What This Blog is About
This blog is designed to support users of Hadar’s Clay™ metal clay powder. If you use these clays, please subscribe to the blog to find answers to your questions about using and firing metal clay. The blog contains resources for troubleshooting, as well as instructions, free projects, and updates.
May 2nd, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Thanks for having this blog full of great info!
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I’m so glad I found this site…Keep up the good work
December 14th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Wow this was potentially one of the most intelligent posts I’ve had the chance to read on the subject so far. I don’t have any idea where you get all your info but I am impressed! I am gunna send some individuals your way to read this. Fantastic, totally amazing. I am just getting into crafting articles myself, nothing close to your writing skills (doh) but I would love for you to look over my article someday! right here
January 10th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
I don’t usually reply to posts but I will in this case, great info…I will add a backlink and bookmark your site. Keep up the good work!
I’m Out! 🙂
March 1st, 2010 at 5:00 pm
Hadar,
I don’t have a website, just an email. I am so excited about the clay and learning about how to incorporate into my jewelry making. It all seems soreal. (sp?) I expect great things.
Yours trully,
Barbara L Tumlinson
I took my first clay work shop from Vicki McGowen.
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Hadar, your blog is so darned helpful and interesting. I’ve passed on the Beautiful Blogger award to you, details on my blog.
Susan
April 25th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
Is it possible to solder components to bronze or copper that I solder to silver?
Thanks
Jim
April 25th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Hi Jim,
Yes, there shouldn’t be a problem if the copper or bronze are fully sintered.
August 30th, 2011 at 8:54 am
I am trying your new powered clay and have a question I am sure someone can answer. I am making a pendant out of the pearl grey steel and want to attach a rose copper flower to it…which paste should I use to attach the two pieces…the rose copper paste or the pearl grey steel paste. Your response is greatly appreciated.
Jamie
August 30th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Jamie, You mean rose bronze or copper? If you use copper you can use a paste that is a mix of the two and fire at the high temperature (schedule B). If it’s rose bronze I would fire the steel first at the high temperature, then add the flower and fire again at the lower temperature.
August 31st, 2011 at 1:27 am
Thank you so much. I did mean rose bronze and not rose copper. So if I add the rose bronze after I have fired the steel would I simply use the rose paste to connect the two pieces? Should I burnish the steel before I add the rose piece?
Once again I really appreciate your response. I am in Virginia and I don’t know where to find classes of your caliber here.
Jamie
August 31st, 2011 at 7:48 am
Jamie, No need to burnish, just clean. I would use, though, some mechanical connection to hold the rose bronze in place. By the way, I will be teaching a workshop in October at Studio34 in Rochester, NY, and Metalwerx in Waltham, MA.
September 3rd, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Today I tried your copper Quick fire clay and love it. It mixed up so easily, handled beautifully and released well. I cannot wait to fire my work. I am so glad I found this product and cannot wait to try the Quick Fire Bronze and White Bronze I ordered. Thank you!
Diane
September 6th, 2011 at 8:32 am
I just tried the white bronze clay and I am very discouraged. I tried to make a notebook pendant. I created it and it dried for two days before I could fire it. I have a larger kiln and when I fire bronze I have to lower the second stage firing by 10 degrees than the instructions state so I lowered the second stage firing for the white bronze. I fired the first stage at 1000 for 30 minutes…it was not a thick piece and the second stage at 1230 for 2 hours. Well, I can not even find my pieces in the charcoal, I believe it simply burnt up…very said and I do not understand.
Anyone else have a problem with white bronze?
Jamie
September 6th, 2011 at 8:40 am
Jamie,
White Bronze has a very narrow range of sintering temperature. It can go very quickly from not sintering at all to melting, as stated in the instruction manual. And I always recommend to make test pieces before firing an actual piece of jewelry so you can find the sintering temperature in your specific kiln. With every kiln the temperature is going to be different. Good luck!
