I have been experimenting with combining bronze and copper and so decided to use both in this piece. Daffodils have always meant spring to me as they are the first to bloom in my garden and brighten it with the first colors of the year.
The back plate of this pin is made of copper from copper clay. The leaves and stem were carved into the clay before it was fired. The flower was made with bronze clay and fired separately in three different pieces. After all pieces were fired and polished, I attached the flower pieces with a copper tube rivet that doubles as the stamen and gave the leaves and stem a verdigris patina. The pin on the pinback is base metal. The entire pin has been given a coat of jeweler's lacquer to preserve the colors and prevent oxidation.
The pin is just under 1 1/2 inches (36mm) long and 3/4 inch (18mm) wide. The flower sticks out about 1/2 inch (13mm).
About Metal Clay: PMC (Precious Metal Clay) is a medium in which fine silver particles are suspended in an organic binder. It can be worked much like any other clay. Once it has been dried, it is fired at a high heat. The binder is burned away and the silver particles fuse to each other, so the final product is a piece of fine silver, or .999 silver. For more information on PMC, you can visit the PMC page of my website: http://willowandme.com/PMC.html
Bronze and copper clay are very similar to silver clay, with the resulting metal being (stating the obvious...) bronze or copper. Since both metals easily oxidize/tarnish and many people have reactions to them, all pieces I make with bronze and copper have been coated with a wax or lacquer to prevent oxidation and skin reactions.
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