Friday, August 24, 2012

Experiment: Hadar's Quick Fire Clay - Copper on a Lampwork Bead

 Some of us will stick anything on a bead. After all - if you don't try - how will you find the next wonderful thing?

Metal Clays - if you haven't been paying attention - have come a long way - with quite a few competing brands and more options than just Fine Silver anymore.

This is a fine powder - you mix it up yourself - from Hadar Jacobsen.

I poured some into a frit tray, made a white bicone, and then rolled the bead in the clay powder.

It needed a lot of heat to get it to stick - much higher than just getting frit to stick to a bead.

Heating the copper clay powder after applying it to the bead made the copper powder go black - no surprise there.

I then encased it, and finished shaping it, and kilned it.

Two observations: One is, I got pretty colours - intense dark reds and some purple blue.

 And the other is - it is massively incompatible. Whoa-nelly - just look at those cracks!
 Although - they just appear to be in the clear. I wonder if I did it again and didn't encase it ... .

PS. I don't know if it gives off toxic fumes. It's didn't smell particularly noxious - but that's not much to go on. It flared up and burned with a greenish flame at one point when I applied it to the bead, but not for more than a half-second. But the point is, I don't know if what I did was stunningly unsafe - if you choose to try this or other things like it - you do so at your own risk.

3 comments:

  1. I like your idea. I don't have any clay to try it..bummer. I have tried copper foil though...it was ugly black till I kept burning and burning..it finally turned a lovely mottled green. I never did try to encase it though. Maybe if you burn everything off and then encase it...just a thought.
    Hope you try again...I would love to see the results!

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  2. Copper Foil can be fabulous - don't worry about it looking black - just encase and it comes out of the kiln a handsome red.

    http://dragonjools.blogspot.ca/2012/05/learning-something-new.html

    If you encase it without letting the flame touch it - it actually stays copper!


    Copper leaf can be combined with enamel for some interesting effects too!

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  3. Thank you so much for sharing. I am going to give it another go.
    I haven't done much with powders either. Ahh so many things to try..love it!
    I have used copper a lot in my fused work and I know that gorgeous red you are talking about...love it!!

    Happy Sunday!!
    Patty

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