So I turned to Google…

http://users.lmi.net/~drewid/PWR_Pickles.html
That’s what I wanted to know… Actually since brass is an alloy, I figured heating it brought the copper to the surface. What I really wanted to know was what to DO when it was still that color after pickling for half an hour.

http://users.lmi.net/~drewid/PWR_Pickles.html

Mix a solution of 2 parts hydrogen peroxide, 3 parts white vinegar soak the piece in ti for 20 to 30 minutes and the brass should be brass again. It takes the copper off the brass. do dot store this in a closed container. When finished dump it down the sink and flush with water. You may need to use a scrubbie to get the brown grunge off.

This worked. I gave it a try and my piece immediately started turning a brass color again, although it took 20 minutes or so to complete. I scrubbed the residue off with an old toothbrush and had the golden brass color back again.

I wasn’t sure exactly what it was doing so I did some more searching – I found quite a bit on the combination of vinegar and peroxide as a disinfectant but not much more than that… So, since I’m not sure how safe it is, if you decide to try it, use some basic precautions – don’t get it on your skin, make sure you’ve got good ventilation, etc.

If anyone else has info on what’s really going on, and how much you need to worry about safety when you’re mixing up a cup of the stuff, let me know…

http://myco-tek.org/archive/index.php/t-212.html?s=8a07d7af5c281aad9b4c089efa4cec89

Once again, never mix hydrogen peroxide and vinegar together in one container. The resulting chemical, peracetic acid, can hurt you when mixed together in strong enough concentrations.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peracetic_acid

It also breaks down in to food safe and environmentally friendly residues (acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide), and therefore can be used in non-rinse applications.
Exposure to peracetic acid can cause irritation to the skin, eyes and respiratory system and higher or long-term exposure can cause permanent lung damage. In addition, there have been cases of occupational asthma caused by peracetic acid.

I’ve used the hard chalk pastels that you can scrape [...]]]> Here’s another idea if you’re interested in using chalks on clay. Dana from Solafar had an interesting blog post on weathering with pastels. He applies powdered pastels to baked clay, then seals it for a very nice effect.

I’ve used the hard chalk pastels that you can scrape to make a powder, I’ve also used some softer Decorating Chalks (I think they were from the scrapbook section in Michael’s) that you could apply with a tiny sponge applicator. But in both cases, I’ve always applied it to raw clay.

I’m going to have to try this – it looks like it will give you a bit more control and subtlety.

The tiles are used as [...]]]>

Inch by Inch - one inch tiles

For the past couple years, our guild has done a one inch tile challenge, something like Artists Trading Cards. Each of us makes 2 one inch polymer clay tiles, using any technique we like. (We also tend to trade tiles with other artists at our clay retreat but that’s optional)

The tiles are used as mosaic tiles on two mirror or picture frames. Everyone who made a tile gets a chance to win one, and the other goes into the guilds traveling exhibit. The exhibit gets displayed in various places (mainly libraries) throughout Connecticut.

I almost always sculpt something but this time I decided to make it a two parter. One of the people I work with is always quoting the kids book “Inch by Inch” when we’re behind and it seemed applicable to the theme. So on one tile, I sculpted a little inchworm, and on the other, I used letter stamps to press in the words.

I used a two part silicone molding putty to mold the designs so I can make multiples in an ivory colored clay. (Premo white, translucent and ecru mixed)

The two on the left were colored with Prisma markers after they were baked.

The rest were colored with Decorating Chalks using little Micro brushes while the clay was raw. It’s not the most precise of techniques but it gave me the soft quality I was looking for.

The chalks will come off without being coated in some way, so I used a barely damp brush coated in TLS to seal them in. That smeared the chalks a little more. Once they were baked, I used burnt umber acrylic paint to bring out the detail and give it the browner cast you see.

The original was sculpted in relief on a smooth ceramic tile and I made a mold of it so I could try [...]]]> I did take a few in-progress photos while I was making stuff for the Bead Bazaar and I thought I’d start with this little guy.

The original was sculpted in relief on a smooth ceramic tile and I made a mold of it so I could try some variations. In this case, the bull was in Premo gold mixed with a touch of black and baked before I set it into the textured black frame.

I wanted to give it a patina affect so I dug out the acrylic paints. I gave the bull a light wash of black to give it some depth and bring out the texture. When that was dry, I used a brush with only a tiny bit of bronze paint to drybrush the high spots.

I used a loosely mixed combo of white and turquoise (you could also use white, blue and green) on the black clay. I made sure there was variation in color and amount of paint – take a look at real aged copper or bronze for ideas.

The top row is a similar button that hasn’t been washed. The bottom row is after one wash and dry cycle with an ordinary [...]]]> I made a number of samples for my button workshop. I knew a plain polymer clay button would survive being washed and dried, but I wasn’t sure about more delicate techniques.

