Oh my god I love your tiktoks, I’m so glad to know you’ve got long form content here! Your educational resources for the metal clays are so helpful. Ive done polymer clay but want to branch out. I am excited to take the plunge into metal clay soon, and I’m so grateful to feel confident about what I need after watching your stuff!

@BlueDotJewelry

Ай бұрын

I'm so happy they feel helpful! And that you feel like you're setting up for success. Thank you for letting me know :)

Those vintage 70's-80's coffee mug heaters are so handy for crafting. I use mine for so many things: melting lipsticks (in a metal cup) for rebatching, "brewing" vanilla extract (vodka+vanilla pods in closed mason jar). So many possibilities.

@BlueDotJewelry

Ай бұрын

That's so interesting to hear. I've never heard anyone actually use them to warm a mug. But they are handy! I use this one every day for this purpose and as you might be able to tell, it's been going for many years. Love it.

This was really fascinating, thank you so much! Your first attempt with the torch seemed to be too cold, but I believe you got the colour and temperature correct when torch firing the second time. I have been happy with results achieved after reaching the salmon pink glow and maintaining it for the full 7 minutes. I have also had problems which your video has helped me to troubleshoot further. I use Sherri Haab's PasteMaker instead of water, applying it directly with a brush for really strong connections and diluted with distilled water if I need to make a paste. It works for mending broken pieces, before and after firing. It is not strong until it is fired so care is needed. I love your work and your videos, I learn so much, thank you again.

@BlueDotJewelry

19 күн бұрын

Too cold and not for long enough, definitely. That's all great to hear, thanks for sharing and letting me know the helpfulness of the content. Good to hear you find the Paste Maker effective! I'll have to try that.

I suspect the issue you ran into with reconstituting your clay could be due to the inclusion of tiny amounts of dissolved minerals found in tap/bottled water. These minerals likely wont burn out and would leave a microscopic sprinkling of mineral particles inside the piece, which could definitely cause structural issues. Try using distilled water and see if you get better results! You may also want to try using a pair of tight fitting rubber gloves, as oils from your hands could be getting into and impacting the clay. Finally, with copper specifically, since it does oxidize plenty compared to silver, I would suggest either clear coating finished pieces so they dont leave your skin green. You might also be able to get a lovely bright-silver result with a simple nickel plating bath, which is much more tarnish resistant than bare copper. Overall, great video demonstrating this material as compared to silver clay!

@BlueDotJewelry

19 күн бұрын

Interesting. I'm open to the idea of oils or minerals causing these effects, and yet I would be shocked that those same factors during the same methods don't impact silver clay in almost any comparable way. But this is the point of confirming that the two operate differently. Things to be tested. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

This is so absolutely helpful!! Thank you!! Glad to watch your long form content!!

@BlueDotJewelry

19 күн бұрын

I'm so glad to hear it's helpful! Thank you for watching x

Nice! Didn't hear about this clay before. 😊

Thank you so much for the well explained vid!!! 🌹

19:32 That is the same oxide thickness rainbow you get from iron too :D You can actually tell the temperature from that accurate to right around 5-50C depending on the colour. The purple is only like a 3-5 degrees window Also I have never heard of metal sinter clays before, it was really exciting to watch!

@BlueDotJewelry

Ай бұрын

Fascinating! I'm going to read more about this. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks!

This can be really useful for the amateur energetics community too!

@BlueDotJewelry

19 күн бұрын

There is so much to explore here!

Can you fix the cracking? Oh yeah and, thank you so much for the experiment.

@BlueDotJewelry

19 күн бұрын

I haven't tried because: the filler would shrink, and so I'd have to refill and fire at least twice, I think, and I would lose an oxidized layer each time.

I love the mice ❤ what are you sitting the piece on, in the bowl ( in the kiln ) are you able to sit in a kiln shelf ?

@BlueDotJewelry

Ай бұрын

Thank you! The bowl contains vermiculite, which is my go-to for most kiln firing. Some clays can stick to a kiln shelf and I wanted to avoid that for the copper (haven't tested that factor myself). Shelf paper could be a simple solution for that, too.

Have you thought about trying the same thing with something like JB Weld? I'm curious if it woud hold it's shape...

@BlueDotJewelry

19 күн бұрын

In what way do you mean the same thing?

do you think the difference in price from silver clay makes it worth the potential difficulty and frustration a beginner might face with copper clay?

@BlueDotJewelry

Ай бұрын

I would say that one or two packages of this would be worth your time if you don't yet have experience working at this scale or you don't have a solid ceramics background. If you have one or more of those things under your belt and ultimately want to work in silver clay (and can afford to practice with it) I do think it's worth going straight to silver and getting the hang of it. It's a little different than anything else, and, as I say here, I believe the finished product quality is more reliable.

Where did you get your makers mark made????

@BlueDotJewelry

19 күн бұрын

An out of business maker, but I've heard good things about custom stamps from Metal Clays

@kristibbradshaw

15 күн бұрын

@@BlueDotJewelry thank you.

What would be great is if you know of any that can be perchesed by the quart instead of these tiny amounts ?!!!!!!

@BlueDotJewelry

19 күн бұрын

A quart would be something! I would take 100g at a time, like other base metal brands have offered. I'm also drawn to the idea of larger sculpture