If you haven't worked with CopprClay before, you'll need to look over the general instructions before attempting to make a piece like this. This is one of my first attempts, and you'll see that the shaft of the key ended up bending a bit. As long as your piece has been fired properly and is completely sintered, you should be able to make small adjustments without cracking or breaking. Since my key is supposed to look really old and grubby, I didn't worry too much about the bend ;-)
1. Find or create a mold that you'd like to use. I made my mold from leftover polymer clay, baked hard and oiled so the clay would release properly.
2. Fill the mold, starting with the deepest parts first. Press the clay in firmly and let it dry a few hours before removing.
3. The unmolded piece will need some clean up work! I filled in the uneven parts with clay slip and used an exacto knife to trim it up. Keep all your scraps! They will become your next batch of slip.
4. I decided not to make it perfect since it was supposed to be old and gnarly anyway.
5. After firing and finishing with patina.
Copyright 2010 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.
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