a certain percentage to them for being on the site but might be worth a look.

Yours Metalmom.

[Metalman]

Glad to hear you're having a great time. Keep us posted.

[I missed the questions, so trust everything is okay

[metalmom]

Hey again,

Long time no speak.

Not moved on a huge amount, just done some more of the same really.  Sold a few more though, so not too bad.  Not via the library I might add, no surprise there then! Really need to get my stuff into a gift shop somewhere touristy.  Perfect time of year too!

Anyhoo question,

I'm trying to make a double sided handprint/footprint/name pmc pendant.  Ive made 4 stamps for the images and have done, as I always do, a trial run on some playdoh.  Trouble is I stamp the first side fine, but after turning it over to do the reverse side it kinda flattens the first sides impressions.  I know playdoh is probably squishier than pmc and all this concern might not be valid.

Ive considered making just two stamps each with the handprint and the name on so it cuts down the pressing, from four stamps to two.

Just incase you had any bright ideas.

Hope all's well with you.
Metalmom.

[Luann Udell]

Rather than trying to get everything on one piece of metal clay, you could make a small charm of each (or a fingerprint & name, and a footprint), then either rivet or wire them together, or just have the two charms together on a necklace.

[Metalman]

Nice one Luann,
I like the idea of cold fastenings as well [that means rivets, screws, bolts, sewing with wire, binding and/or tying ] There are lots of ways to go.
They also allow you to add materials to your Art Clay that are less expensive. This way you can use the silver as the focal point of your design and balance it with some less expensive ornamentation.
You can also make the thickness of your metal much thinner [about .75 mm or 3 playing card thicknesses]  It is workable to use thinner clay if you have additional support structures so that it can't break - this becomes a bit of an engineering game - but very doable.
Another method - it might take some experimenting:   There is a wax resist product you can get from the ceramics supply industry. This is used to resist glaze when applying glaze to ceramics. You only need an ounce or two.  You would have to experiment with using your stamps to apply the wax to a dried ART Clay blank. Let it dry and then use a damp, moist cosmetic sponge to wipe /wash away the clay, leaving a raised area where the stamped resist is. This is a great method - lots of room for development.  I am confident that if you search for wax resist techniques you can find some further information. There have been several articles over the last few years.
With the resisting method you came stamp one side, dry it and resist the other side

Hope it helps

[metalmom]

Hi Guys,

Since speaking to you last I have completed the double sided pendant, I ended up taking my little box of tricks over to the ladys house and taking the impression straight into the PMC heart I cut out, research told me that was the best way to get a good print, each time you take a mould of a mould you lose detail.

The thing is since making the pendant her husband has sadly passed away and she wants some more jewellery made.  So I now need the best way to collect the print straight from the silver pendant I previously made.
 
There must be a way surely whether it be a resin based solution?? Something that best collect the ridges straight from the silver piece that I can then push into more clay for more jewellery. This time I will do it in a way that if she wants even more pieces I dont need to bother her for her jewellery.

Somebody must know something, pleeeaasse.  Im sure it would make a great xmas present for her to match her necklace.

Metalmom.

[Polly]

Hi Metalmom,

That's sad   But I'm glad your jewelry is working out well.

We do have some good molding compounds: http://shop.rings-things.com/cart/pc/showsearchresults.asp?keyword=molding+compound

Click into the details of each, and see if one sounds the best for your use.  I'll also ask around in-house on Monday and see which types people here recommend, too.

[metalmom]

Hi Polly,

Thank you for your prompt reply, I'm sure she probably wants it for christmas, but there's not much chance of that really, what with me needing to order the supplies and having to research the best way to do it etc, but I have told her I am more than happy to look into it and if at all possible of course I will make her something.

I will check out your links and await any answers from your Monday enquiries round the office.

Thankx
Metalmom.