It was a 2 torch hatching!

Hatchling #1: Deuteronomy
Hatched: Jan. 2, 2010 9pm
Weight: 9.8 g *
Length: 1.5 inches

Ok, New year, New clay. With the holidays & what not, there's been a bit of a stalemate going on between me & an open packet of Art Clay copper. Basically, if it can be torch fired & I've done something like it in silver, I want a crack at it. Getting things to fire right has been a bit of another story as pieces end of being complex than originally intended.

Providence came about in the form of a youtube video by Hadar Jacobson:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ArtInSilver#p/u/0/Z2NffdSP1EY

Copper needs more heat than silver to scinter properly, so use 2 torches!

The thing about copper clay is that it oxidizes & turns black after firing. In general quenching in water & pickling in an acid helps get most oxidation off. Deuteronomy was built on a toilet paper core & there's still a chunk of charcoal stuck inside him. Poor guy will have baby fat forever as pickling didn't seem like a good idea. Got some nice red color on his tail, but most of the oxidation was removed with fiber wheels as the micron polishing wheels didn't seem to do much. Or maybe just needed more power hmmm...

Tutorial on TP burnout cores by Sabine Alienor:
http://www.sabinealienor.com/dotclear/index.php?post/2008/12/06/Tuto-p%C3%A2te-d-argent-%28Art-Clay-Silver%2C-PMC%29-%3A-une-boule-creuse