INTERMEDIATE
Create copper clay tendrils
and finish them with pearl drops.
FCT-CRON0316_ART109
A Twist
of Copper
and
Pearls
©2012 Kalmbach Publishing Co. This material may not be
reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.
facetjewelry.com
Part 1: Pendant body
by Pam East
D
esign work is often
less about sitting
down with an intention in mind and more
about just letting things happen
and seeing where they lead. Do
yourself a favor. Go out and buy a
package of polymer clay. Keep it
in your pocket. Play with it while
chatting on the phone, waiting in
line at the bank, watching televi-
Select the pearl wire. Art Clay Copper
(ACC) uses an open-shelf firing method,
so you’ll lose some material when the
copper clay oxidizes in the kiln, and
therefore you’ll need a slightly larger
gauge of wire for your pearl wire. For
ACC, use 18-gauge (1.0 mm) dead-soft
copper wire. For all other copper clays, use
20-gauge (0.8 mm) dead-soft copper wire.
NOTE: The copper wire must be 99.9%
pure and dead soft, or it will break after
you fire the pendant. If you have to refire
the pendant to repair breaks, the wire will
be more likely to break after a second
firing. Copper wire from a hardware store
or other non-jewelry supply source is more
likely to be an alloy than pure copper.
Cut the pearl wires. Cut five pieces of
the selected wire: two 11 ⁄2 -in. (38 mm)
pieces and three 3-in. (76 mm) pieces [1].
sion, or any other time you find
Form and cut the bail wires. Use large
roundnose pliers to form a U-shaped loop
in the end of 16-gauge (1.3 mm) dead-soft
copper wire [2]. Use flush cutters to cut the
loop from the wire. Repeat to make a total
of three U-shaped loops, forming two
loops equal in length and one shorter
than the first two [3].
Prepare the wires. Use a file to rough
up the ends of the five pearl wires and the
three bail wires so they have some tooth
to help anchor them in the clay [4].
Roll the clay. Use your fingers to form
15–18 g of copper clay into a rough snake
shape. Using a piece of hard, clear plastic,
roll the clay into a long snake [5]. Then,
taper the ends of the snake by applying
more pressure to the ends of the plastic as
you roll the clay [6]. Wet the entire snake
with distilled water so you can continue
manipulating it without the clay cracking.
your hands idle.
This is something I do, and it’s
exactly how this unusual twisted
copper-and-pearl pendant came
about. I was just playing and then,
suddenly, there was this piece in
my hands that I knew had to be
expressed in metal. Create the
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pendant as shown or treat yourself
to a pack of polymer clay to see
where your creativity leads you
and your finished metal version.
When working with copper clay,
it’s best to use a separate set of
tools for those that cannot be
washed well, like files and polishing
papers. Silver metal clay will react
adversely with the copper clay in
the firing process and is best left
out of the mix.
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c
e
b
a
d
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materials
Copper metal clay: 20 g
Copper wire:
■■ 16-gauge (1.3 mm), dead-soft,
12 in. (30.5 cm)
■■ For Art Clay Copper: 18-gauge
(1.0 mm), dead-soft, 1 ft. (30.5 cm)
■■ For other brands of copper metal clay:
20-gauge (0.8 mm), dead-soft,
1 ft. (30.5 cm)
■■ 5 4–6 mm, half-drilled, round
drop pearls
■■
■■
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tools & supplies
Flush cutters
Pliers: large roundnose
■■ Sponge-tip makeup applicator
■■ Rubber clay shaper
■■ Open-shelf firing supplies (if using Art
Clay Copper): long tweezers, pickle,
small slow cooker, copper tongs, fiber
blanket, heat-resistant glove
■■ Kiln posts
■■ Heat patina supplies (optional): Butane
torch, butane, fire-resistant surface
■■ Clear jeweler’s lacquer (optional)
■■ Two-part epoxy
■■ Diamond pearl reamer (optional)
■■ Denatured alcohol (optional)
■■
■■
Shape the clay. Form the snake into a
U shape, then twist the ends of the snake
together [7].
thick paste [10]. The paste should not drip,
run, or flow; its consistency should
be like toothpaste or cake frosting.
