Enameled PMC ring and necklace by Linda Kaye-Moses

Level: All Skill Levels
Requirements: Previous experience with metal clay is desirable but not required
Program: Spring
Status: Closed
Length: 3 Days
Tuition: $ 450
Materials: $ 75
Date: April 17, 2009 - April 19, 2009
Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location: Metalwerx

Explore the use of metal clay and color! Students will make pendants, beads or earrings, both hollow and solid with subtle and deep textures using Fine Silver Precious Metal Clay (PMC3). Allowing the silver to shine through, students will learn to add color to these objects with transparent enamels.

Metal clay techniques will be presented through a series of simple projects and exercises designed to help bring your colorful and creative ideas to life.

Experience in jewelry making or enameling is not required for this class, where the only limit is your imagination and the only prerequisite is enthusiasm. Beginners will receive the personal attention that will help them work with the PMC, though some experience with Precious Metal Clay will be helpful.

Materials & Tools

All materials for your jewelry, including polishing/finishing supplies will be available as part of the materials kit which costs $75 and is payable when signing up for the class.

Students Should Bring:

NOT OPTIONAL

• Unlimited imagination, Wild enthusiasm and a willing expectation of having fun
• clean, soft COTTON cloth, tight weave like t-shirt or dress gloves
• Closed-toe shoes (no sandals in studio, please)
• A very good Dust Mask or respirator
• Notebook/sketchbook
• Pencil/pen
• (1) tissue blade (from polymer clay supplier)
• (1) 6" steel ruler
• (1) full deck of playing cards
• (1) set (several grades of coarseness) of fingernail salon boards, available at drugstores
• (1 pr) latex or vinyl lightweight gloves (available in boxes at drug stores)
• assorted grades of wet-and-dry emery paper (hardware store)
• Lineoleum carvers with handle ('v' shaped, small and medium)
• (1) Sunshine Cloth or other polishing cloth (can be purchased from Rio Grande)
• (1) Glass eye dropper
• (2 oz) each of (3) cool colored (blue and green) vitreous enamels, for Silver; transparent, non-leaded (you won't need a lot for this class; Thompson Enamels);these are Medium Temperature-Medium Expansion Enamels. Please do not bring warm colors like red, yellow, orange, pink, etc.
• (1) very fine sable brush
• (10) small paper cups or small water color mixing tray
• *Thompson Enamels: info@ThompsonEnamel.com

The following items are available for use in the studio, but students may have to share

• (1pr) Face shields/safety glasses.
• (1)Optivisor
• (1) 100 mesh enamel sifter, Thompson Enamels)
• (1)small kitchen sponge

OPTIONAL

• Assorted favorite texture samples. Bring what your eye loves, such as: lace, rubber stamps, steel stamping, tools, old files, metal/plastic grids, screening, bark
• Your favorite jewelry making tools (if you have them), including: asstd jewelers tweezers, (large and small), side cutter, hand files, needle files, pliers, rawhide mallet, steel, burnisher, rasp, soldering tweezers, crosslock tweezers, flexshaft. Many of these items are available for use in the Metalwerx studio. If students do not want to share, they are welcome to bring their own.

INSTRUCTOR WILL SUPPLY(covered by Student Fee: $130.00 per student)

• handouts, photocopies and Precious Metal Clay literature
• Safety-Kut OR other rubber block materials
• Photopolymer plates and tools
• PMC3 PMC3 syringes and PMC3 slip
• paper sticks/skewers
• transfer pencils
• polishing equipment and supplies including: bristle discs, flex shaft mandrels, scotchbrite, etc.
• core materials
• misc. hand tools, including colour/clay shapers, pin vise, brushes, steel design stamps
• drill bits
• lino carvers
• hot pot
• textural elements
• kiln tools and pads
• (1) rotary tumbler with steel shot
• photopolymer plates
• fiberglass brush
• PMC Kiln
• Additonal miscellaneous consumables/materials/tools
• tabletop enameling kiln