February 27th, 2012 at 10:14 am
Hi Mrs Jacobson
I did not find your e-mail address to submit a question, about firing gems in carbon.
I made a bronze bracelet from your book Silver and Bronze Clay – Movements and mechanisms. It came out gorgeous except for the cubic zirconias gems which lost their brilliance. I used thoses gems in fine silver without any problem. I wondered if this was due to carbon firing (coconut shell). Is there any solution to protect the stones while firing in carbon?
February 27th, 2012 at 10:23 am
Lucille, This happened to me several times (although not always) and to other people as well. Most people say that tumbling restores the brilliance of the stones. I haven’t tried it myself though. My email is hadar@pacbell.net.
March 13th, 2012 at 9:57 am
Hello Hadar,
I have recently experiemnted with White Bronze. I am quite pleased with the results but was surprised about the amount of coconut carbon that I lost to ash. I was wondering if that was because it is recommended to fire without a lid? If so, is it necessary to fire without the lid? I have been working with Bronze for a couple of years and use a lid during firing and have consistently good results. Thanks in advance for your help!
March 13th, 2012 at 12:06 pm
There are different kinds of coconut carbon. The one I use does not produce a lot of ash and I fire without a lid. I’d say, that if you do the first phase on a stove top (without a lid), you can use a lid on the second phase. Good luck!
June 25th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
Hi Hadar,
I throughly enjoyed your class. I’d been facinated by everything you have researched, and really needed the class for it to make sense in a real way. I can’t wait fot the kiln to arrive so I can fire the pieces that I have, and have rearranged my whole studio to make room for it. I guess I get inspired after each conference which is good for me. So, after I fire those things I bet I’ll have lots of questions. Thanks for being so available and having this blog. I hope you and your charming husband had a good trip home.
Bernadette
October 30th, 2012 at 9:54 am
Hi Hadar.
I just received some Bronze Clay (Traditional-Flex) and have some older Bronze Clay (not Quick Fire) and wondered if I can combine them? I just have a little of the older powder. Not enough to make anything by itself and too much to toss out…
Thanks, Steve
January 20th, 2013 at 5:37 pm
Just started to work with your powder clay, so far just the Rose Bronze. Your directions are great so even a novice like me can achieve great things.
Question for you, can you use lavender oil and slip on your metals like you can for PMC3?
Thanks,
Arlene
January 20th, 2013 at 8:18 pm
Arlene, Lavender oil and slip are fine. Personally I find it better to use thick paste instead of slip.
January 23rd, 2013 at 11:42 am
Well, we are about to fire our first pieces in Hadar’s clays. We are sooooo excited to see the results. They are a dream to work with.
June 4th, 2013 at 1:14 pm
[…] Clay ™ entered the market five years ago. A former editor, she followed up with books, videos, a blog, and a very thorough website to keep her clients up to date. One of the earliest uses of metal […]
September 19th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Hi Hadar,
I have found all of your information so helpful. I love working with your clays. I am wondering if you have ever tumbled the fired pieces and if that will also work to polish pieces? I am working with Low Shrinkage Steel XT, Bronze XT and Copper…all separately so far. Thanks for your help and this great blog!
Kim
September 19th, 2013 at 7:58 pm
Kim. If you tumble steel it will rust. The rest of the clays can be tumbled. But there are other ways to polish. Have a look at the file on my blog: “Finishing Fired Metal Clay”.
September 20th, 2013 at 1:16 pm
Thank you, Hadar. I am so grateful for your quick response and all of your resources.
October 30th, 2013 at 5:28 am
I did not see my question and no anwser?
November 4th, 2013 at 6:45 pm
please subscribe me to your blog
November 6th, 2013 at 8:44 pm
Chnatal, I haven’t seen it, can you post it again?
November 6th, 2013 at 8:46 pm
Rebecca, Please just enter your email address on the main page of the blog. Thanks!