VEO vata tol QUES, PROJECTS, INSPIRATION. (OC Ocm sreeDEDICATION Tomy fiends Cale Michael ODonnel and ‘Mlceraa Leigh O'Donnel ‘ANote About Suppliers Usually the supplies you need for making the projects in ark books can be found at your ecal cratt suppy store, ascount mart, heme impravement center, oF retail shop relevant tothe topic of the book. Occasional, how. ever, you may need to buy mate Fials or tools ftom specialty supplies. In order to provide you with the most upte-seta ino. maton, we have created surpli- ove ltinge on our Web ata, ‘which we update on a ‘www lrkbooks.com, click on ‘rat Supply Sources,” and then ‘lick on the relevant tape. You ‘wil find numerous companies listed with their webaddress ‘andor malting address and phone number. Eeitor:Suranne Jf, Tourtiett fat Direstor: Cla Nara Photographer Santa Stirs Cover Designer Bakara Zaethy Musab: Olver lin Assistant Edin: Yeon Gunter ‘at Assistance: Shannon vokeley ‘Mt ate: Lovet Bucaley Ethtona Assistance Delores Gosnell The Litrary of anges has cataloged theherdeavereiton as flows: Wee, Cece, Creve metal cay every :techrques, projets, inspiration / by CxCe Wie, Includes ine, ISBN 1 57990-3010 har ‘Tenely makng 2 Precious metal cay. Tile Tr212 M67 2003 745.594°2-acdl waeresase Published uy Lak Books dvton of Serling Publshing Cre 367 Park Avenue South, New York, NY, LONG ©2008 Cetevive Dstibsted in Gana by Sting Punishing, c)0 Canadian Manda Group, 165 Dsfrin Seat “eronto, Onto, Canada MEK 3H6 Dstibued inthe United kingdom by GMC Distribution Serves, Castle Place 165 High Steet, eves, Easi Sussex, England BN? IXU Dstribvted in usta by Capneorn Link usta} Py Lie ‘The writen instuctons,shotographs, destans, ater, and projets inthis alume are intended forthe patsonal use af the reader andmay be reproduced for tat gurpose en Any ater use, especialy eemme al uses frlddn uncer lan thoutwtlan permission ef he copyright ade. ery efort nas been mate to ensure thatthe information in ths book sceurate. However due 0 dt fering condtans els, and individual sil, the ple canna be responsble fr any nurs, loses, ‘nd ether damages that may resul fom te usec the information in ths book, you have cuesbons or comments is beok please contact ar books 61 Brosdnay Sehenis, NC 2801 (626) 253-0067 Manufactured in Cina A igs served N19; 9781572902015 (hardewer $78 IN 10 157990301. hare 0088-182 (oon ) 60058-1825 (oapetback) Farin ration abet custom eins, special sls, oremium ard ceroratepurctases, please conlact ing Specal Sas Deoartrent a 800-806-5489 0 specalsates@steringoub.comContents Mow Merat Cay Chance My Life Discoverine Metat CLav Tools, EQUPHENT & Space Cecatine wit METAL Cav Tut Peosecrs Earrings, Bracelets Pendants Rings Pins Buttons & Beads Sculptural Pies Guossany Covrersurine Aerists ACINOWLEDGHENTS Inoex lee BB U3 U3 Ths nyHow Metal Clay Changed My Life TOP:CeCeWire Circe, Circle, Squere Pr, 2001. an 1. ‘xin. (2232 omx 6 mm) Siver metal ely, sterling sive vert sulfur atin, and steel nuts and BOTTOM: CeCe Wire Boas 23,198 Vax ex dein. (47 cm 95995 mm) storing svar 6 How Metal (lau Changed Mu life I WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO METAL CLAY when I read a 1995 magazine article by artist Tim McCreight. It was about 2 new mate- tial, developed in Japan, that looks and feels like clay and yet, by fir- ing it, it becomes pure, solid metal. At first I thought | misunderstood. | thought, “A clay that turns into silver defies all reason: there must be some mistake.” As a jeweler, metal clay seemed to offer so many possibilities | couldn't sleep that night. | worked until the wee hours of the morning trying to capture in my sketchbook the hundreds of ideas that swam through my mind. | could make hollow siver beads, sculpted forms, work with enamel, carve dry clay on a lathe, and bypass traditional lost-wax casting with an easier and faster method. | was amazed I'm pretty sure I was one of the very first people in the United States to purchase and use metal clay. Two weeks after learning where | might purchase it, | had sculpted, fired, and enameled a piece—end then displayed it in ¢ group exhibition. | was on a path that forever changed the way | worked as a metalsmith, a path that changed my life. ‘The story doesn't