A New Opal

a new “opal”

I love opals! I used to make them by mixing iridescent flakes into translucent clay but, as the flakes do not melt or soften, always found it labor intensive work sanding and sanding them away.

So, this is a new, simpler method I devised. It uses liquid clay (I’ve used my liquid, Kato Clear Medium) and iridescent flakes found the the paper making aisle of most craft stores.

Step One

Pour liquid clay and sprinkle flakes into a cup Mix until it has an oatmeal consistency. Not too wet, not too dry.

Step Two

Onto a clean, dry ceramic tile, spread the mixture. If it appears you have “holes” that is areas devoid of flakes, sprinkle and tamp down more flakes. Try to make this sheet as thin as you can. Bake to cure.

Step Three

When it is cured and cool, peel the sheet from the tile. The flat side is the “right” side of the sheet.

Step Four

Cut a shape from the sheet with scissors. Note: You’re not going crazy, I used two different cut pieces in the step outs. I know someone will notice this.

Step Five

The sheet is transparent in spots so you’ll see the backing clay. Here you see a piece on black and on white. Test this out with your piece and select or mix a backing color.

Step Six

I mixed a greenish - grey backing color.

Step Seven

Brush liquid clay onto the back (lumpy side) of the cut piece to improve the adherence of the cured piece to the backing clay.

Step Eight

Place the backing clay on a sheet of deli paper. Roll the piece, embedding it (lumpy side down) into the backing clay.

Step Nine

With an exacto or scalpel, cut around. Wipe the cut piece with isopropyl alcohol to clean the surface. Peel the paper away from the backing clay.

Step Ten

Brush a light coat of liquid clay onto the piece and place pieces of leaf on the piece (I used gold). With a heat gun, cure the liquid clay - this will hold the leaf in place during the next step.

Step Eleven

Apply a thick layer of liquid clay onto the surface of the piece. The liquid applicator is a good tool for this! This will make the opal look like a “doublet”. You can also just apply a thin uniform layer, if you prefer. Bake in an oven (without a fan) to cure the liquid clay. If it is not completely clear, heat it with a heat gun until it is. Note: When heating the medium with a heat gun, please hold the gun and piece away from your face, you do not want to inhale any vapors that might be released. Work in a well ventilated area. I have not done this with any liquid clay other than my own. I do not know if TLS will withstand this intense heat, nor do I know if it will clear.

Sand the edges. It’s now ready to be set.

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