Studio PMC - Rio Grande

Tips from our
Contributors{Studio PMC's success over the past decade can be traced directly
to our contributors. Their willingness to share the results of their
experiments has inspired and encouraged us, and helped metal clay
artists worldwide push the boundaries of what can be done with PMC.
So for our final issue, it seemed only appropriate to invite our past
contributors to share a bit of advice or a new technique. We hope you
enjoy these tips and tricks from past Studio PMC contributors.
Put a Plug in It
By Elaine Luther
You know how there is always excess
clay left in the extruder that doesn't
come out I made a little polymer clay
"plug" for my Kemper Klay Gun, so that I
don't have to put as much PMC into it, and
it reduces the wasted clay to a minimum.
To use the plug, just put the clay into the
extruder, then hold the plug against the
end of the plunger as you put the plunger
into the barrel.
A polymer clay plug for a clay extruder
reduces PMC waste.
Folding is Not Just for Squares
By Sara Jayne Cole
My love for origami has moved from
folding traditional origami models to
creating original folded components for my
PMC creations. But folding remains one of
my favorite ways of working with PMC.
You can find inspiration for folding
PMC Sheet in many places. The original
PMC Sheet size of 6 cm by 6 cm lent itself
to many traditional origami models. Then
the 3 cm x 12 cm sheet appeared in the catalog,
and I found that folds in Origami with
Dollar Bills by Duy Nguyen could be adapted
to this strip. My favorite shapes are the
horseshoe crab, squid, and the eagle. The
piece shown here is made using the beginning
folds of the horseshoe crab. (The
stone is Oregon sunstone, which is safe to
fire in the kiln.)
Whatever the source of your inspiration,
the first step is to work with paper
16 · Studio PMC
Sara used a "horseshoe crab" origami fold
as the starting point for this pendant.
before folding the PMC Sheet. Once you
move to the PMC Sheet, don’t be afraid to
make the creases by pressing them in the
sheet. If the sheet cracks or tears, it is old
and some of the oils that keep it flexible
have been absorbed into the paper in the
package. In a pinch, I have used glycerin to
rehabilitate the PMC Sheet, but I find this
makes it almost too limp to fold. A better
bet is to repair the crack after it is fired
using PMC3 slip or save the sheet for
another project. To avoid problems, use
the PMC Sheet within a few months of
purchase and store in a cool, dark place.
The PMC Sheet is fired when the folds
are complete. I prefer to fire the folded
piece for 30 minutes at 1470˚F (800˚C),
and then add a stone or wire bail using
PMC3 clay and PMC3 slip and fire again.
The folded PMC Sheet needs little support;
most of my pieces rest flat on the kiln
shelf. When I want support I use a fiber
kiln blanket that I have cut into strips.