Insert the bail wires. Insert the ends of
the bail wires into the top of the clay loop
[8]. Place the two longer wires on the
outside, with the shorter wire between
them; this will help the pendant hang
nicely when worn. Center the loops on
the pendant so it hangs properly; adjust
if needed.
Reinforce the wire attachments. Use
a sponge-tip applicator to muddy the
surface where the wires enter the clay [11].
Apply paste to the entry area of each wire.
Use a clay shaper to smooth the paste,
creating a seamless transition from the
wire to the pendant. Use a flat paintbrush
and water to blend the paste into the body
of the piece [12]. Dry completely.
Insert the pearl wires. Insert the end of
one 11 ⁄2 -in. (38 mm) wire into one end of
the snake [9a]. Repeat, inserting the other
wire into the other end of the snake [9b].
Insert the end of each 3-in. (76 mm) wire
at various points where the twisted pieces
come together [9c–e]. Check the piece
for visual balance, then set it aside or in
a dehydrator to dry completely.
Make paste. Put about 3 g of copper clay
into a glass or plastic dish. Use a spatula
and distilled water to turn the clay into a
Refine the wire joint. Clean excess
clay off the wires, and smooth the
reinforcements using various finishing
tools, such as the damp sponge-tip
applicator [13] and/or sanding swabs.
NOTE: Take care not to sand away all the
clay you added for reinforcement. If you
used water, let the piece dry completely.
Some people find copper clay dust
irritating. Wear a dust mask while sanding.
Part 2: Firing
Open-shelf firing
Art Clay Copper (ACC) should be fired
on an open shelf in a preheated kiln.
(That’s the clay and the method I used
for this pendant.) The clay will shrink
approximately 10%.
Preheat the kiln. Place four small kiln
posts in the kiln, and preheat the kiln to
1780°F (971°C). Do not leave your kiln
shelf in the kiln during the preheating.
Place a large bucket of water on the
floor by the kiln.
Prepare the pickle. Fill a 11 ⁄2 -qt. (1.4 L)
slow cooker with water, add 10 oz.
(296 mL) of pickle, and stir the mixture
with copper tongs. Let the slow cooker
start to heat up.
TIP: You can leave pickle solution
in the slow cooker for future use.
Turn off the slow cooker and leave
the lid on when you’re not using
it. Add more water as needed to
maintain the level of solution.
Use only copper or wood tools
in pickle; never use steel.
outside the kiln, the more the piece will
oxidize. I tip the shelf rather than using
tweezers to pick up the piece for two
reasons: The tweezers will cool the piece
faster, causing more oxidation; and, if I’m
firing multiple pieces, tipping the shelf
gets all the pieces into the water in the
least amount of time.
instructions for your brand of clay for their
recommended firing schedules.
Pickle and clean the piece. Put the piece
in the pickle to remove any remaining
traces of oxidation [4]. It can take 15–60
minutes to get it all to dissolve. When the
surface appears red, rather than black, use
a wire brush in soapy water to brush the
piece. The dissolved oxidized layer will
brush off easily. Rinse the piece.
Firing in carbon
COPPRclay and most other brands of
copper metal clay must be placed in a
metal pan with activated carbon and fired
in a kiln. When using COPPRclay, I use the
following two-phase firing schedule to
ensure that all binders are burned out and
dissipated. The pieces will shrink approximately 20%. Check the manufacturer’s
Preheat the kiln. Put the piece in a cold
kiln on an open shelf. Fire using a ramp
speed of 500°F (260°C) per hour. Ramp to
560°F (293°C) and hold for 15 minutes.
Open the kiln door and allow the piece to
cool. At the end of this firing, the piece will
be black and brittle, so handle it with care.
