Fall 2012

Metal Clay for Jewelry

Makers
The Complete Technique Guide
by sue heaser

Explore a beautifully illustrated encyclopedic must-

have with Metal Clay for Jewelry Makers. Internationally
renowned artist Sue Heaser explores all of the basic
and advanced metal clay techniques, such as forming
hinges and hollow forms; working with paper clay; adding
gemstones, metals, glass, ceramic, resin, and enamel; and
forging, annealing, texturing, and adding patinas.

Beautifully showcased are gold, silver, copper, and bronze

in an array of forms. Other techniques showcased include
resin; mounting stones, pearls, fused glass, or metals;
enameling; combining PMC with polymer clay; and
creating patinas.

With more than 500 photographs and finished projects

and techniques throughout, Metal Clay for Jewelry Makers
provides readers the inspiration needed to design unique
metal clay jewelry.

Sue Heaser is an internationally renowned artist, author, and

teacher with twenty-five years of experience. Sue has pub-
lished thirteen craft books, including the best-selling Magical
Metal Clay Jewelry. She teaches world-wide metal clay and
polymer clay workshops, and was founding director of Art
Clay World UK Guild. Sue lives in England.

ISBN: 978-1-59668-713-4 Page Count: 192

Format: Hardcover Trim Size: 8½ × 10
US Price: $29.95 Release Date: October
Canada: $29.95 Season: Fall 2012
 Interweave books are sold and distributed to the book trade by Perseus distribution in the U.S. and Canada.
(800) 343-4499 | orderentry@perseusbooks.com
 Mixed Material necklace,
BarBara Sperling
36
Combining silver clay with other
BASIC TECHNIQUES
materials will make your clay go
further. Here polymer clay images
framed in silver clay are combined
with polymer clay beads to make a
luscious whole.
 cuff, Mary ann nelSon
Silver clay textured with ammonites
embellishes a faux bone cuff.
Filigree work
M etal clay in a paste or slip form can
be piped in thin lines from a syringe
to create a form of filigree. While this
does not fully simulate traditional wire
filigree, it is a superb art form in its own
right, with beautiful flowing lines forming
delicate openwork of all kinds.
filiGree on a claY backinG Sheet and openWork filiGree
these swatches are made using either a fine nozzle of 0.5mm thickness or a medium nozzle of about 1mm thickness.
130
CLAY SHAPING TECHNIQUES
Random line samples
on a clay sheet backing
From the top:
Random lines made with a fine nozzle.
Random lines made with a medium nozzle.
Flattened random lines made with a medium
nozzle. See page 132.
Openwork filigree
Linked openwork elements and trapped
gemstones. See page 164.
Reclaiming and
reconstituting clay
W orking in any material will always produce waste. With
metal clay this may be soft clay scraps, failed projects,
or simply a piece that you dislike. This section details the many
ways you can make best use of your metal clay with economical
practices, recycling, reconstituting, and reclaiming.
the price of precious metal has risen
a great deal in recent years, and this
has inevitably impacted on the price
of metal clay, in particular the precious
metal clays. the following tips can
substantially cut down on your use
of clay.
Roll clay sheets thinly. For most jewelry
projects, sheets of clay 0.5 mm thick
will be as successful as thicker sheets.
However, it is wise to work at about
1 mm thick when you are a beginner
to reduce the chances of breaking your
work in the plaster-dry stage.
Work smaller. Large, chunky jewelry
is great, but so are small and more
delicate pieces.
Use mixed media. pieces do not have to
be made entirely of silver, instead try
combining it with base metal clays, glass,
textiles, wood, and other materials.
Use polymer clay. Choose polymer clay to
back or infill pieces after firing so that
the precious metal content is reduced.
See page 168.
Use hollow core or formers. to avoid
working in solid metal, which uses
up far more clay, use hollow core
techniques or formers. See page 00.
Concave molding. When molding clay,
press it into the mold to give a concave
back. See page 73.
the technique is more challenging than many other metal clay techniques and
requires a steady hand, as well as the ability to draw while pressing the plunger
of the syringe to extrude the paste line at a regulated speed. You will need to
coordinate the movement of your hand with the pressure on the plunger. Once
the basic technique is mastered, the varieties of filigree that can be created are
richly decorative and well worth the effort of learning the technique.
