Ready to enter the world of silver clay

[MuranoSilver]

I make the charm to fit the print so I'd get a set of small/medium cutters
Ovals & circles work well on bracelets, hearts are gorgeous too but you need a bigger cutter to fit the print onto.
Suggested tools - slats, roller & non stick board (glass chopping boards work well) some small tiles or plates (for drying)
*Well conditioned clay (not sticky & not cracking at the edges) shouldn't stick to a plastic roller or glass board.
To help with this you can rub a little olive oil or badger balm onto the roller/rolling board then wipe off (it shouldn't be an oil slick!)

Instructions
1) Roll out clay using roller & slats on your rolling mat
2) Lift onto your plate/drying tile
3) Take print
4) Use cutter to cut print
5) Remove excess clay and leave print to dry on the plate
6) *repeat*
For the best results work fast.
Once dry drill pilot hole for jump ring (tiny drill bit) then enlarge using a 2 mm bit
Make sure you drill at least 1 1/2 - 2mm from the edge as fine silver is quite soft & you want a decent amount of metal for it to hang from.

Troubleshooting
If clay is sticky leave for a minute or so and it will dry out
Wrap in cling film when not using so it doesnt dry out
If it gets dry then flatten into a disk between your fingers
Slick some water accross the surface (drops not buckets) and fold into the clay

Storage
Store incling film in zip lock bag (or packet it came in) with moist kitchen towel.
If you think of any questions you need answering pop them up here & we'll try our best
There are a few print bracelets in my photo stream if that helps....
Bracelets & Bangles - a set on Flickr
Nic xx

[loobyvee]

Fantastic tips, I don't think it would have occured to me to transfer the clay onto a drying tile before taking the print. I've just had a nosey through some of the work all of you have done and there are some stunnning pieces. I am going to wait to see how the charms turn out before making the bracelet -if they are a bit iffy I can make it more 'rustic' and make out it's a design feature *grin*. I think I will have to cheat and buy ready made loose chain because of time restraints but reserve the right to run out and get a ready made one at the last minute ;-)

I'm actually really looking forward to getting the charms done and dusted so I can move on to more creative things.

[FVT]

Yes...having all your equipment ready to hand is really important, as you can't waste time once that clay is out in the open air I always try my best to visualise the steps in advance, just to make sure I haven't forgotten any necessary tools or badger balm etc! I like the tip of Nic's about putting moist kitchen towel in with the unused clay...sometimes even if you think you've tightly wrapped it in cling film, and in a zip lock bag, it can dry out more than you would expect :-(

[elliboo]

I often work on a plain white tile - the kind for decorating kitchen/bathroom walls. Cheap as chips at B&Q etc and the clay can be left to dry right on the tile. I usually pop mine into the oven on low if I'm in a hurry. Because they're so cheap I have a steady stream of clean work surfaces ready to go all the time. I find that when work is dry or nearly dry it slides off the tile without any problems. I use a light touch of badger balm (try boots) on the tile and a teeny bit of olive oil on texture sheets in a water brush.

Good luck