Making a 2 part - riveted pendant.

Here's my finished Tin & PMC Mixed Media Pendant & below is how I made it.

Making a 2 layer Pendant1) First find a lovely tin you like and work roughly how big you need the centre cut out to be.
2) Roll out clay 1mm to 1.5mm thick and cut out back shape
3) Repeat for the top using the same cutter (adding texture if required)
4) Cut out an inner shape using a needle pick or slightly smaller cutter.
5) Let all the pieces dry.
6) Once dry refine the INNER edges of your front piece.
7) Line up the front and back then sand the edges for a perfect fit.
8) Drill pilot holes in the front only to make it easier to drill once fired.
9) Either add a silver clay bail at this point OR allow space to solder one on later.
10) FIRE the clay and allow to cool.

11)Using the fired pieces as a template, cut out the tin that will be sandwiched between the rivets.
12)Check for alignment and trim as needed.
13) Ball up the ends of three pieces of 1mm sterling silver wire
14) Line up layers & using a 1mm drill bit drill through all three layers (one hole only)
15) Put the wire through the hole and turn pendant over cut wire just under 1mm away from the back of the pendant.
16) Remove wire use file to take point from cut end (one or two strokes of the file at most)
17) Re-insert wire place pendant face down then hit the cut end in a circular motion ~ you're aiming to make a mini mushroom shape.
18) Turn pendant back to front side and if required flatten the end of the ball.
(this also tends to flatten the mushroom on the back even more)
19) Repeat one by one for the other two (or more) holes ~ drilling each in turn until the pendant is fully riveted.
20) Polish and enjoy!
Nicola x

I'm going to America!

I'm so excited & just had to share ~ I've booked to attend the bi-annual PMC Guild Conference at Purdue University, Indianna USA. It's so exciting to be part of this conference and meet PMC artists from all over the world. Days and days of learning and sharing ideas about metal clay!
You'll find the conference brochure HERE.

But here are just some of the things I'll be seeing...

Incorporating Dichroic Glass into Metal Clay ~ Sherrie Styx
Bronze and PMC with Other Materials ~ Carmen-Alvarez Keefer
Bronze, Copper, and Silver ~ Weers and Hamilton
Textures & Handmade Stencils in BronzClay ~ Janet Harriman
Enamel Illusions (faux enamel) ~ Cindy Silas
Technical Textures ~ Louise Shadonix
Repousse using Photoshop ~ Marian Ward
Water Etching on Hollow Forms ~ Cathy Davies-Paetz
Failsafe Endcaps for Metal Clay ~ RobinBeth Faulkner
Textures and Etching ~ Sherri Haab
How Do I Finish? ~ Elizabeth Agte
Enameling on Copper Clay ~ Yolanda Nieuwboer
Glass Clay ~ Barry Kaiser

Only 6 months to go! Now I just have to book flights and a hotel and maybe a pre-conference course and make some charms for the charm swap (those 6 months are gonna fly by!)
nic xx