Silver Art Clay Newbie!

[fuller81]

Hi im new here started doing finger prin tJewelery to begin with then i would really like to do some designs as and when i get inspiration,
I did a course and it was really good and i came away with a beautiful mirror glass polished piece, wish i had created by sanding papers alone, and ever since doing it at home i cant seem to get the same effect, do i just keep going with the sanding papers i cant recall it taking so long during the course but we didnt use a tumbler only difference is that we used a kiln and i fired on the hob.
I am very chuffed with the piece i did the quality had turned out very well, i wore it to bed last night with nothing else round my neck and no perfume and this morning i have to start the polishing again,
coudl it be that i didnt fire it for long enough, or that i just havennt done enough work even though i thought i had, where did i go wrong in the process for this to happen, what worries me that if decide to turn this into a business could this happen to my customers.

Thanks
Joanna
Any advise ?

[MuranoSilver]

Hi Joanna
Firstly to the forum.
I'll try and explain a little about why you might not be getting the results you're after
(though there some real sanding paper experts on here who will probably chime in )

Firstly a bit about the clay:
Silver Clay firing is a "scintering" process so is not as dense as sheet metal
(which would've been liquid as part of the process of making it)
If the particles of silver in silver clay are like ice crystals then we're making snowballs
and sheet metal is like blocks of ice (melted as part of the process).
It's much easier to get a shiny finish on ice than it is a snowball!

Kiln Firing vs Hob Firing:
In general the hotter and longer silver clay is fired the denser and stronger it is.
So Hob firing will not produce quite as strong or as dense a result as kiln firing
(I fire my pieces at 850 degrees C for 1.5 ~ 2 hours)
A less dense piece is a little harder to get to a mirror finish....

How Mirror Finishing Works on Metal Clays:
When the piece has finished firing it appears white ~
it isn't actually white it's just not reflective so our eyes perceive it as white.
On a minute level the outer layer of silver is quite "mountainous"....
as we burnish, sand, polish or otherwise compress that top layer it becomes
more and more reflective (changing to silver)

The "mirror finish" that you're talking about is the minute equivalent of changing the mountain to
a bowling green or putting pitch.

How to achieve a Mirror Finish
Wearing a good dust mask I sand the piece in the greenware stage with very fine sandpaper.
(much less work here then in metal) Then I gently wipe over with a baby wipe (really smooth finish)
FIRE the Clay
Use a very soft wire brush under running water with a little washing liquid to minimise scratches
Dry the piece then go through your sanding papers sanding with each in turn
until you dont see any lines from the previous grit.
Go in one direction with one paper ~ then switch direction (it's easier to see where you've been)
When you achieve a mirror shine do the final finish with a little metal polish I've found WENOL to be very good..

Why I don't use mirror finish
As you've found out when you slept in your pendant mirror finish shows up
every single mark and fingerprint. I only ever use mirror finish on selected portions
of a piece or if it's for a competition etc.
Rather than "mirror" finish I tend to stop at a shiny tumble finish which I then use
sunshine polishing cloths on (polish would be fine too)

I find this results in a polished finish that is more suitable for everyday wear....
Hope this Helps

Nicola xx

[fuller81]

Thanks very much Nicola really helpful advise i made two pieces the same evening and the other piece was a lot smaller and has been worn fine so i am thinking the larger piece poss could have been fired and dried a little longer, sorry to brown nose but your website is amazing and your jewellery is absolutely fantastic!

A few more questions, does anybody who does Finger Prints use a mould lay to take prints without the child being there that works, and those that do it only while the child is present to you just take the print cut the mould and do the rest later, cos you have to work so quickly if i want to turn this into a viable business i just wanted to understand logistics lol!
The other reason i wanted to have this as an option while im learning cos i do panic a bit when im doing it that i have everything right so less pressure if i could do on my own steam.The big companies that offer finger prints do this does anyone know what they use.

I quite wanted to be able to offer a service to people who live far away as i have alot of school friends interested that dont live close but i know its best to have a print first time as you loose detail i just wanted to know of the best products that i could use if i chose to do it this way i just wanted to have a play.

Thanks again for your help in advance.