With the inlay firing, I thought the thin, sanded tops of the beads might crack, but they did not.
The fine silver wires were not affected by the firing. However, the thicker tops of these beads cracked away from the sides. (I was going to torch fire a silver inlay.)
Because of the silver wires, to fire these beads I placed them flat in the charcoal. The inlaid beads I placed vertically in the charcoal as I usually fire most of my base metal clay pieces. I wonder if the positioning caused the cracks in the beads.
Below is a pair of earrings with copper on top of bronze clay: before and after sanding. But before firing. They’re still in the kiln…
Barbara S Fernald Jewelry 