PMC Puffer Fish Necklace

Materials:

1/4 package of polymer clay
1/4 package of mold-making clay
25-gram of PMC 3 (Precious Metal Clay)
24K gold casting grains
texture sheet
small roller
chipboard scraps for spacers
short piece of 1/4" wood dowel
green, yellow, blue freshwater pearls
various colors of small glass seed beads
crystal stone
3-4 pieces of 24" Soft-Flex wire
sterling silver clasp
4 crimp beads
olive oil or non-stick cooking spray
talcum powder
stainless steel wire brush
clay cutting blade
600-, 800-, 1200-fine grit sandpaper
wire cutters
crimping tool
hand held rotary engraving tool
rock tumbler with stainless steel shot
liver of sulfur solution
oven or toaster oven
kiln
bowl of water
tweezers
jeweler’s glue

1. Form and mold a fish out of any color polymer clay. Define the features of the fish using clay-shaping tools (figure A). Make the puffer fish 10-percent to 12-percent larger than you want the finished silver piece to be to account for shrinkage of the precious metal clay (PMC).

2. Bake the puffer fish in a 225-degree oven for 30 minutes to harden.

3. Once cooled, dust the baked fish with talcum powder as a release agent and press it into a block of mold-making clay (figure B). Remove the fish to reveal the mold (figure C).

4. Bake the mold in a 225-degree oven for 20 minutes to cure it. This mold-making clay remains rubbery and pliable after baking.

5. Coat hands with olive oil to prevent the PMC from sticking to them. Apply a light coat of olive oil into the now-cooled fish mold.

7. Allow the PMC to dry for a few minutes to firm up. Carefully release the fish from the mold being careful not to damage it. If it doesn’t come out easily, let it dry longer.

8. Press seven 24k gold casting pieces into the fish along the gills for sparkle (figure E).

9. Add a PMC bail to the back of the fish for hanging. Roll a lump of PMC over a texturizing sheet between two pieces of chipboard to obtain consistent thickness (figure F). Cut a 1/4-inch wide strip of the textured clay using a clay-cutting blade (figure G). Wrap it around a short piece of wood dowel and press the PMC bail onto the back of the fish (figure H).

10. Allow the PMC fish to dry for 24 hours. The fish must be completely dry!

11. Refine the fish with carving tools and sand paper.

12. Fire the fully dry PMC fish in the kiln for 30 minutes at 1260-degrees.

13. Place the fish in a bowl of water to cool.

15. Tumble the fish in a rock tumbler with stainless steel shot for 30 minutes to an hour to bring out the shine.

16. Patina the puffer fish in a solution of liver of sulfur and rub off the patina until you achieve the desired appearance (figure J).

17. Glue a crystal eye stone onto the puffer fish.

18. Slide the PMC puffer fish necklace onto three or four pieces of Soft Flex wire. On each side of the fish string various colors and sizes of freshwater pearls and glass seed beads (figure K).

19. Braid or twist the strands of pearls and beads around each other and attach the sterling silver clasps to each end using the crimp beads.

E-mail: sochoa@fedef.com