Well folks, you should know that ceramics or pottery kilns like that can have or be adapted with digital PID controllers just like the jewelry or glass kiln there. Thanks Alan, I will be trying DIY metal clay in my homemade high temp kiln with controller.
Nice vid. Thanks. I saw your video on how to make your own metal clay but I can't find it now.. Where can I find it and will that work with silver Clay?
Can you give a tutorial on programming a paragon kiln please! I've tried, but get all mixed up. I have an SC2 which I assume is close to what you are using..mine has a bead door. I've only used it for dichro and when adding a program for fire polish it seems I accidently changed a couple of the pre-programs that came with the kiln. Hope this makes sense. I was so frustrated I have not used my kiln in a year or so. Thanks for all of the great info. and tutorials:)
nice series of video's; really stirs the imagination. Question: what would you use as a coating or sealer for the bronze to either keep it from tarnishing or discoloring against someones skin?
+Kerry O'Connor I am a huge fan of 2 part epoxy resin! I use it on everything from seashells to Polymer clay. one thin coat should last pretty much forever, but...you will have a high gloss finish. My 2c
Very helpful vids, thanks a lot ! But I was wondering, Have you tried working with silver powder? Or does this DIY clay only work when with copper- and bronze-powder? And If it does work with silverpowder, where to get it? (assuming that it's still 4x cheaper when working with silver) thanks!
Thanks! I am having so much trouble with sintering my homemade copper and bronze clay: is it the carbon/ is it the time/temp/the kiln??... , I will try this method with fingers crossed!
Am I correct in hearing that you fire your copper first phase at 1000 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, let cool, embed in carbon and fire to 1700 for 2.5 hours? The bronze you go up to 1545 for the second firing? Thank you!
Hi Alan, Thanks for the videos! I have see copper fired in kiln, wrapped in a piece of fiber blanket. I'm wondering if bronze would work the same way. I'm not loving the thought of the stainless steel sprawling all over my kiln, as well as the carbon dust. I fuse glass and lampwork beads in this same kiln, so I don't want to compromise my glass pieces. Thanks. Anyone else who knows the answer to this question, is welcome to chime in.
Sandi Tubia you could try it, but the purpose of the carbon is to deplete the oxygen in the kiln. Without it the oxygen will probably bind to the copper and prevent scintering.
Hello Allen..Thanks for posting this video. I didn't know that you had 2 pages. But now I found your video. It's great. .I would like to know if you put the pieces into a cold kiln or ramp it up to the ramp temperature, then place the pieces into the kiln? Anyone who knows the answer is welcome to answer this question. Thanks to all.
I start with a cold kiln and ramp at 1000 degrees per hour then hold for 30 minutes. Then you can either start cold or go streight to the carbon firing at full ramp. Hope this helps!
Alan Wiggins Thank you so much. I'll let you know how it goes. I had been having problems with all of my pieces cracking. Now I know that it's probably been cracking because it was not baked correctly.
+Athalyn Rose No, your cracks might be due to air trapped in the clay! Condition (knead) your clay in plastic wrap folding and always starting in the middle and working out
I have been contemplating on buying a promethius kiln, but I've read that they are expensive to run. How much has your electric bill gone up since you first started using your kiln?
I'll be honest, I don't use it enough to know, but I did a google search and found that it takes 700 watts to run which is 0.7kilowatt/hour which looks like is about 10 cents per hour. I could be wrong but that's what I'm coming up with. Good Luck!
Thanks for these tutorials. I'm having some trouble though and as I'm totally new to metal claying, I don't know it the problem is it not sintering or over firing. When it's done it kind of sounds like metal, but it will break failry easy and it's grey instead of copper. Any ideas what's wrong?
Hard to say. One thing about metal clay is that if one thing in the whole process is wrong, it will not scinter. Using copper is more forgiving than bronze. Review all the videos and see if there is one little step you are missing. Are you firing in activated carbon? Are you firing in two stages? Is your kiln programmable? I will say, it's hard to over-fire copper (not true for bronze).
Alan Wiggins I got it working when I tried again today :) The only difference I did this time was using coconut based activated carbon, the one I used last time was not specified what it was made from. Not sure if I was just unlucky last time, or if it mattered, but it worked now :D
Hi Alan. You have been my go to video. I just recently started using the douglas and sturgess bronze clay with your recipe from previously using a ready made bronze clay. I would love to know why I have swellings and sometimes little explosions after the first firing. From what I understand, it could be air holes, so I have kneaded and kneaded starting from the center out but then I need to put it back into a ball which seems to create new air holes. There must be a secret (or something I am overseeing) to prevent this from happening. Does anyone know? Thanks in advance.
I haven't had the exact problem you have. My thoughts go to water staying in the pre-fired clay. Are you doing the step with the toaster oven to completely dry them out? Thickness may also be an issue. I have not tried this recipe with very thick pieces, but they should work in theory if there is no air or water left in the clay. Too much binder or conditioner may also be a thing. Best of luck! I hope this helps.
I'm having a very similar problem during the burn out. I'm also using a skillet-type drying apparatus (akin to your mug warmer). I'm starting to wonder if that's the problem. Did you ever figure it out?
