Has anyone mixed clay and metal before?

Question

I am a ceramicist and would like to combine metal wi8th clay

Answer 1

In a sense all pottery is a mixture of clay and metal, as it is the dissolved metal that provides the colors, but I take it to mean that you want metal like a piece of Iron, copper or silver to be a part of the piece.

You can do it by making a place for the metal and then putting the metal on after the clay is fired. As the clay shrinks as it drys and even more when it is fired you have to allow for that and make the place for the metal that much bigger.

There are also glazes that leave a metal like patina under heavy reduction such as Raku, and some paint on chemicals that do the same, but have to be used in a second firing at cone 017, These are sold in the pottery supply shops.

There are other ways that go from very dangerous to extremely dangerous and enviornmentalcidal.

If you want to try the merely very dangerous, is would be good to have it done by a professional plating company, who could coat the places you want to be metal with an electrical conductive paint such as the 017 cone stuff and then plated to a much greater thickness.

There are ancient methods that involved mercury that no thinking person would use today.

Trying to have the metal in place during the firing can have few good effects on either Kiln or work

Answer 2

I would follow the advice of foghnanro & doc. In undergrad school I had very good luck combining stoneware and peweter. I would first fire the clay and either sculpt attachments in wax to be cast and attached mechanically or form sheets of peweter using a plummers torch. I even poured molten peweter right onto the clay but be very careful because the clay has to be the right temprature (very warm but not too hot) to prevent the clay from exploading or the peweter from splattering.

Answer 3

Post firing, I hope. Remember that most clay bodies shrink (appx 10-13%) from greenware to fully fired. If you're building metal into the structure of your clay piece, it will have to be done after firing, ans metal does not shrink, only melts (or softens) when heated to that point. Putting metal pieces into a structural clay piece might damage the clay and disform the metal. Good luck!

Answer 4

From a metals point of view, I'd recommend making a ceramic object, and then setting it in some fashion (cold joined, obviously) into a metals piece--it avoids many of the difficulties inherent in mixing the two mediums, but can still provide the same effect.

Answer 5

tried that gig myself back in the days ended up leaving attachment slots or holes or pegs that could be put on the piece of metal or vice versa with five minute epoxy or if color is not a major issue then use PC7 you have to have a mechanical or glue bond I have never seen anything that works better or make the pieces so that they can be taken apart if you plan on shipping them also.... because the metal is rough as hell on ceramic or clay bodies during shipping good luck with it its is always a worthwhile endeavor to do mixed media work its just ain;t always fun

Answer 6

There are a number of techniques as I understand. Do remember that the chemical composition of many clays includes metallic elements - especially iron.