about squeezing a metal plate between two layers of ceramic...?

Question

is it possible to stick a metal sheet on a ceramic before it is kilned and later cover it again with ceramic to hide the sheet? in other words, can i glue a metal plate on my old ceramic vase and cover it with ceramic paste again? Can I prevent the shrinking of the fresh clay by just bisque firing, or leaving it under sunlight instead of kilning, will it help if I wax the old ceramic before putting on the second layer?

i need to hide the metal sheet in two layers, it's a kind of school project so ANY COMMENTS or DIFFERENT IDEAS ARE WELCOME.

thanks

Answer 1

Let me say that if what you want to do is possible you will have to do it at low temperatures. Because you don't have specifics on what is the old piece, high fire or low, and does it have glaze etc. on it; what kind of metal are you wanting to use, and what kind of clay you are using on the new piece, it's hard to give advice. Do you have to use metal to adhere the pieces for the project? Do you have to use old piece? If you are just trying to hide the pieces in the middle of two layers of ceramics it would probably be easier to use to new pieces, so you don't have a uncertain outcome on the old piece and can test on a few different ones to get the best try, instead of having just one shot to get it right. Also if you started out with two new pieces instead of an old one, the blank areas that would be touching the metal may adhere better (assuming you have glazed the old one) to the melted metal. I have attached two links that could help finding the melting points of different metals, and then finding the cones that you need to fire at. Have fun.

Answer 2

Glue, metal, wax and slip (liquid clay) will not work; the glue, wax and metal will not make it through a firing, they will burn away. The slip will not attach to clay that has already been fired.
I'm not sure what you are trying to do, but I'll try to give a couple ideas for you. If you are trying to repair something with the metal as a support-you should try some super glue or epoxy. If the metal is there as part of the artwork or purpose of the piece you could make a box out of clay and cut it in half (carefully-use a wire or thin blade to keep the edges the same on both halves), fire them both and put the metal in and glue the sides together. Or, if you are trying to get a print off of the metal that you want as an emblem you could press clay onto the metal (or pour plaster of paris), let it dry and then press clay onto it again to get the image to print correctly. Then you can bisque fire the clay with the print, and fire once more with glaze to attach it to the original piece. Since I'm not sure of what your goal is, I'm not sure how to answer certainly. Post back with more info if none of these meet the need.