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I make pendants in many ways. Sometimes I roll a small ball of
clay and press shapes that I have made or found, into it.
Often I roll out the clay like pastry and cut it into shapes
with a cutter or a template. This needs smoothing and patterns and
a hole made before it is dry.
Many times, pendants warp and crack on drying and are then
discarded.
Beads are shaped, patterned and the hole made larger than
needed, as the clay will shrink when drying and also during the
firing.
During the firing they are put on a bead stand. This is because
the glaze would stick the bead to the kiln shelf if glazed all
over.
The first firing is 1000C to make the porcelain permanent and
then after glazing it is taken to 1240C to mature the glaze.
Sometimes they go back in the kiln for the third time if they
need some more detail.
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Glazed beads stacked on a bead rack. |
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After the firing |
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