end there. A short time later, | was teaching Jewelry at a community college and | brought my first pieces to class with me one night. My students were curious to learn more about the stuff that | was so excited about. Those early learning sessions, though energizing to all of us, helped me realize that | wanted 10 get some professional training, and that doing so would give me the confidence and knowledge to further spread the metal clay gospel. | took Tim’s class and eventually gained enough experi- ence to teach other teachers about metal clay. I'm now the cirector of the largest metal clay guild in the world—and that is how metal clay changed my lite| hope that working with this material will change your life es well, perhaps notin as dramatic ¢ way as it dd mine, but maybe it will change the way you ‘elax at night, how you make meaningful gifts ‘or the special people in your life, or help you add new tech- niques to the art forms that you're already skilled at. Lampworked and fused dichroic gless, enamel, and beads all gain new life when they’te incorporated into metal clay creations. Metal clay lets you dasign every aspact of a piece, with all the components made by your own hand. You'll soon realize you've discovered a whole new creative world in amazing metal cay. TOPLEFT. CeCe wire. Lune Square At, 200 Wax Vox tin 8.232 em xB rm). Silver meta clay, string ser, ne siver, and ‘moenstore PTD BY SRA AEMAKTINO. TOPRIGHE CeCe Wire, Prog Rock 198. Ver Vexiin, axed ema nm) iver ‘meta clay and sterling silver. BOTTOMLEFT Linde Kaye-Mtoses. “All The Stars That Round Her Burn "200 Fibula a)ixisin 12.7 2890mx 6 mm) Sivor rata elay: sterling siver, 4k gol, viteuus enamel forte, ‘tourmaline, PHOTO By AN SLOWER, BOTTOM RIGHT Robert Dancik Flower fing, 200. ex Vict in. 0.2 25emx25 em Siar metal lay, ftoting svar, rezhwaterpoare, Mk ol rivets, brass breshfiishee How Meta! Clau Changed Mu Life 78 Discovering Metal Clay . (CeCe Wire. Blazer Pn, 2001. Vox x ‘ein. (82x18 em x6 rm). Siver metal clay tering silver ene, adi Discovering Mezal Gay METAL CLAY IS AN AMAZING ART MATERIAL made of three inaredi- ents: water, an organic binder, and pure metal particles of either silver or gold. The partcles of binder and metal are so fine that they resem- ble cornstarch. In its unfired form, metal clay is soft; you can manipu- late it just like other clays. Rall it out or model t, pierce, cut, or tear it, join or assemble separate pieces of it, then texture and fire it! The magic happens in the firing process, once the metal clay becomes pure silver or gold, My friend Jean Campbell, the editor of Beadwork magazine, has referted to this transformation as “kiln alchemy.” And although the process of turning a claylike material into silver of gold sounds like alchemy, the transformation is not so mysterious once you understand the process by which it changes from a soft, pliable material to a solid precious metal. (Yes, it really is a precious metal!) It can be buifed, burnished, polished, sol dered, hammered, formed, ensmeled, or patinated. Virtually any- thing you can create with traditional fine silver or pure gold, you can make with metal clay. Also, air spaces trapped in the firing process create @ material that is more porous and less dense than conven- tional sheet silver or sheet gold. This is a great adventage for mak- ing jewelry because you are free to design large pieces with less weight. There are three formulas of metal clay. Each one is fired for a specific length of time (here referred to as quick-, medium-, and slov-fire), and each is available in lump form. The medium-fire ver- sion is also available in several other forms, such as paste. Choose the formula and form best suited to your design needs and working method. Lump metal clay is the most versatile of the forms. It has the look and feel of a fine porcelain clay body: ultrasmooth and highly refined. Don't be misled by the word clay, though; there really isn’t any clay in metal clay, just water organic binder, and precious metal particles. Once the piece is completely dry only organic binder and precious metal particles remain, and you can fire it in a small elec- tric kiln; the newer formulas may be fired with a butane torch, but a