Stoneware with Metal Clay Using Art Clay to turn broken stoneware or china into fabulous works of art.

Materials Olive oil roller Non-stick work surfaces craft knife Plastic slats pieces of broken stoneware or china 10g Art Clay Silver syringe type Screw eye empty plastic syringe Pencil small paintbrush Water Art Clay Overlay Paste Kiln dehydrator Sandpapers small files small container Bamboo skewers or toothpicks q-tip denatured alcohol

1. Have a small cup with water, damp paper towel, and a paintbrush ready. 2. Condition your hands, plastic slats, non-stick surface, and roller with olive oil. 3. Clean a piece of broken china with denatured alcohol. Open the 10g Art Clay, removing silver clay from reclosable bag, inner wrapping, and cellophane. 4. Roll clay into a circular shape, using the plastic slats at the side of the non-stick surface to keep the clay from becoming too thin. 5. Lift up the clay, and place a small piece of stoneware in the center underneath the rolled-out clay. Using the craft knife, trim around the piece, leaving plenty along the edges. Then use the craft knife to cut a “window” in the clay, revealing the shard underneath. Be sure to leave plenty along the edges for strength as well as a beautiful silver capture. Set the window of clay, still over the ceramic, aside. Gently shape the clay to the piece of stoneware, but do not press so hard as to cut through the clay with the edges of china. 6. Take the rest of the silver clay and roll it back into a ball. Then roll it out, shaping it so that it would be able to cover the entire backing of the piece of stoneware. Place the clay-covered china piece on top of the newly rolled clay and use the craft knife to trim the clay so that the layers can meet. Immediately seal the remainder of the clay into the Ziploc-style packaging with a little piece of damp paper towel, for keeping until a later time. 7. Use Syringe type, with a green nozzle, to attach the layers of silver clay together. Smooth the seam over with a moist paintbrush. Insert a screw eye into the clay or the seam at the top of the piece, then set aside to dry. 8. Select another piece of broken stoneware, one that has interesting design worth embellishing. Clean it with denatured alcohol to remove dirt and allow the silver to adhere strongly. 9. Open the Art Clay Overlay Paste, and paint undiluted over the rough edges along the breaks of the china. It is unnecessary to paint over any rounded or smoothed edges, such as the rounded edges of a plate or saucer. Come up on the sides of the piece about 2mm. This creates a slightly bezeled or captured look when fired. © 2009 Katie Baum All rights reserved; document may not be reproduced without permission.

10. Allow the first layer of overlay paste to dry; this should only take a few minutes. Add a second layer of the paste, to ensure that no spots are left silver-less. Allow the second layer to dry as well. 11. Once the overlay paste is dry, use syringe type with a green nozzle to decorate the edges of the china. You can create a completely new design on the sides, or you can make it appear as if the design on the stoneware is wrapping in silver around the edges. Be aware that any syringe added to the piece must have a layer of overlay paste underneath, or else the silver will not adhere tightly to the china and may break off after firing. If you desire to embellish the front design with silver, simply use a finer paintbrush to add a layer of overlay paste to the china before tracing it with the syringe type. Set this piece aside to dry. 12. Return to the clay-captured piece of stoneware. If necessary, use additional syringe type to fill in the seams where the layers of clay meet. Be sure the screw eye is captured well within the clay. 13. Make sure the piece is completely bone-dry. Use sandpaper, polishing papers, or sanding pads to smooth any edges on the clay. The general rule is that the smoother the piece is before firing, the easier it will be to create a shiny surface after firing. Once the piece is as smooth as possible, set it aside to be fired. (This piece will be fired at 1200F for 30 minutes, ramping no faster than 500F per hour. Allow 5 hours.) 14. Return to the overlay-pasted piece. Use your remaining bits of clay to create a bail for this piece. Attach the bail using overlay paste, and allow to dry. 15. When the piece is completely bone-dry and the bail attached, use polishing papers to buff away any sharp or rough bits. When the piece is dry and smooth, set aside for firing. (This piece will be fired at 1200F for 30 minutes, ramping no faster than 500F per hour. Allow 5 hours.) 16. When working with stoneware, it is important to ramp the kiln slowly, and always allow it to cool naturally to room temperature. Never fire ceramic with a torch, as you may thermal-shock the stoneware and cause it to shatter. It is this same thermal-shock shattering we avoid by allowing the kiln to cool naturally. 17. After firing, the silver will appear white. This is the result of agitate silver molecules moving during the process. Brush the pieces with a stainless- or brush, and they will take on a brushed-nickel appearance. 18. Use an burnisher to go over the overlay and syringe . The high areas, when burnished, will become very shiny, creating a nice contrast with the brushed silver below. 19. For the captured pendant, there are multiple options. For a brushed-nickel appearance, simply brush with a stainless-steel or brass brush. For a higher shine, burnish, tumble, or work with wet sandpaper up to a high grit (we recommend 600, then 1200, then 2000.) 20. Finish both pieces by polishing with a quality metal polish.

© 2009 Katie Baum All rights reserved; document may not be reproduced without permission.