2) Cling Film and zip lock bag ready (to store clay while I'm using the bit I need)
3) Water to moisten and Baby Wipes
(Turns out you use LOTS of baby wipes as the stuffs messy)
4) Gloves in a bottle or barrier cream. (Just in case as you might be sensitive to copper and it likes to really coat your hands)
First ImpressionsIt's Orange!! A real orangutan, cuddles the monkey orange! (The picture above doesn't show quite how orange it is, but for someone who prefers the silver metals it's a bit of a shock!)
Straight out of the packet it splits at the edge when squished. I decided this meant it needed conditioning. So I flattened it, smeared a little water on and worked it in (much better).
Be careful when adding water as it goes into the sticky smooshy stage very quickly.
Using the Clay Once ConditionedArt Clay Copper is fabulous to roll and (once conditioned) not at all sticky. It also doesn't seem to dry as fast as silver clay does. I had plenty of time to roll the clay out with not a cracking edge in sight.
I moistened and worked any clay I wasn't using, wrapped it in cling film and put it in the zip lock bag.
Nic x
P.S More to follow ~ cutting, making rings and firing ACC pics soon ;)
Yes, it is fun stuff isn't it but I found the orange was a big shock too! I guess we are so used to grey fingers and don't notice that :) I do find my fingers get irritated by it unless I use the Gloves in a Bottle to protect them.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see what you are making with it.
Happy New Year
Joy x
Oh I can't wait to find out how it goes. I would love to try it but I haven't got a klin. It looks like such a fabulous material. All the various colours you can obtain etc..
ReplyDeleteJoy these are all just strength testers, but if the rings stand up to mandrel bashing then I've got plans for them ;)
ReplyDeleteMy fingers were OK without but I'll be sticking with the Gloves in a Bottle as I don't want to build up an intolerance.
Dragonlady - Art Clay Copper can be Torch fired :)
Nic x
Are you going to test it for torch firing? I would really love to try copper clay but dont have a kiln so if torch firing is successful, I will deff. give it a go! Faith
ReplyDeleteOh now that would be great! Of course if you fire it by torch I suppose you can't use the colouring techniques, with activated coals. But I would love to see how it comes out too!
ReplyDeleteI will test it for torch firing (later date) but I know others have torch fired it successfully :)
ReplyDeleteNic x
Silly me, I was thinking of Bronze clay at first!
ReplyDeleteBut really the possibilites are infinite!
I saw the results of firing, very cool!
Hi Nic could you tell me where i can buy Nimrod PT 500 Pro Torch as youve recommended on your blog? jo
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne
ReplyDeleteI got mine direct from Nimrod Europe (they are in the UK)
Nic xx
I just got some of this and tried it, and whilst not as skilled as you (i.e. I would never dream of trying to condition it for fear I created goo) I found it easier to work with and actually less sloppy than silver clay that I always seem to get all over my hands and nowhere else. I also managed to hob fire it- me likey!
ReplyDeleteHi, Do you know if it's safe or ok to mix both copper and silver art clay together? Thus creating a Mokume effect.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Some experimentation has been done with this by Mary Ellin D'Agostino. You could try her site http://www.medacreations.com/ for more info :)
ReplyDeleteHello, Lots of good info here. Yesterday I fired my first batch of copper clay. It seems like there is a huge amount of scale that comes off and makes the pieces much thinner than I expected. I have not had this happen with silver clay so am not sure this is especially normal. Some of the thinner pieces actually had holes in places after the pickling. There was nothing mentioned in the directions about thickness being an issue so it was pretty disappointing. Can someone advise on this? Thanks so much
ReplyDeleteI have had great fun with firing ACC, usually give it fifteen minutes to be on the safe side. Quite a thick layer seems to oxidise for me too, so I don't tend to leave it in the pickle for long! My only solution is to make thicker things...
ReplyDeleteMy first use of my kiln with copperclay - I must have done everything wrong, a complete disaster! Made the pieces, dried them, put into kiln, but got the programming wrong, so it took 6 hrs to get to 900+ - then was too anxious to handle hot pieces, to be fair was told you could allow them to cool in the kiln - tired - so left it overnight - when they came out, some were broken - possibly too thin, but others OK. Got busy so left it a few days and used picklean today - found the pieces remained slate grey and eventually very brittle - even the thick ones - all broke and had to be chucked away - apart from everything, what went wrong - I need to get a better result next time or will loose my nerve and thats not good for someone who has just bought a new Paragon! Please help.
ReplyDeleteThis is my first time working with the copper PMC, and I could for the life of me not keep it from crumbling and cracking and sticking to everything in sight. How much kneading does it need before being workable?
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