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Tools needed for beginners

Tools needed for beginners - toothpicks img

Tools needed for beginners

Metal clay – malleable metal, can take any desired shape and texture. This is because it is a flexible material (due to the organic binder), similar to ceramic clay, cold and soft, but much harder, due to the composition of 95% metal particles. Therefore, it can be shaped with the help of fingers, textures or molds or even worked on the potter's wheel. It can also be easily sculpted. We can achieve infinitely many combinations between different shapes and textures, it's all about using our imagination.

Speaking of tools, many of them can be found in our homes. Here are some of them.

  • Common toothpicks are frequently used in projects with metal clay. They are used to drill, as a drying support, to clean the surface of stones or to apply resin or epoxy glue.
  • Olive oil is a lubricant substitute CoolSlip. Grease your hands, surfaces and textures with it to avoid sticking metal clay.
  • Light bulbs. They provide an ideal drying support to create concave shapes.

These are just some of the most used, and each project can inspire us to use other objects in the house or even some children's toys.

Kits metal clay

Of course we want to create sophisticated and professionally crafted jewelry, and for these there are special tools and accessories that help us focus only on creation.

When you are just starting out, you can first opt ​​for a kit that contains the minimum necessary to create a piece of jewelry (Art Clay Silver Starter KIT). In time you can move on to the next level, such as creating rings (Art Clay Silver Starter KIT Rings). If you want to create more jewelry or want to get serious about the work, you can opt for the kits Basic or Deluxe. They contain a series of projects in video format, which you can watch on your computer. In addition, they also contain tools.

If you want to ask us for advice on the tools needed to build your small workshop, you can contact us and we can create a custom kit.

Tools needed for beginners - silver art clay beginners kit
Tools needed for beginners - tools

Modeling

But let's see what exactly we need in working with metal clay! We will start with modeling.

  • Lubricant - to prevent the clay from sticking to metal, surfaces, textures, etc. For deeper textures we recommend using spray CoolSlip
  • Work surface - the area on which we roll / model the clay. It can be a modeling surface, self-healing plaque or a Teflon-coated surface
  • Teflon sheet - ideal for multi-part projects. Resistant to 260 ° C
  • Document protection foil - for projects that require the creation of the piece according to a drawn pattern
  • Roll
  • Thickness spacers or CoolTools frames, which allow the clay to roll from any angle.
  • Water container - small, made of glass or used for painting
  • Demineralized water - used in moisturizing clay, as well as in antiquity
  • Small glass or plastic containers that have a lid - ideal for creating paste
  • Brushes - tank brush, thin sharp brush, flat, medium round and rough, for cleaning stones
  • Clay storage container
  • Food-grade plastic wrap – to cover or wrap fresh metal clay to keep it moist and store it.
  • Rechargeable sprayer - for applying water over light or completely dry clay
  • Professional needle
  • spatula – used for filling gaps or for texturing and shaping
  • Cutting and slicing tools - blades (flexible and rigid), scalpel or knife (sculpture), adjustable knife (for cutting ring strips), Parallel Strip cutter (cutting the strips)
  • Cutters - polymer clay, fondant, sugar paste or biscuits
  • Thin-walled metal tubes or plastic straw
  • Design Templates with various shapes
  • Textures - in addition to the manufactured textures, leaves, toys, wallpaper, etc. can also be used.
  • extruder – used to create wires (sausages) of various shapes
  • Silgum two-component mold - recommended for taking molds on various surfaces: twigs, shells, etc. It hardens quickly and captures fine details
  • Wooden clay Mokunen San - with it you can create pieces with volume, empty inside
  • Air drying clay - Vira White and Terracotta – it is used to test part models, before creating them from the metal in the form of clay. After drying it can be filed, sculpted and can be a support or texture for metal clay. (Warning! This one is not metal clay, it's a hobby-clay, which only dries in the air, it DOES NOT burn.)

Finishing

After the pieces have dried, a very important step is finishing. The following tools can also be used after burning the parts in the polishing process:

  • Hand drill with drills
  • Needle files – we recommend not using the same files for multiple types of clay
  • Sponges (red, blue, green) used in this order
  • Abrasive discs and rods
  • Sandpaper – grit 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200, 2000
  • Wet wipes - we recommend those for babies (Sensitive - without perfume or alcohol)
  • Paint brushes
Tools needed for beginners - IMG 20200805 165910 2048x1536 1
Tools needed for beginners - 1490253 1

Firing

Depending on the type of metal used, you will apply certain firing methods. In addition to the fire source, you will also need surfaces or containers.

Cleaning, polishing and antiquing

After firing, it is time to highlight the shine of the parts, by polishing and / or skating. Parts of non-precious metals that have been burned in activated carbon, if removed when still hot, will begin to oxidize. To remove this oxide, clean it before polishing.

Tools needed for beginners - Scaled grinding wheels e1737629789647

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