Glitter, inks, metallic powders...many items can be used as inclusions in clay. Books and tutorials available on the web can help a lot in this area. Experiment some, but you may want to research the items that can be included...remember, they have to go in the oven and not melt.
Many plastics can be covered with clay and not melt and many cannot. I learned this lesson personally! I've covered light switch plates and Bic ink pens and they hold up very well in the oven. I tried once to cover an acrylic candy box and it didn't fare so well. It melted and my project was not what I intended! If you're unsure, you may want to test it in the oven before you do all the work with the clay and waste it.
Metal tins and boxes and things of that nature work well. Clay will cling nicely to metal, plastic and glass. Metal that hasn't been painted is easier to work with.
Glass works well also. A glass bottle or vase that has a small opening will hold the heat inside. You may want to cure for a shorter period of time and then cure again to cure for the entire required time to harden the clay. If the glass gets too hot, the clay could crack. (Again...I speak from experience!)
Wood can also be covered...however, depending on the type of wood and if there is a finish of any sort, the clay won't cling as easily as it does to glass or metal. The little boxes in the craft store are harder to cover than a piece of oak or other type of hardwood. Also, some of the wood pieces in the craft stores meant for painting are very thin and will warp in the oven.
More to come...
No comments:
Post a Comment