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Chook n Boo Mum

Silver excitement - photo link added!

By Chook n Boo Mum, in The Nesting Box

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Chook n Boo Mum Eggcentric Egluowner

Chook n Boo Mum

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Hi All, I am so excited that I had to tell someone!

 

Earlier in the summer I qualified as to teach at the basic level in ACS (Art Clay Silver), which in short looks like clay & you use & manage it like clay until it's fired when it turns into Fine Silver - I could give an indepth blurb about how & why if you like....!

 

Anyway, yesterday I went into a craft centre near us, and booked up to run 2 classes in the new year (plus a kid's Easter cards one!) and I've just finished making my first demo piece.

I made 3 silver charms with snowy rabbits and "let it snow" imprints on, added beads, Swarovski crystals, ribbons and suede, fixed them all onto a kilt pin.............and I am chuffed to bits! :dance:

 

Yes I know the first person who reads this will say where's the piccies, I will try & find my camera & get a pic up/down loaded....wonder where small child's camera is!!!!

 

Sha x

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bluekarin Golden Egg

bluekarin

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Hi All, I am so excited that I had to tell someone!

 

Earlier in the summer I qualified as to teach at the basic level in ACS (Art Clay Silver), which in short looks like clay & you use & manage it like clay until it's fired when it turns into Fine Silver - I could give an indepth blurb about how & why if you like....!

 

Anyway, yesterday I went into a craft centre near us, and booked up to run 2 classes in the new year (plus a kid's Easter cards one!) and I've just finished making my first demo piece.

I made 3 silver charms with snowy rabbits and "let it snow" imprints on, added beads, Swarovski crystals, ribbons and suede, fixed them all onto a kilt pin.............and I am chuffed to bits! :dance:

 

Yes I know the first person who reads this will say where's the piccies, I will try & find my camera & get a pic up/down loaded....wonder where small child's camera is!!!!

 

Sha x

 

I just Googled it - what amazing stuff! . I've got to get me some. It's amazing you can also have it assayed.

I too look forward to your piccys :D

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Chook n Boo Mum Eggcentric Egluowner

Chook n Boo Mum

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I'm looking...have cleared the top around the computer (how many packs of post it notes does one family need? :shock: ).....next the top of my chest of drawers in the bed room...then if still no luck every handbag I own....!!! :oops:

 

Sha x

**Found it, battery's flat as a pancake, but now on charge, so hopefully tonight I will have a piccy to show you...am still buzzing!! :dance: **

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Chook n Boo Mum Eggcentric Egluowner

Chook n Boo Mum

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No, I just DH's blow torch, although you can fire it over a cooker ring, using a special metal cage. I am going to try this method at my classes (with a bit of practice before hand! :wink: ), using a single burner camping stove, so I have less blowtorches on the go at one time. Not sure I can cope with that much flame to watch over..... :shock: ! If you use a kiln, you don't get to see the transformation from its clay form to metal, which is all part of the magic as far as I'm concerned.

 

Snowy, I got my first taste of the clay from a PMC introduction day. It's basically the same stuff, but the feeling I got from the training etc was that PMC is more "black tie" (ie more formal & stricter use of certain equipment etc) and ACS is more "jeans & t-shirt" (ie gives you much more info on cheaper short-cuts which make it more accessible to thee & me). This is my personal feeling having encountered both & I don't mean it as a criticism to either company.

 

Sha x

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freddie Chatty Chicken

freddie

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OK, I'll ask the questions!!

How long does it take to make the shapes, how detailed do you have to be. Do you lose detail when you fire them. Is it best to go on a course 1st, or can you learn at home? Is it expensive, how much stuff do you get for how much £.......can you tell I REALLY want to try this!!! Your picture is just lovely! Well done you. If I wasnt so far away, you'd have a visitor!!

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Chook n Boo Mum Eggcentric Egluowner

Chook n Boo Mum

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OK, I'll ask the questions!!

How long does it take to make the shapes, how detailed do you have to be. Do you lose detail when you fire them. Is it best to go on a course 1st, or can you learn at home? Is it expensive, how much stuff do you get for how much £.......can you tell I REALLY want to try this!!! Your picture is just lovely! Well done you. If I wasnt so far away, you'd have a visitor!!

 

My oh my, kindred spirits!

 

Ok, whistle stop tour of this piece (keep in mind that I am quite confident with the clay, to start with I wasn't so everything took longer!)....

 

Roll out clay & press stamp into clay, cut out, drill hole in each, tidy up edges & leave to dry - about 20 mins plus drying time (left mine til next day as I was too busy to finish them)

Sand out any blemishes ready for firing - any blemish/fault shows up & can't be remedied easily after firing. It depends how careful you were at cutting out etc as to how long it takes to get ready for firing. You have to be very careful with the clay at this stage as it breaks very easily (I had nearly finished one & it snapped in half :doh: I will fix it later & use t for another project) Took me about 20 mins to get 3 ready.

Firing - about 10 mins with the blow torch, you only lose the detail if the clay gets too hot & the clay starts to melt (done that too, though not recently!!)

Burnishing & making the silver "glow" as long as you like, the longer you burnish, the better it looks!

 

I went on a course (PMC) to get a feel for the medium, and fell hook line & sinker for it. It's the closest I plan to get to witchcraft & magic! Once I had a basic knowledge I played with the clay & did another improvers course (ACS), then decided to embark on a 3 day course to qualify to teach it. Courses/classes are very useful as you can ask questions on bits which the books aren't always very clear on - some are translated from Japanese & it shows sometimes!!.

 

Yes it's quite expensive a little over £1.00 a gram for the Silver - Gold is second mortgage prices, strangely I have never used it!! You can get it in a syringe form too (squeezed out through a nozzle rather like icing) and paste, which is like "slip" in pottery making. It can be used to paint onto real leaves, which burn off when you fire it & make beautiful pieces - these are hard work and very very delicate and they take days to make in my house as every layer has to be dry before you add another until it's about 1mm thick!

 

Here's a link to some of the other pieces I've made, hope it works!!

 

http://s318.photobucket.com/albums/mm428/WildMum/Jewellery/

 

One day I'll load up my exam pieces, now I've worked out how to... I'll bore you all to tears with them!!

 

http://www.beadazzlebeads.co.uk

http://www.doodleanddaub.co.uk/

 

These are the websites for the place where I will be doing my courses - I know a very nice place not far away where you could stay - dogs & chooks are friendly, if a little over enthusiastic! Courses will be uploaded soon I hope! I could always travel if there were enough bods interested....?

 

Hope this helps,

 

Sha x

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