Brilliant Bronze Is Now Available
Hadar’s Clay™ quick-fire Brilliant Bronze (golden color bronze) is now available on my Online Store. Since Brilliant Bronze works pretty much like quick-fire bronze, I have not updated the instruction manual; instead, there is a link to Instructions for Hadar’s Clay™ Brilliant Bronze in the right-hand pane of this blog. It’s only one page, which you can print out and add to your printed instruction manual for Hadar’s Clay. Instructions for Hadar’s Clay™ Brilliant Bronze have now been incorporated in the latest version of the Instruction Manual.
Flat pieces of Brilliant Bronze shrink 23.5%; rings shrink 2½ sizes.
Please be sure to make test pieces. If you see ant blistering on smooth pieces, drop the temperature by 5-10°F (3-6°C). This won’t have any effect on the sintering of other metals that are fired in the same piece.
Brilliant Bronze can be combined with other metals, just like regular bronze. For details, please refer to the documents Introduction to Mixed Metal Clays and Which Clays to Use and When, linked in the right-hand pane of this blog.
All the projects in my upcoming book, Metal Clay Practice, can be made with either regular bronze or Brilliant Bronze.
Here are some more samples:
I had to make this one again with black star diopside.
The ring above, which looks like it’s wrapped with wire, is only a texture. Look it up in The Handbook of Metal Clay: Textures and Forms, second edition, p. 48.
Solid balls from Brilliant Bronze and low-shrinkage Steel XT, with gold wire balled up at the ends. For instructions on how to make the balled-up wires invisible see my book Mixed Metal Jewelry from Metal Clay, p. 18.
Bead necklace from Brilliant Bronze, White Bronze, and low-shrinkage Steel XT.
Mokume-gane style earrings from copper, low-shrinkage Steel XT, and Brilliant Bronze.
September 17th, 2012 at 2:36 am
Wow, so Beautiful! Love it with Black! =D)
September 17th, 2012 at 7:00 am
WOW these are amazing Hadar. I want to thank you for the chance to be one of your students. You are a dynamic teacher.
September 17th, 2012 at 8:55 am
Is the brilliant bronze brittle like the white bronze or can it be manipulated after firing?
September 17th, 2012 at 8:57 am
Erin, It is not brittle and can be manipulated to the same extent as the other quick-fire clays, with the exception of White Bronze.
September 24th, 2012 at 6:43 pm
Hi Hadar,
I have a few questions about using brilliant bronze and steel, as follows:
– Can you tell me which steel is best to use with brilliant bronze for inlay and mokume gane?
– For mokume gane, I assume it should be a mid fire schedule, is this right?
– For inlay, I assume it is best to fire the steel first, then do the inlay – do you agree?
– Do you think I can do 50/50 brilliant bronze and steel mokume gane or will this be too much steel?
Thanks!!
Mary Ellen
September 25th, 2012 at 9:11 am
Mary Ellen,
For inlay you will have to fire the steel first at high-fire schedule, then inlay Brilliant Bronze and fire again, 6-8 degrees below mid-fire schedule. The best steel to use for this purpose is low-shrinkage steel XT. For mokume gane patterns any steel will do, in very small amounts, 6-8 degrees below mid-fire schedule.
I think this answers the other 2 questions, right?
September 25th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Yes !!
December 28th, 2012 at 11:55 pm
Is the working texture of this clay much softer than regular bronze, or have I mixed it improperly? Having trouble with wet clay stretching and sagging.
December 29th, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Jennifer,
It should be exactly the same texture as the regular bronze. You may have added to much water. Let it dry a bit and knead again.
January 22nd, 2014 at 11:32 am
Hi Hadar,
I’ve been having a bit of trouble with Brilliant Bronze cracking when drying. Because of the texture I have on the pieces, filling the cracks after drying doesn’t work very well.
I have tried to dry the pieces very slowly, which helps a bit but there are still small cracks.
Is there anything I can do to prevent cracking? Could it be that I’m not making the clay the right consistency? Too dry or too wet?