The top row is a similar button that hasn’t been washed. The bottom row is after one wash and dry cycle with an ordinary load of laundry.

The first button was antiqued with white artist-grade acrylic paint. Any paint on the surface or edges was buffed away, leaving only the areas where it was recessed. Not bad really. I’m thinking sending a strand of beads through the wash repeatedly would probably give you a nice muted sheen–but I’m too impatient, so I’ll probably still just buff the clay on my jeans for that sort of effect.

I did also do another button completely painted with a shimmery pink craft acrylic. The paint was partially removed and collected a ton of lint from the t-shirt material it was sewn on. The lint seemed to be embedded in the paint at the end of the cycle. Not a success.

The second buttons were black clay with Perfect Pearls mica powder, followed by one coat of Flecto Varathane to protect it. I was amazed at how well that held up. Some of the mica on the edges did get buffed away and I think repeated washings would eventually wear through the Flecto. It would be fine for handwashing though. And it would be worth trying a few more coats of Flecto or some Kato liquid clay to see if that would hold up to repeated washings. I do love the shimmer of mica powders.

The last button had inclusions of dried flower petals mixed into white clay. I gave it a coat of TLS before I baked it, and I didn’t notice any change at all after washing. I was expecting the surface bits of flower to flake off but they stayed on.

Top row of buttons is pre-wash. Bottom row is after 1 wash and dry cycle

I use something called Page Four. I could just use Word, or any text editor but I really like the way I can break my project into chapters and scenes with Page Four. It allows you to [...]]]> Supposedly Scrivener is the writing software to use if you’re on a Mac. But I’m not.

I use something called Page Four. I could just use Word, or any text editor but I really like the way I can break my project into chapters and scenes with Page Four. It allows you to add as many folders and pages/files as you want.

I’ve set my novel up so I’ve got one folder for outlines, world building notes, etc, and then a folder for each chapter. If I want to move a scene from one chapter to another, it’s a simple drag and drop – then I just have to do a little editing on the transitions. It’s come in very handy when I want to restructure a story without getting lost.

It’s a fairly simple editor, without too many bells and whistles, but how many times do you use all the crazy stuff Word can do anyway? It saves files in RTF format and they can be exported as one file into Word if you want, when you get to your final draft. It will also archive versions and you can take snapshots if you want.

You can try it out for free (limited by number of pages), and it’s relatively inexpensive. (Note – I have no affiliation. I just bought a copy awhile ago and really like it.)

Page Four - my NaNo novel

I usually work on a relief of some [...]]]>

Lunchtime Sculpting Kit

This is my portable sculpting kit. It’s a small subset of tools and materials that I can bring pretty much anywhere. Generally, I use it on Mondays because there’s a few of us who meet for lunch at work and do our own various types of art.

I usually work on a relief of some sort because it’s easy to carry around without damage. You can see a work in progress on a 6 inch ceramic tile above. I cover it with plastic wrap when I’m not actively working on it, and it’s always ready to go.

My favorite/indispensable tools include clay shapers, a craft knife, a needle tool, and a wooden sculpting tool with a loop on one end and a rounded and pointy surface on the other.

The kit also includes a bit of extra clay and whatever reference images I’m using to work from, in this case a Scottish Highlander. It’s all easily carried in an old metal Whitman’s chocolate tin.

Anybody else have your own version of a kit for your art?

I wanted to try a mold of this relief. It was a little large for a push mold so I used two part liquid silicone. I put the relief in the bottom of a disposable aluminum pan and sealed it to the bottom using some plasticine type clay I had to minimize the [...]]]>

I wanted to try a mold of this relief. It was a little large for a push mold so I used two part liquid silicone. I put the relief in the bottom of a disposable aluminum pan and sealed it to the bottom using some plasticine type clay I had to minimize the mold material seepage underneath the piece. You could use polymer clay just as well, I just had the other type handy and didn’t want to contaminate my polymer clay.

That created a thin, rather flexible layer of silicone which contained all the detail but wasn’t very sturdy. So I got a slightly bigger pan and dammed up the area I wanted to fill with more plasticine. Then I mixed up some plaster of paris (try the hardware store, it’s a lot cheaper than the craft store) and poured that over the silicone to make a mother mold. The mother mold supports the silicone and keeps it from flopping. I overdid it on the plaster a bit but now I have a VERY sturdy mold

The following shows the blue silicone mold within the plaster, once I pulled out the original piece and trimmed away the thin bits of seepage from both the plaster and silicone. This mold isn’t quite sturdy enough to be a push mold. I did try it with some Studio clay and it worked slightly but the blue silicone is too flexible to keep all the detail under pressure. It should work well with liquid casting materials though.

Final Mold and Original Relief