Art Clay Bronze consists of 90% of alloy powder (90% Copper and 10% Tin), and the remaining 10% is organic binder and water. It requires more specific and consistent temperature control for firing compared to Art Clay Silver Clay.
Art Clay Bronze must be fired in an oxygen-reducing atmosphere in an electric kiln.
Fire the bronze piece in a reducing atmosphere, with pieces buried in 2cm of activated carbon in a stainless steel firing pan. The pan should be on posts and not directly on the kiln floor when possible. Remove carbon ash and replace it with fresh carbon for each firing. Enough oxygen exists to burn off the binder even while your piece is in carbon with the lid on the pan. It is recommended to keep the lid on as it will contribute to a more beautiful finished color after firing.
The firing schedule for Art Clay Bronze is 820°C for 2 hours (in carbon). However, remember each kiln is different (such as the size of the firing chamber, muffle vs. brick chamber walls, number of elements, front vs. top-loading, etc.), as well as the environments around the kiln (temperatures, humidity, altitude, etc.) The digitally indicated temperature is not precisely the same in every spot in the entire kiln chamber, so different places in the chamber may reach different temperatures. The most important thing is to place the firing box farthest from the kiln door because the temperature in the firing chamber near the kiln door can be much lower than the programmed temperature.
Always do a TEST FIRE before creating your projects; make a few small pieces (3cm x 1cm x 1mm) to test fire to find precisely how your kiln handles the bronze firing. Spread the pieces around in the firing pan and place the pan away from the kiln door. If your test pieces break, the firing schedule needs to be adjusted. If pieces break before bending 90°, increase the hold temperature by 10°C (up to max. 860°C).
After firing, the piece appears matte brown. A beautiful bronze color is revealed after polishing.
Beautiful GOLD like color
Art Clay Bronze has been developed after testing many different metal formulas to ensure the best golden color.
Extremely high strength as alloy
The Art Clay Bronze is an alloy formed with a mixture of copper and tin; therefore, it gives high strength in surface contact and bending pressure. The bending strength* of fired Art Clay Bronze is approx. Three times harder than Art Clay Silver, and surface strength is approx. Two times harder than Art Clay Silver 950.
*The bending strength is evaluated by force level bending the fired strip to 90 degrees. A higher force level means the metal is harder to bend. This does not necessarily mean that Art Clay Bronze has high viscosity or density for reshaping.
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