Hils Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 Hi I am in England and want to make some ceramic roses on metal stalks for mothers day. Can someone tell me what type of metal rods I need and maybe where to get them from ? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 You should glue them on after firing if you can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 contact the people who did the red poppies in honor of the world war I . search the forum for several posts about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 I would suggest just leaving an opening, slightly bigger than the rod, in the underside of the rose. Then glue the stem in, with some strong adhesive, like epoxy. It will be much less of a headache than; using the shrinkage rate of your clay to calculate how much bigger you have to make the connection, between the ceramic and metal, figuring out how to fire them, both in the bisque and glaze, hope there is no issue with the metal slumping in the heat and/ or leaving a residue on your ceramic, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 Yes, glue them in after firing. Leave the hole bigger than you need to account for the clay shrinkage and use 2 part epoxy or epoxy putty to glue them in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 Just FYI, metal (kanthal/nichrome) which is sometimes used for holding beads for firing comes out very dull-colored and feels rough after firing and is highly likely to slump/loose shape--i.e. not suggested. Epoxy is the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hils Posted February 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 Hi Guys Thank you all for you responses - yes I guess glueing them in after is probably the safest bet but I will explore the nicrhrome wire and look for red poppy items Cheers all very helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Banks Posted February 2, 2019 Report Share Posted February 2, 2019 Speaking of metal and 'stems' this was an interesting discussion ... almost 7 years ago ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted February 4, 2019 Report Share Posted February 4, 2019 Hi @Hils I've used stainless steel, ex-bicycle-wheel-spokes as bead-hangers in the kiln, at both ^04 and ^6. They come out crusty, but after a wire brushing are re-useable for a few fires. Actually putting wire into clay is a different matter. Although it might well survive, your clay might not. Clay and metal expand and contract at different rates, and it is possible that the expanding metal will crack your clay. In fact, it will probably crack before it's fully dried, so as others have said, glue them in after. The poppies sold off after the exhibit at the Tower of London in 2014 had a naff metal rod with a nut/washer arrangement. I didn't buy one, but saw a friends. I tried to work out how to make something better, but in the end decided not to bother, and my poppy is sitting on a shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hils Posted February 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 Hi Chilly Sorry for slow response Thanks for that though all advice greatfully received. I have used some Nichrom ? Bead hanging rod material and as people say it does bend quite a lot Will probably go down the gluing line of thought Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.