[Jewelry making - Article 00681] - Re: [Orchid] PMC Paper brittle after firing

[Mary Ellin D'Agostino]

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>     I recently torch fired some pmc paper pendants. They were then
>     tumbled for two hours in new metal shot. They came out looking
>     great but some the thinnest peices then broke when trying to add
>     jump rings. What did I do wrong? 

    There are several possible issues here. First, you don't give details
    on your torch firing method. You need to hold the entire piece at a
    glowing orange color for a minimum of 3-5 minutes. 10 minutes would
    better. Second, a single layer of pmc sheet is *very* thin and,
    unless reinforced, usually too thin to withstand the wear and tear it
    will get from a jump ring. Chances are your problem is a combination
    of the two. 

    Sheet type was designed to do origami with and a flat piece of fired
    and polished sheet is too fragile for most purposes. Best uses are to
    fold it, layer it, weave it, and apply it over itself or other
    pieces. If you want a single layer for an extra light weight earring,
    you can do that, but you will have to reinforce (double) the hole
    where you put the jump ring. 

    You should check out the metalclay list
    (groups.yahoo.com/group/MetalClay) for more information on metal
    clay. 

Mary Ellin D'Agostino, PhD
www.medacreations.com
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