Filigree can be applied to a clay background as a decoration, or created
as openwork on a separate surface—such as a ceramic tile—from which it is
removed after drying. It can also be applied to a combustible core.
Repeating patterns
on a clay sheet backing
From the top:
Zigzag line made with a medium nozzle.
Looped line made with a medium nozzle.
Figure-of-eight line made with a fine nozzle.
Dots made with a medium nozzle.
See page 132.
Filigree with hollow forms
Left: controlled lines made with a medium
nozzle.
Right: random lines made with a fine nozzle.
See page 102.
 textured bead, Tracey Spurgin
Making pieces with a hollow core uses less
clay and makes jewelry lighter to wear.
Save and reconstitute. Save all your
unfired clay scraps for reconstituting.
this also applies to dried clay waste
from filing or carving, but do not use
dust from sanding, which may be
contaminated by the grit.
See page 34.
Save and recycle. Save any unwanted
fired silver for recycling into new pieces.
See page 33.
Design for economy. With the above
points in mind, design your jewelry
carefully, avoiding unnecessary
thickness and using other materials for
hidden parts such as the back of a piece.
Landscape
Drawn with a fine nozzle on a clay sheet
backing. See page 133.
Filigree infill
Fish pin using a cut-out sheet of clay with
medium nozzle filigree openwork decoration.
See page 134.
These dried out
pieces are perfect
for reconstituting
Reconstituting dried-out clay
Any type of metal clay that has been
allowed to dry out completely can be
ground into a powder and reconstituted
remarkably easily. This may apply to
a piece that you forgot, that has dried
out in its wrapper, a piece that broke
too badly for repair in the plaster-dry
stage, or that you decided you did not
like. You can also use this technique
for clay you have collected from filing
or carving.
You Will need
Dried out clay
A small pestle and mortar
A fine enamel or tea strainer
(useful but not essential)
Eyedropper or small spray bottle
Water
Spatula or palette knife
Large ceramic tile to work on
A few drops of glycerine (optional)
File pocket or plastic wrap
Roller
Openwork
Openwork filigree with resin
plique-à-jour.
Holding the syringe
This method of holding a syringe
gives far more control than most
other methods. Practice using
a syringe on a ceramic tile so that
the paste can be recycled into a paste pot.
Alternatively, fill an empty syringe with toothpaste
to give yourself practice without wasting any clay.
Step 1 Fix a medium nozzle onto the
syringe—this nozzle is the easiest to control
while you are learning the techniques.
Step 3 Use your other hand to grip the
syringe and depress the plunger. This
means that the hand that is drawing does
not have to apply pressure, and therefore
has far more control.
Step 1 Put the lumps of clay in a mortar
and crush hard with the pestle. Pound
hard to break up the lumps, then grind
with a circular motion. You need to make
a fine powder.
Step 3 Put most of the powder onto a large
ceramic tile, but save some for adding if the
mix becomes too wet. Use the eyedropper
to add a few drops of water (or spray the
powder with water) and mix with a palette
knife or spatula, scraping the edges into the
center as you work.
Step 5 Keep mixing and the clay will begin
to clump together. You can also add a few
drops of glycerin to aid the water retention
of the clay, about two or three drops for
7g of clay powder or a small marble-sized
lump of clay.
Step 2 Hold the syringe in your working
hand as you would a pen or pencil.
Step 4 When you need to pause in
your work, set the tip of the syringe
in a water pot to prevent it drying
out. If the nozzle becomes
blocked, push a very fine needle
into the end of the syringe to
clear the nozzle.
Metal Clay for Jewelry Makers
Applying texture
Small feathers
Texturing materials
An assortment of items can be used to
S oft metal clay takes impressions
extremely well and with far less effort
to begin, there are natural materials in abundance to try. Fresh and dried leaves
and flowers, textured pebbles, seashells and coral, and grasses and bark all
create texture—some are shown here.
Step 2 Use a tea strainer to sieve the
powder. This is not essential if you grind
it really fine, but will help to remove any
than in conventional silversmithing. This
opens up a wonderful world of creativity,
create fascinating textures and patterns. Commercial texture sheets and rubber
stamps, often intended for other crafts, can be adapted for metal clay. You
can also make your own texture sheets and stamps to give your pieces more
cuttlefish bone
