Tuesday, 18 August 2009

Soldering PMC or Art Clay Silver Cuff links


Personally I use the complete cufflink mechanisms from Cooksons (NVU-101 you can find them here)

This is what I do for my fine silver (PMC/ACS) fronts onto the Cooksons cuff link mechanisms.
1) File off the little bump so you have nice flat contact
2) Burnish the area on the PMC that you'll be attaching the cuff link too
3) (If using paste) Blob paste onto the cuff link finding
3b) (If using Pallions) Clean and flux both pieces and the solder pallions
4) Hold cuff link finding onto cuff link with cross-locking tweezers (at an angle where you won't burn yourself while heating the piece)
4b) (If using Pallions) put solder pallions at join point
5) Aim the heat at the block around the fine silver cuff link gradually bringing the heat more onto the cuff link. Don't aim the heat onto the solder itself until the the fine silver is hot. The solder tends to melt when the fine silver is around the Salmon red colour.
6) Remove heat when the solder flows BUT continue to hold the cuff link finding in place as the solder will still be fluid until the metal cools a bit.
7) Pickle & polish as normal


Here's what they look like finished - hope that helps :)

Nic x

Wednesday, 12 August 2009

PMC Symposium Bristol

Last weekend was spent very, very happily at the PMC symposium in Bristol.


Guest presenters included Tim McCreight, Jeannette Landenwitch, Robert Dancik and the inventor of Bronze Clay-Bill Struve. It kicked off with a wonderful keynote presentation from Tim (far left in the picture), ahhh so the focus of the weekend was design....

This fitted well as we got so see for real fabulous Masters Registry creations including Maggi Bergmans bracelet and brooch with stilt rivets. Clare John demonstrated resins (she has a great selection of colours ans they look fabulous). Sue Heaser demonstrated Polymer Clay. Helga van Leipsig presented on using ceramic transfers on silver clay (her work is amazing and the effects look very similar to aluminium and silver mixed)

Then there was the Balloon Festival and the Red Arrows fly over. Lisa Cain is good very, very good at organising conferences - but a Red Arrows fly over!!! WOW!! ....(NB apparently Lisa said that it was just co-incidence and all that stuff was going on anyway, but I'm not so sure, lol)

Critique Sessions were available with:
•Tim McCreight •Robert Dancik •Lisa Cain •Jeanette Landenwitch •Chris Pate •Julia Rai
I was booked in with Tim McCreight who was extremely generous with his knowledge!
OMG then there was the eye candy!!!!
I put more here in my Flickr Photos - (just click the conference set)
There was soooo much more the stone setting with Jeanette Landenwitch, the riveting (literally) session with Robert Dancik where we saw some of the things you could do with cold connections and faux bone (I had to get some of that!).
Then there were lots of opportunities to buy stuff and a prize giving too £££ Major value prizes!!

All in all I shall definitely be booking next year and now I am also committed to participating in the Masters Registry. The Masters is a program linked to an independent evaluation system that is the most prestigious and professional credential in the field of metal clay. It's not cheap but you DO get world class designers evaluating your work and build up an impressive portfolio of professional photographs...

Nicola xxx

Thursday, 16 July 2009

Handy Tip for adding Resin to Jewellery

Oasis is available very cheaply from florists and florist supply companies. It is the resin artists friend as it allows you to easily make sure your jewellery is level! Here are my latest selection of resin dome rings, pendants & earrings and this is one of them after drying (a ruby resin pendant & earrings set)
Hope you like them & you found the tip useful!
Nicola x

Monday, 13 July 2009

£100 Blog Giveaway on Murano Silver

Just to let you know there's a blog giveaway on Murano Silver (my other Blog), we're 8 facebook followers away from the £100 of Murano Silver Jewellery Giveaway!
That would include your choice of three Daisy Themed Pieces...PLUS
a handmade ring with your own choice of wording: PLUS
Either Stud or Dangly Earrings (surprise choice made by me)
and whatever else I throw into the mix :)
To enter:
1 Entry for posting a comment on the Murano Silver Blog thread plus
1 Extra entry if you're a fan - (Also includes this PMC Tips Blog so if you follow both that's 2 extra)
5 Extra entries (yes FIVE) to everyone who follows my shop facebook page (Link below)
2 Extra Entries for Blogging, Twittering & Facebooking about the comp.
(2 entries for each promotion - please post link)
That's a potential 14 entries in my Birthday Bonanza Giveaway!
Nicola xx

Monday, 6 July 2009

Babette Cox Name Stamps Review

So you've created your jewellery and hopefully people are buying it, but wouldn't it be fabulous if they could easily remember where they'd bought it from a year or two down the line??
Well thanks to the marvelous Babette Cox now you can!.
Babette makes very, very detailed custom name stamps and makers marks that are perfect for adding that professional touch to all your polymer clay and pmc pieces. They're made from a hardened plastic that gives perfectly crisp text impressions.
Here's the back of my butterfly brooch showing my new "Murano Silver" text stamp (one of the two stamps I got from Babette). She was really helpful in matching up the font I use in my website etc to the font I got for my stamp. There was even a proof with multiple true to scale sizes so I could choose the size I wanted!
The back of the flower pendant shows the other stamp I bought. This one has the "Created by Heart and Hand" logo used on my business cards and website. I only had crude graphics for this, but Babette got them tidied up for me and they came out beautifully.
All in all Babette's Makers Mark & Custom Name Stamps provide excellent value for money and superb quality. They come with clear and detailed instructions and tips for usage (both for polymer and silver clay) and I'm sure I'll be using them for many years to come!

Nicola x

Thursday, 2 July 2009

Level 2 Certification - Silver Clay

I've now posted my Level 2, Art Clay Silver Certification pieces..... If you need me, I'll be in a corner gibbering & hoping they're good enough to pass (or I'll have to do them again!).This is the first piece, a shaped rolled rope ring, with inset CZ and carving. I also had to oxidise it but took the picture before that (so you could see the carving depth better). It also had to end up an exact size (did that bit phew!)For the second piece you have to set a natural stone using fine silver bezel strip. The stone is bezel set post firing and a part of the pendant has to be mirror finished. The stone is a very pretty green Tourmaline & you can see the textured silver through it (cute).

This is the back showing the Fine Silver Bail back (or flat screw eye) which has to be used. It also shows the new name stamp I got from the fabulous Babette Cox! The final piece is a brooch, this one requires the use of syringe type clay. It also uses Art Clay Exclusive brooch findings which are always fun to set, lol. I really hope this one passes as I might have been a bit ambitious in adding cabs & SiChrome flakes. (fingers crossed).

Nic xx

Monday, 29 June 2009

See what my PMC class learnt today!

Today my fabulous "intro course" students learnt how to use silver clay.  They learnt setting with CZ stones, Dichroic Glass Cabs, Resin work (they even did some soldering too).

Didn't they do well!

Nic xx

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