Grade Levels

9–12

Procedure

1. Add 1cc (ml) water to the paste and stir well for at least 1 minute. Be sure to tap the jar to allow any bubbles to rise to the surface and break.
2. Wrap the rubber band around the skewer halfway down its length. Place the bead on the skewer so that the rubber band stops it from falling off.
3. Using the wider paintbrush, coat the bead with three layers of Art Clay Silver 650 Paste, drying between coats. Be sure to apply paste in holes as well.
4. Cut a strip of cloth about 1/2" x 3" long.
5. On a Teflon sheet, apply paste to the cloth until saturated.
6. Figure 1 - Wrap the cloth around the bead to form an interesting design, leaving smooth areas which will be embellished with syringe or gold.
7. Build up a sufficient thickness with additional paste, paying attention to the edges and thin spots. Be sure to retain the cloth texture.
8. Allow to dry.
9. Figure 2 - Use syringe to add design interest on small portions of the bead.
10. Allow bead to dry completely.
11. Sand any areas that will have a mirror finish; first with 600 grit, then 1200.
12. Firing procedures: Nestle bead in fiber blanket and place on a piece of fiber board. Place in room temperature kiln. Using full ramp, fire at 1200ºF for 30 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature before opening kiln to avoid thermal shock and cracking of bead.
13. Figure 3 - Brush fired bead with stainless steel brush.
14. Sand smooth finish areas with 600 and 1200 grit wet sandpaper.
15. Gold (Keum Bu) Application: Cut small pieces of gold foil to fit areas. Thin white glue to a skim milk consistency. Brush a small amount of glue in these areas and apply the gold foil. (Figure 4). Smooth out any bubbles. Allow to air dry for a minute. Place bead in kiln and ramp to 1472ºF. Set timer for 2 minutes. Remove bead from kiln with glove or tongs and while still hot, use agate burnisher to carefully, but firmly, press the foil in place, including all edges. (Figure 5). If gold foil has not attached after 30 seconds, replace in kiln and repeat procedure until the gold foil is completely attached to silver. Return to kiln, shut off kiln and allow bead to reach room temperature.
16. Figure 6 - To add patina, prepare solution of Liver of Sulphur according to package directions. Dip bead into Liver of Sulphur solution and then into clear rinse water. Dry. Repeat until you have achieved the degree of patina that you prefer. To remove patina from desired areas, apply small amount of Wenol polish on a soft cloth and rub. Finish by rubbing bead lightly with a paste made from baking soda and water and rinse well under running water. Dry.

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Figure 1
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Figure 2
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Figure 3
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Figure 4
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Figure 5
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Figure 6
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