foreign bodies that have got into the clay and you will soon discover all kinds of originality. Finally, you could try one of several exciting techniques for using
Impressing with fine materials
by accident. Any lumps in the strainer can Fine materials such as fresh or dried leaves, feathers, and grasses give lovely subtle
materials that can be pressed into the metal clay paste to texture and embellish the clay surface.
be ground further—if they will not grind up, textures when rolled into metal clay. The aim is to keep any untextured area between
discard them. You can now store the powder clay to make your jewelry unique. the impressions as smooth as possible, and using rolling guides is the best way to do
for later reconstitution if you wish. this. This method is best used for items that are less than a millimeter thick. Fern leaves
texturinG effectS uSinG different MaterialS
37 94 95
RECLAIMING AND RECONSTITUTING CLAY
CLAY SHAPING TECHNIQUES
APPLYING TEXTURE
Step 4 Only add sufficient water to just
moisten the clay, until all the dry powder Lace Fern leaves Rubber stamp impression Feathers Step 1 Roll out the clay to the desired Step 2 Lay the material that will make the Step 3 Peel away the leaves to reveal
has gone and the mix is like breadcrumbs. Handmade lace rolled into clay. Leaves were laid onto the oiled Small, commercially available Small (budgerigar) feathers thickness for the project using rolling impression in position on the clay and roll the texturing. Any small pieces that
If you add too much water, mix in some of See page 83. surface of a clay sheet and rolled rubber stamps were used were rolled into the surface of guides and a nonstick surface. Smooth a again between the rolling guides so that remain in the clay can be left to burn
the reserved powder. in. See page 83. here. See page 85. the oiled clay sheet. See page 83. thin sheen of oil over the clay surface with the leaves are pressed firmly into the clay away during firing.
your finger. surface. It is best to roll from the center
outward in each direction.
Impressing with thicker
materials
If the material to be used for texturing
is more substantial and cannot be
rolled into the clay, then the clay needs
be pressed onto the material. This
applies to chunks of stone, pieces of
Candle wax impression Cuttlefish impression Text impressions Commercial texture sheet wood and bark, coral, granite, and
the ship design was drawn onto the oiled clay sheet was pressed From top to bottom: the oiled clay sheet was pressed cuttlefish bone, as shown here. This
a smooth candle surface with on to a cuttlefish bone to create polymer clay reversed stamp onto a commercial rubber technique does not give such a smooth Step 1 Roll out the clay to the desired Step 2 Press the oiled side of the clay
an engraving tool. the oiled this effect. See page 83. made from a candle wax texture sheet. See page 84. back to the clay sheet as with thinner thickness for the project using rolling sheet firmly against the most interesting
Step 6 Lightly oil your hands with clay was then pressed onto the engraving; commercially materials, but a piece of fabric or guides. Oil the surface of the clay lightly to part of the texturing material. Work over the
vegetable oil and gather up the clay. Press drawing to make a relief image available letter stamps; candle leather pressed onto the back will give create a faint sheen. back of the sheet, pressing firmly with the
it together in your fingers. If it will not hold that is ideal for embellishing wax engraving written in it a more professional finish. flat pad of your finger to ensure that all the
together, add a little more water. with enameling or resin. See reverse. See page 67. clay is textured.
page 85.
extrudinG toolS
Syringe (1)
nozzles (2)
fine nozzle—0.5 mm: This gives the
most delicate filigree and is usually
used for random syringing because it is
more difficult to control. With practice,
however, you will find that you can create
controlled lines with the fine nozzle.
See the trees on page 133.
Medium nozzle—1 mm: This is the
easiest to use for controlled shapes. It
is best to work from side to side across
a drawing, or toward you. Turn the piece
as you work to avoid pushing the syringe
away from you.
thick nozzle—1.5 mm: This is used for
structural elements in a larger design
and for framing finer work.
acetate and tiles (3) Used as work
surfaces.
131
FILIGREE WORK
Syringe caps (4)—shown on the syringe,
capping the blue nozzle: This prevents
the paste in the nozzle drying out.
fine paintbrush (5) for minor
adjustments
2
4
1 5
3