Product Description
ART CLAY BRONZE™️ CLAY - the reliable gorgeous coloured base-metal clay from the manufacturers of Art Clay Silver.
Welcome to the newest metal clay, Art Clay Bronze. This is a lovely creamy clay that stays workable for a long time, which can be used for jewellery, craft designs, sculptures, and models.
Whilst it does need firing in carbon (like all bronze metal clays do for repeatable reliable successful firings), it has a very simple firing schedule. You will slow down the ramp speed a little to help the binder burn out, but can be done in one go, giving you a simple one-stage firing.
Characteristics
- Art Clay Bronze is creamy, pliable, and workable straight out of the packet.
- It stays pliable with a great consistency for a long time.
- It dries hard and solid, with little flexibility.
- Shrinkage approximately 10-13%
- It polishes up to a stunning gold colour. Just using a stainless steel brush gives a lovely soft golden shine.
Once fired, Art Clay Bronze is an alloy of 90% Copper and 10% Tin. In the clay stage 90% is copper/tin and the remaining 10% is binder and water.
Shrinkage: Approx.10%-13% in length
Size: 50g (2 individually wrapped 25g pieces)
Instructions for use
- As usual, you want to keep base metal and silver tools separate to avoid the clays contaminating each other. It is best to use separate tools, otherwise ensure they are cleaned carefully before swapping clays.
- If you get any oxide on the piece after firing, this can be removed with a pickling solution.
- Do not bend the fired piece with unreasonable pressure.
Storage and usage
- Please use the product as soon as possible after opening the original product package. Art Clay Bronze will naturally start oxidising once exposed to air. If you get a dark surface coating, scrape off the dark layer before using the clay.
- To store, wrap in several layers of plastic wrap tightly, and then place in a zip-up type plastic bag, or an air tight container. Rubber bands may discolour the clay.
- Keep the clay at a moderate to cool room temperature and out of sunlight.
- Base metal clays and bronze can cause allergic reactions in some people, wash your hands well after using the product. If you know you have a sensitivity to Bronze, consult with your doctor before use.
Manufacturer's firing recommendation
Art Clay Bronze must be fired in activated carbon using a programmable electric kiln.
- Put approximately 2cm of coconut shell activated carbon on the bottom of a metal container. Place the piece on the carbon and add carbon, approximately 2cm over the piece.
- Place the box in the cold kiln, heat up to 820°C using a slow ramp. You will need a minimum of 20 mins of ramp up time, going slower is better as it gives the binder a chance to burn out which is important for a full sinter.
- If you are using a ceramic container or a very large container, Metal Clay Ltd strongly recommend you extend both the ramp speed (so set it at a lower ramp setting to take longer to heat up) and the hold time as the ceramic containers take longer to heat up.
- Fire at 820°C for 2hrs.
- Leave the firing box in kiln until cooled down to room temperature.
Pickling
Most of the time this is not needed. If you have a heavy oxide layer after firing, you can pickle your Art Clay Bronze to remove any oxide created in the firing.
Finishing
