My Molds Newsletter
News that Inspires Imagination! – By MadAboutMolds.com
November Issue 2009
The Preferred Place for Clay Push Molds
Over 925 Clay Push Molds to Choose From Today!
When it comes to service, we break the mold!
See what our molds look like.
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In this issue:
● Announcements
● This Month’s Featured Molds
● Firing Precious Metal Clay
Hello Crafter,
We hope this Fall has been full of fun for you! We love fun at Mad About Molds, so let’s get busy! With the Holidays fast approaching, there’s no time to spare. It’s time to have fun creating all kinds of goodies for those you love.
Have you seen our Gallery lately? Take a peek and you will get lots of ideas for those on your list this year. Just click on the “Gallery” link at the top menu of any page.
Have you thought about giving molds as gifts? What about those kids who have everything? They usually have lots of imagination as well. Getting them started with new hobbies is perfect for long days at home during Christmas break. Plus you can join the fun as well! Molds are something the whole family can enjoy together!
Until next time,
Marjorie with Mad About Molds
New Announcements:
1. Keep an eye out for our next email. We will be announcing a Great Sale!
You don't want to miss this! More details coming soon!
2. New Daily Dose of Inspiration Calendar!
We have made our Calendar available to the public! Here you will find a ton of Craft Quotes and Inspiration. It shows the US Holidays, Postal Holidays, and also the days we set aside for Vacations and Holidays so we can be with our families. Plus if you have Google, this calendar can be imbedded into your Google Calendar! It’s all HERE!
3. Would you like help promoting your website, blog or newsletter?
We are always interested in doing a link exchange with other people/crafters. If you are interested, please let us know where you placed a link to us, and we will do the same. No inappropriate pages please, and we prefer it to be a craft or art related page. Although if we feel our customers would be interested in your page, we will add it!
Announcements: (Recap from last month)
Have you seen our Movie Clips? Well now we have a new improved version of Steps 1-7 and how they can be completed in about 20 seconds per mold. This just shows how easy and fast our molds really are to use. See our Movie Clips Here
We also have NEW molding instructions with illustrations to show you how Step-by-Step! 10 Steps for using our molds with clay. This great technique will help you to make a perfectly flat backed mold, without distorting your casting when your remove it from the mold. These new instructions are so easy to understand and follow. See them here!
If you are an international customer we have made things a lot easier for you! As you may know it wasn’t possible for your shipping rate to be included in your order, well now that has all changed! So now when you place an order, your shipping rate will be included. We no longer will need to request the remaining amount from you after your order is processed. We hope you will be able to enjoy this and take advantage of this time-saving change.
Featured Molds:
Have you seen our Christmas Molds!
We have so many of them,
it’s best to see them all here!
This Month’s Article:
Firing Precious Metal Clay
One of the beauty’s of Precious Metal Clay is its ability to create small piece quickly, and rather using a kiln for just one piece, many designers prefer to use a hand torch to fire & start the sintering process.
Is the piece suitable for hand torch firing?
When deciding how to fire a piece consider its weight. Pieces weighing 25g or less are ideal of for torch firing, but also consider that your piece should be of a relatively even thickness for torch firing to work effectively. If your piece is of complex nature kiln firing is recommended to ensure even heat distribution.
Preparation before firing
Before starting to fire its worth considering the preparation of your working area. Make sure that you work in a well ventilated room, and that you have a dedicated area for soldering. Ensure that you have a heat proof surface i.e. soldering sheet, and then place a soldering block on top to work on. Plus consider you own safety with glasses, apron and tweezers and even protective gloves on hard to protect you whilst working.
Test firing
The first time you torch fire clay, practice on a small piece to watch how the clay reacts to the heat, and to practice the firing process.
Preparation of the clay
Before you fire ensure you are happy with the shape and detail of your piece and that the piece is complete dry, as excess moisture will turn into steam causing the clay to expand or crack. If your piece contains gemstone, shells, or even findings consider how this will react to direct heat.
Firing the PMC
Once ignited adjust the torch flame so the flame is around 6cm, and the blue inner flame is around 4cm. Hold the torch at 45 degree, about 5cm away from the piece using the outer flame first to warm and then bring closer to increase the heat, ensure you keep the torch moving keeping the flame on the piece.
First the binder will begin to smoke and then flame, burning away. The clay will be then exposed and begin to glow red/orange (at sintering temperature). At this point continue firing the piece for 2-4 minutes depending on its size, be careful not to over fire the piece –if the piece beings to look shiny (indicating the surface is starting to melt) then move the torch away to reduce the heat. Once heated the particles fuse together and form a solid dense metal, and PMC3 only shrinks around 6% of its original size. To complete the process let the piece cool down to room temperature. Once fired silver PMC 3 becomes fine i.e. 99.9% pure - and can be hallmarked as fine silver.
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