Metal Clay Myth
February 24, 2006 by Tammy Powley
Filed under Basics - Getting Started, Wire
While I’m in the middle of updating the clay section to my About.com site, it occurred to me that I probably should clear up what I consider a myth about working with metal clay: “You don’t need to have any metalsmithing skills to work with metal clay.”
Now, I have to admit that my experience with metal clay is limited. I’ve made some beads, a ring, and a bezel. All of these items I made while taking different classes. One class I took was a 1 day seminar at BeadExpo a few years ago.
I learned a few things in this seminar. The first thing I learned was that I got totally ripped off, paying over $200 for a class where the teacher barely spoke to you. The other thing I learned was that metal working skills are still necessary if you want to make any significant jewelry with metal clay. Want to make a few beads? Then maybe not so important. Want to make anything like a bezel that actually fits around something, then, you need some basic metal skills for sure!
Yes, you don’t need to necessarily solder anything with a torch, but you still need to clean and file, at a minimum. Also, if you goof something up, then metalsmithing skills are critical.
