Web Based Tutorials for adding Patina and Colours to Metal Clay
This page has links to websites that have valuable information, tutorials and projects about adding patina and colour to metal clay.
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General Patina Recipes
Enamelling
Adding Gold, Aura 22, Gold Paste
Keum Boo
Prismacolor Pencils
Using Liver of Sulphur
Resin
Ceramic Transfers/Decals
General Patina Recipes
The Science Company
Patina formulas for brass, bronze and copper.
Using Liver of Sulphur
All Things Metal Clay - Using Liver of Sulphur without Dipping
Short and useful tutorial on how to use liver of sulphur without dipping the whole piece. This is especially useful if you have a piece you want to patina in one specific area.
Fire Mountain Gems - using Liver of Sulphur
Short tutorial on using Liver of Sulphur to add colourful patina to your metal clay projects. Includes useful safety and usage tips.
Holly Gage - using Liver of Sulphur
Comprehensive and very easy to follow tutorial on using Liver of Sulphur to get fantastic patinas on metal clay.
Pat Greer - How to oxidise silver with a boiled egg
If you don't want to use Liver of Sulphur, this tutorial shows you how to oxidise silver with a boiled egg.
Enamelling
Holly Gage - Negative Space Caning
Innovative technique for creating negative space in your metal clay designs. This technique comes from polymer clay caning. It uses combustible materials combined with metal clay to create gaps, holes etc in the designs. These can then be filled with polymer clay, resin, enamel - just about anything. Fantastically detailed tutorial from Holly who once again generously shares her discoveries for free. Great pictures.
Ganoksin - Enamelling on Metal Clay
Enameling on fine silver metal clay, excerpts from the book: Enameling with Professionals by Lilyan Bachrach.
Indie Fixx - How to apply images to enameled pendants
Great tutorial with pictures showing the process of adding designs to enameled pendants. Very thorough tutorial and easy to follow.
Jeannette Landenwitch - Designing Metal Clay Pieces for Enamel
Short article with useful tips for designing with enamel in mind for Metal Clay Guru.
Jeanette Landenwitch - Easy Enamelled Metal Clay Pendant
Great tutorial from Metal Clay Guru. Shows in easy step-by-step detail how to make a pendant and then enamel it.
Karen L Cohen - What is Enamelling?
Useful explanation of enamelling terms from Karen L Cohen
Med'a Creations - Wavy rainbow earrings
Well explained project to make metal clay earrings coloured with Thompson enamels. This tutorial uses the technique of mixing the enamels with the metal clay to create coloured clay. Useful tips are given for what colours to use.
Pam East - Enameling Art Clay Copper
This useful step-by-step guide will help you to enamel successfully on Art Clay Copper clay.
Sabre Gilmartin - Sgraffitto Style Enamel Brooch
Easy project to create a brooch using coloured liquid enamel. This is from the Making Jewellery website and is free to view.
Prismacolor Pencils
Debra Weld - Bringing out the Colorful Side of Copper
This page from the Copper.org website has several articles one of which is a great outline of how Debra Weld creates copper panels using Prismacolor pencils. These are then attached to metal clay for the finished article.
Jewellery Artist - Coloring for Metalsmiths
This article outlines a number of ways to add color to metal including some information about how Deb Karash uses Prismacolor pencils in her designs.
Jeannette Landenwitch - An Exciting Alternative for Adding Color
Article about adding colour to metal clay work using Prismacolor pencils for Metal Clay Guru.
Adding Gold - Aura 22, Gold Paste
Applying Accent Gold for Silver to Sterling
Useful article from Metal Clay Guru
Applying Gold Paste to Silver
Useful article by Pam East for Metal Clay Guru
Aura 22 Gold
Article about using Aura 22 by Jeannette Landenwitch for Metal Clay Guru
PMC Guild - How do I use Aura 22?
Short article detailing the process for adding Aura 22 to silver clay work. Includes hotplate method, torch method and kiln method.
Using PMC Gold as Paste
Article by Mary Ellin D'Agostino for Metal Clay Guru.
Keum Boo
Charles Lewton- Brain - Keum Boo
Interesting article about the origins of Keum Boo on Ganoksin. This article also talks about the mechanism by which Keum-boo works. It's a theoretical article and will be useful for anyone who wants to know more background on this ancient method of adding gold to silver.
Tracey Spurgin - Easy Keum Boo Earrings
This earring project was featured in Making Jewellery magazine. It shows how to make a pair of metal clay earrings then add gold foil using the Keum Boo process.
Ceramic Transfers/Decals
eHow - How to use Ceramic Decals on Metal Clay
Useful step by step tutorial about using ceramic decals on metal clay.
Resin
Ann Davis - Sea Cucumber with Resin Inlay
Intermediate to advanced project. Very clear instructions and a beautiful outcome.
Inca Inspired Pendant
Learn how to glue wires onto the pendant and ring blanks with epoxy glue (which won't react with the resin). Once the wires are firmly glued in place then resin can be added into each little area. Intermediate level tutorial from Making Jewellery Magazine.
Tracey Spurgin - Leaf Charm Bracelet
This project uses UV resin to add colour to an Autumnal bracelet. From Making Jewellery Magazine.
Tropical Pendant
This is a two sided pendant using resin for colour. One side shows daytime sea colours and the reverse shows wonderful evening sunset colours. Advanced project tutorial from Making Jewellery Magazine.
Laughing Girl Arts - UV Resin Tips and Hints
The following tips and hints were posted on the Yahoo! Metal Clay Group by Linda Gaughran at Laughing Girl Arts.
Heat the jar of resin before use. I find it too thick to flow easily
right out of the jar but when I heat it it liquifies and flows easier.
I put the open jar on my mug warmer with the lid sitting lightly on
top to block light and stir it every 30-60 seconds until it feels
loose. When it gets where I want it, somewhere between "doesn't flow"
and "runs off the toothpick before I can get it to the piece", I turn
the mug warmer off and let the jar sit there as I work. Reheat as needed.
I use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to pick up a blob of resin from
the jar and then drop onto my piece. The blob stays attached to my
skewer until I touch it down on the piece. You may need to coax the
resin to the edges of your piece with your toothpick. Be sure to wipe
up any threads or spills as they will harden on the piece too.
Remember light cures it so don't leave the lid off the jar very long
if you're working in bright light.
I'm afraid of undercured resin so I usually give it two rounds of time
under my auto-shutoff manicure lamp just to be sure. Probably not
necessary but it eases my mind. That works fine for transparent colors
too. I haven't done opaques.
I put the bottom of a cardboard shoebox upside down over the manicure
light so that the UV light doesn't leak out. And I try not to look at
it when it's on. Bad for your eyes.
Don't let the sticky residue on the top of the cured resin throw you.
It comes off perfectly with just a swipe of the UV Resin cleaner.
Conversely, if you're doing multiple layers you don't need to clean
off the sticky residue between layers. It is really sticky though so
don't get dust in it between layers.