Fire the piece. Put about 1 in. (25.5 mm)
of activated carbon in the bottom of a
covered stainless steel pan. Place the
piece near the back corner of the pan,
about 1 in. (25.5 mm) from the edge
(little heat reaches the front or middle
of the pan). Cover the piece with another
1 in. (25.5 mm) of carbon. Place the lid on
the pan, and place the pan on kiln posts
toward the back of the kiln.
Use the full ramp speed of your kiln
and heat to 1780°F (971°C) degrees.
Hold for 31 ⁄2 hours. Allow the piece to
cool completely in the kiln with the door
closed. I usually let it cool overnight.
Set the piece on the kiln shelf. Cut
a piece of fiber blanket big enough to
support your piece, and lay the fiber
blanket on the kiln shelf. Lay your piece
face down onto the fiber blanket [1].
The fiber blanket supports the unusual
shape of the piece and will prevent your
piece from sticking to the kiln shelf. Less
oxidation will occur and form on the face
of the pendant if you position it face down.
Fire the piece. Once the kiln is at temperature, put on a heat-resistant glove, and
use long tweezers to pick up the kiln shelf
and put it into the kiln, setting it on the
kiln posts [2]. Close the kiln door. Set a
timer for 30 minutes.
Quench the piece. When the timer goes
off, pull the entire shelf out of the kiln. Tip
the shelf so the piece and the fiber blanket
slide off into the bucket of water [3]. Get
the piece out of the kiln and into the water
as quickly and safely as possible; the longer
the piece is exposed to the cooler air
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Part 3: Finishing
Part 4: Setting the pearls
From this point on, the instructions for all types
of copper clay are the same.
I like to use a slow-drying two-part
epoxy for setting pearls. The type
that comes in a two-chambered
syringe works well and is available at hardware stores and many
grocery stores. Look for one that
indicates “extended working time.”
Brush the pendant. Use a wire brush and soapy
water to brush the piece. Avoid bending the wires.
Tumble-polish the pendant. Tumble the
pendant with steel shot and burnishing compound
for 1–2 hours. Remove the pendant from the tumbler.
Rinse it, then let it dry.
Patinate the pendant. Adding a patina to the piece
will enhance its definition and give it a feeling of
depth and age. There are two ways to add patina to
copper: Chemically and with heat. I used a butane
torch to apply a heat patina to my pendant.
Place the pendant onto a fire-resistant surface,
ignite a butane torch, and heat the pendant. Focus
the flame on the joins, as that’s where you want the
deeper color [1]. Heat until you like the colors.
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NOTE: When you trim the wire,
work in small increments and check
the length with the pearl in place
often. You can’t add wire back if
you trim too much!
Set the pearls. Set one pearl at
a time. Use a toothpick to place a
small drop of epoxy onto the end
of one wire [3] then add the pearl
[4]. Move the pearl up and down
and twist it to distribute the epoxy,
and then set it all the way down
onto the wire. If you get any epoxy
on the front of the pearl, clean it off
quickly with a cotton swab dipped
in denatured alcohol. Repeat to
set all the pearls. Once the pearls
are set, put the pendant aside
and allow the epoxy to cure for
24 hours.
Process photos by Pam East.
Polish the pendant. Use a polishing cloth to
vigorously rub the surface of the piece, bringing the
highlights back to a bright copper color [2]. To protect
the finish and inhibit oxidation, use a paintbrush to
apply lacquer to the pendant. Apply the lacquer to the
back of the pendant first, avoiding the wires. Allow the
back to dry completely before applying lacquer to the
front of the pendant. Allow it to dry completely.
Position the wires. Use your
fingers to gently curve the long
wires into spirals around the piece
[1]. Slide the pearls onto the wires
to assess their placement. Remove
the pearls, then trim the wires if
needed [2]. If the wire is too thick
for the hole in the pearl, use a
diamond pearl reamer to enlarge
the hole.
Mix the epoxy. Squeeze out equal
amounts of the two parts of epoxy
onto cardstock, and use a toothpick
to mix them thoroughly. You don’t
need to mix up very much; a little
bit of epoxy goes a long way.
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