![\"\"](\"http:\/\/artinsilver.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/book-1-front-cover.jpg\" "\\"book")
<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nBack then only silver clay was available, and things were simpler. The quilt was fired all assembled in one firing. In 2009, when copper and bronze clay became available, I published my third book, Mixed Metal Jewelry from Metal Clay<\/em><\/a>, in which one of the projects (entitled “Quilt”) shows how to make a similar quilt in silver, copper, and bronze. The project involved firing the copper and bronze parts first, then adding the silver parts using a technique which I call “hot riveting,” then firing a second time. There was no way of firing silver and base metal clay all assembled in one firing.<\/p>\n Even when steel clay became available, it was still impossible to make this quilt in 3 colors in just one firing, since bronze cannot be fired at the high temperature required for sintering steel clay.<\/p>\n Now that Bronze XT<\/em> is almost available, it seems that things are starting to become simple again. I repeated the steps from the silver quilt with Quick-fire copper, Steel XT<\/em> and Bronze XT<\/em>.<\/p>\n Here are the steps:<\/p>\n 1. Roll a layer of copper clay, 3 cards thick (copper should always be the backing layer). Cut it in the general shape of a square, about 2″ x 2″. To make it wavy, fill a plastic bag with carbon or rice, press it with your fingers to create “hills” and “valleys,” and lay the copper layer on top of it. Let it dry.<\/p>\n 2. Roll another layer of copper clay, 6 cards thick. Wet the backing layer only on the sides.<\/p>\n 3. Lay the new copper layer on top of the backing layer.<\/p>\n 4. Cut the top layer to the shape of the backing layer, letting the dry clay lead your knife.<\/p>\n 5. Cut a smaller square inside the bigger one. Remove the smaller square. Since that part of the backing layer is dry, it should be easy to remove. Now you’ve created a frame for the quilt. Dry again.<\/p>\n 6. With a pencil, divide the background layer into 9 more or less equal squares.<\/p>\n 7. Texture a layer of steel, 6 cards thick. Wet the top left square and lay the textured steel in it.<\/p>\n 8. Cut the steel into a square, following the pencil lines.<\/p>\n 9. Use 2 more different textures for a steel square in the center of the circle and for one in the bottom right.<\/p>\n 10. Fill 3 more squares with Bronze XT<\/em>, squares all textured differently.<\/p>\n 11. Fill the rest of the squares with differently textured copper squares.<\/p>\n 12. Dry the piece and sand smooth.<\/p>\n 13. Add a bail. I chose two vertical tubes on the right and left of the back of the piece.<\/p>\n 13. Pre-fire the piece on a stove top. Move it to the kiln and fire at 1700\u00b0F\/926\u00b0C (brick); 1780\u00b0F\/971\u00b0C muffle).<\/p>\n 2007: Silver<\/strong><\/p>\n 2009: Copper and bronze<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nThe history of the “Collage Pendant” project<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n