Originally Posted by
SilverPlayer
Hi Ann,
You're right.. these ideas should be relayed to students in classrooms!
As mentioned before, I have both of Kate's metal clay (MC) books, and they have completely changed the way I use/handle metal clay.. and it should be a book that all resellers of metal clays should have in stock.
I already had a kiln, as I make rings with MC, so I was used to firing at 1650 deg F for 2 hours. What blew me away was that she could create these amazing structural, stable, professional-looking pieces, with a full 2-hour kiln firing, no need for filing, excessive sanding and just a wash of water for joining dry-built pieces together. But once she'd explained the 'science' behind what she does and why.. it all makes perfect sense (in particular, the bit about work-hardening the metal afterwards).
I have used both Art Clay (Slow Dry) Silver Clay and PMC3. I found PMC3 smoother, softer and easier to work with. Kate's method of storing unused clay (as opposed to cling film as I was taught) is just inspired and has definitely allowed me to work for much longer time periods, without having to resort to rehydrating the metal clay.
Students should have the right to this information, so that they can make informed choices as to how they use this medium safely and effectively to produce stable, durable and professional-looking pieces in metal.
In the next week or so, Kate's launching a new website called 'A Workshop in Fine Silver' to accompany the 4-hour DVD set she's bringing out. The website will be a resource centre with photos, videos, demos and an 'Ask Kate' section where to the best of her knowledge, she will answer questions and help provide solutions to people's metal clay problems .... all for free!
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