Double-Sided BRONZclay™ Pendant

Form it. Sculpt it. Carve it. Shape it. Use anything you can imagine to apply texture and work it some more. Then place it in a firing pan in in activated carbon (sounds a little scientific, but it’s what makes the clay come out of the kiln with such astonishing color—and never the same way twice!), and fire in a kiln. After you’ve finished your first piece, you’ll see why BRONZclay™ is causing such a stir in the metal clay world.

Steps:
1. Apply the Slik balm to your work surface, Cool Roller, texture sheet or stamp and your hands. Place the red, 6-card thick guides on the work surface. Use the Cool Roller to roll a piece of BRONZclay™ into a flat sheet between the guides (fig. a).
2. Use the texture sheet or block to add a design to the surface of the rolled clay (fig. b). Note: In this example, a texture mold made by the artist was used.
3. Using the polyblade, cut the clay into a rectangle measuring 1" wide x 11/4" long (fig. c), then place the textured rectangle on the warming & drying plate and allow it to dry completely.
4. Repeat the steps above with a second piece of clay, using a different texture. Dry completely.
5. Roll out another sheet of clay using the red, 6-card thick guides. Use the tip of the drinking straw to cut out four small circles of clay (fig. d).
6. Roll each circle into a ball, making sure all are the same size and shape. Place the balls on the warming & drying plate and allow them to dry completely.
7. When both textured rectangles are completely dry, use the nail file to smooth and refine the edges (fig. e). The two pieces should be filed to the same size.
8. Make some BRONZclay™ slip by mixing tiny, fine chips of BRONZclay with water until it reaches a thick yogurt consistency.
9. Place one of the rectangles texture-side-down on the work surface. Use the Colour Shaper™ to place a drop of slip at each of the four corners (fig. f).
10. Adhere a dried clay ball to one of the corners of the rectangle piece. Use the paint/slip brush to blend any excess slip (fig. g).
11. Add the remaining three balls and place the piece back on the warming & drying plate until the slip completely dries (fig. h).
12. Use the Colour Shaper to add a drop of slip to the tops of all four balls. Gently press the second textured rectangle (textured side facing out) onto balls and align the two rectangles (fig. i).
13. Use the paint/slip brush to blend any excess slip (fig. j). Place the piece back on the warming & drying plate and dry completely.
14. Once the entire piece is dry, closely inspect every area where slip was placed. If you see a gap or if the seam looks weak, add more slip and let it dry.
15. Place the pendant vertically in firing pan, embedded in the coconut shell-based activated carbon (fig. k). This will keep the pendant from slumping during firing. Place the firing pan in the kiln and ramp at 250°F/hour to 1550°F and hold for 3 hours. Once the firing cycle is complete, carefully remove the firing pan using the removal fork. Remove the piece from the pan and rinse with water to remove any residue left from the activated carbon.
16. Following the manufacturer’s directions, apply the green patina solution to the entire surface of the pendant. Use the Tri-M-Ite® polishing papers to polish the high points of the texture to create contrast. To preserve the patina, apply the seal lacquer to the entire surface.