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Neve
19-02-2013, 06:30 PM
Hello :) I have just bought some silver paste and would love to paint it onto leaves, twigs, petals...that kind of thing to make little silver replicas. Does anybody know of any tutorials that I can watch, or have any words of wisdom for me? Thank you everso x x x

Dennis
19-02-2013, 08:37 PM
This is usually done by electroforing:http://www.caswelleurope.co.uk/Cop-Electrofmkit-1litre.htm, Dont Know about paste. Dennis.

silken
19-02-2013, 09:37 PM
Ahhh, do you mean the PMC type paste or silver conductive paint for use before electroforming?

I've used the PMC paste before just because it looked kind of fun but I only used it with that burnable cork clay stuff. I got some good results but it would have been better if I was kiln firing, I don't have a kiln so used my torch. I've also used silver conductive paint to practice electroforming. Let me know what type you were referring to and I can probably give you a bit more advice/unearth some tutorials :)

Neve
19-02-2013, 10:22 PM
Thanks Dennis and Emily, I have bought the art clay silver paste, my tutor used a leaf and made a beautiful pendant, a compete replica in silver, stunning! I could wait and ask her, but I'm a tad excited and impulsive!

silken
19-02-2013, 10:33 PM
That sounds beautiful! As far as I know, it is very similar to the results you can achieve with electroforming but without the electroforming equipment and chemicals. I used the cork clay and painted the silver paste onto a piece of cork clay that I had shaped into a little puffy heart shape. I applied several layers of the paste, letting each one dry before applying the next one. I made a small hole in an inconspicuous area to prevent the piece exploding during firing...don't want an exploding heart! I torch fired it, the cork clay burnt away and left me with a little hollow heart shape. It was fun but it must have been at least 5 years ago so I can't give much advice. I'll see if I can find some tutorials :D

Neve
19-02-2013, 11:08 PM
Ooooh, that sounds just my cup of tea, I love hearts, esp puffed ones :) I have never used silver clay or cork clay before, but I have made hollow beads with sheet silver, so know about the inconspicuous hole :) I would love to see a tutorial, I did have a look today, in between half term frivolities with my children. But couldn't find any. So would appreciate a link if you ever did find one, thank you so much x x

MeadMoon
20-02-2013, 10:31 AM
Hi Neve,

I make leaves using PMC slip. It's quite easy, but takes a long time since I allow to air dry between coats.

There's a tutorial here: http://www.silverclay.co.uk/down.htm called "Instructions on how to make a unique silver pendant or earrings". They use Art Clay Silver, but it's much the same for PMC. I prefer to air dry rather than using a hair dryer after one leaf flew across the room :) and I also find that artificial heat tends to dry the leaf out faster and sometimes come away from the paste before you've added enough layers.

Here's one of my leaves: 4359

Let me know if you have any more questions.

Neve
21-02-2013, 05:44 PM
Wow Elaine! That is stunningly beautiful! Thank you so much for taking the time to show me, I will take a look at the tutorial when my girls are in bed and come back to you! Excited!

methuselah
26-02-2013, 02:17 PM
I've had success making the slip from dried-out clay that I ground up in a pestle and mortar, it's useful for using up old lumps.
Leaves usually have more texture on the underside. After pottering about in the gardens I've had success with wild strawberry, brambles, rose and mint.
If the leaves are thin they may curl up, sticking them to card with PVA helps a lot.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_W_AaqXpo0OY/SxvPlpJ5TMI/AAAAAAAAAAk/96Bjeu3XwHI/s1600/silver+mint+leaves-3.jpg

MeadMoon
27-02-2013, 11:00 AM
Hi Methuselah, Yes, it's always the back of the leaf that you add the clay to and I usually make slip from old clay as you do. Far cheaper than buying the paste.

I like your tip on using PVA to stick the leaf down - many thanks for that. Some of the more delicate leaves are very tricky to hold while you're painting the layers.

So far I've made leaves from Hazel, Hawthorn, Oak, Holly, Buddleia, Osmanthus, Cotinus, Honeysuckle, Fig, different varieties of Acer, Ivy and Malva and a few other plants in my garden which I haven't identified. The Holly & Ivy were the least successful since they have few interesting veins.

fay144
11-03-2013, 05:36 PM
Hmm... maybe I should have looked at a tutorial before I tried this! I just assumed you needed to paint both sides of the leaf to get the proper effect. I was doing stupid things like trying to stick the stem to wooden bbq skewers, so I could get at both sides, lol. Wondered why it always turned out rubbish, I thought I was just putting the paste on too thick. Apparently not the paste that was too thick ;-)

So I won't bother offering any advice here!!!

silken
11-03-2013, 06:14 PM
Don't worry, practice makes perfect. I've got quite a hefty pile of rejects that didn't quite turn out as planned. I think it's part of the normal process, anyone who says they get everything perfect every time is either a liar or just very lucky :D

ps_bond
12-03-2013, 02:11 PM
...anyone who says they get everything perfect every time is either a liar or just very lucky :D

Or knows enough tricks to get themselves out of trouble if things start to look less-than-perfect?

Donna Maria Lynn
22-03-2013, 09:32 PM
Hello :) I have just bought some silver paste and would love to paint it onto leaves, twigs, petals...that kind of thing to make little silver replicas. Does anybody know of any tutorials that I can watch, or have any words of wisdom for me? Thank you everso x x x

Hi Neve, add a small amount of paste to a plastic pot, or lid, add a couple of drops of water from your brush, add a thin coat to the BACK of the leaf, set it aside to dry and repeat 5 times. then start to add thick paste from the jar(like iceing a cake) (dry after every coat) do another 5 coats untill its about 2 to 3 mm thick. then kiln fire x do not try on waxy leaves as its like oil on water! xx

Patstone
03-05-2013, 05:41 AM
Hi Elaine, I have been reading up old posts to find out if anyone knows how to "silver" the edge of a stalegmite, I want to silver just one edge of it and fix a
ring or something to hold the chain to make it into a pendant, but I dont want to heat it as I fear it would shatter. Does air drying enable it to be highly polished and how long roughly does it take to air dry please.


Hi Neve,

I make leaves using PMC slip. It's quite easy, but takes a long time since I allow to air dry between coats.

There's a tutorial here: http://www.silverclay.co.uk/down.htm called "Instructions on how to make a unique silver pendant or earrings". They use Art Clay Silver, but it's much the same for PMC. I prefer to air dry rather than using a hair dryer after one leaf flew across the room :) and I also find that artificial heat tends to dry the leaf out faster and sometimes come away from the paste before you've added enough layers.

Here's one of my leaves: 4359

Let me know if you have any more questions.

mizgeorge
03-05-2013, 09:34 AM
Pat, air drying is just done between the layers of slip. It still has to be fired once the layers are all dry.

MeadMoon
03-05-2013, 09:56 AM
George beat me to it! :)