Tips and Tricks

Creativity
Try this exercise. Sketch 4 thumbnail sketches of one idea , then do just one more. The first will probably be nice, but the 5th will have taken you to a whole new creative place. Throw out the first 4.

Drawing on bone dry clay
You can draw with a pencil directly on the clay for guide lines before you carve or lay down a design or syrringed clay. Use a light touch and a regular number 2 pencil.

Cork clay
When working with cork clay, ramp up the kiln slowly to give the cork a chance to burn out, which will happen around 800 degrees or so. This will prevent overheating, which can occur if the cork is still burning at higher temperatures, resulting in cracks or melting. Ventilation is highly recommended.

Cracks in a Coil
After rolling out a coil (snake) moisten all sides with a damp brush and allow a moment (or two) for the moisture to soak in "before" you try to manipulate it. This will keep those nasty cracks from happening.

~ Holly Gage

Breakage
Pieces break for 3 reasons:
1) They are not engineered well (breaking at joins)
2) The piece or area where it broke or both are not thick enough. This is fine silver and cannot be made as thin as sterling pieces.
3) The piece is not firing long enough, or hot enough. The binder in the piece has not been fired out completely and the silver is not completely sintered. A kiln is the absolute best way to fire, then perhaps the Ultralite, Speedfire Cone and Torch. There are human variables that come into play with all but the kiln. So it may not be the source of heat but user error as well.

~ Tonya Davidson, Whole Lotta Whimsy

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