| Imagine injecting your sterling silver with blue, red, or | | | | - Don't inhale it or touch it with your bare skin before |
| chartreuse. I'm not talking about beads or gemstones | | | | it cures. It's nasty for your health. Always take |
| (although I looove those too). | | | | proper precautions when working with chemicals. |
| Here's a pop quiz: What materials can you bond, glue, | | | | The second material is... |
| or drip onto metal to add colour? | | | | What common craft material comes in every colour |
| I can think of a few intriguing but common materials | | | | of the rainbow, translucent and opaque, liquid and |
| that you can experiment with. Can you guess what | | | | solid, is moldable, and can be hardened in a regular |
| they are? | | | | oven? |
| The first is... | | | | Polymer clay of course! Polymer clay is made of PVC |
| If you can mix glue with a stick, you can use this | | | | (polyvinyl chloride) and goes under various |
| low-tech material in your work. This relatively | | | | brandnames, including FIMO, Sculpey, and Friendly |
| inexpensive medium can produce maximum results. | | | | Clay. In case you were wondering, polymer clay |
| Epoxy is a 2 part mixture: a resin, and a hardener. | | | | usually has no actual "clay" in it. |
| Once they're mixed, it's only a matter of time it | | | | Polymer clay can be used for more than sculting |
| becomes a hard, durable, super glossy clear plastic | | | | beads and pendants. Try gluing tiny pieces onto cut |
| substance that can be drilled, glued and sanded. It's | | | | metal sheet components to make mosaics. Fill slices |
| the equivalent of 50 coats of varnish and dries to a | | | | of sterling tubing with clay. Experiment with the liquid |
| mirror finish. | | | | clays and coloured powders on the market. |
| Where does the colour come in? Here's the really | | | | Things to know about polymer clay: |
| fantastic part - colour it with acrylic paint, gouache, | | | | - Each manufacturer makes its clay differently and |
| jello powder, makeup powder, spices from your | | | | each brand has slightly different qualities and baking |
| kitchen, or anything else you can think of. | | | | temperatures so always read the instructions. |
| Try layering it, drip it into etched or stamped | | | | - Polymer clay needs to be "conditioned" before you |
| depressions on sterling or copper sheet, and pour it | | | | can work with it. You can condition clay by kneading |
| into bezels. You can even try dipping things into it. | | | | it with your hands, or running it through a dedicated |
| Just keep in mind that epoxy is a glue, so somehow | | | | food processor. Some people like to sit on it for |
| suspend any dipped work while waiting for it to cure. | | | | awhile (in a baggie of course! )to warm it before |
| You don't want to bond it to anything! | | | | kneading. |
| You can buy two-part epoxy from the hardware | | | | - Use dedicated tools with your polymer clay. You |
| store in little 2-sided syringes, and from craft and | | | | don't want to use your polymer clay rolling pin to |
| hobby suppliers in larger 2 bottle kits. You might find | | | | make cookies with later. |
| the larger quantity kits in some hardware stores too. | | | | Important notes: Do not attempt to use any of |
| Things to know about epoxy: | | | | these materials without understanding what you need |
| - It cures up fast. Hardware store epoxy usually | | | | to do to protect your health and your surroundings. |
| comes in the 5 and 11 minute varieties, and other | | | | Don't inhale fumes, contaminate your household |
| epoxies are quick too. Make sure you factor in | | | | utensils, or accidentally melt, burn, glue, or set |
| working time, and only mix up as much as you can | | | | yourself or anything else on fire. |
| use in the 5 or 10 minutes. | | | | Above all else, always have a sense of fun and be |
| - Don't mix it with, or on, anything you ever want to | | | | open to lucky accidents! If an experiment flops, it's a |
| use again. I like to mix up mine on a scrap piece of | | | | learning experience. The best lessons are taught by |
| paper with a popsicle stick. | | | | our "failures". |