Jewelry Clay Transfer Technique Explained

Today I am going to show you the Jewelry Clay transfer technique experiments I did in order to select my transfer paper of choice.  This post will be the one I refer to in the future if I do a transfer and people want to know how.
 First, what is the transfer paper I am referring to?  
Most people have seen or even used t-shirt transfers at some point.  The four I tested included Avery's T-Shirt Light Transfer, Print'n Press from June Tailor, Avery's T-Shirt White transfer and Lesley Riley's TAP.  All four of these brands work with ink jet printers.
Second, what clay am I referring to?  
The newly launched Envirotex Jewelry Clay.  It just started to ship to stores this month.
 For the experiment I printed the same set of images onto a sample from each brand.
 Then I made a batch of Jewelry Clay.  I rolled it into a ball and pressed it into the same location on each sheet.  Note that I added a little baby powder to the back so that when I pressed the clay in place it did not stick to my gloves.
 Then I added some Pearl-Ex powder to the back side and all the edges of each clay circle.
 I also took the opportunity to add a hook making these clay pendants easier to hang when they are cured.
 
 The hook is made by simply sliding small screw eyes into the clay.  This is so easy and effective!
 Here are all four clay circles resting on the transfer paper in roughly the same spot.  
I allowed the clay to cure in place overnight.
 The next morning I simply lifted my cured clay pendants off the transfer paper.  
The transfer paper does indeed transfer 
the printed image to the clay.
 Since this was a test of each transfer paper I then did the same thing to each new pendant.  I brushed a layer of decoupage medium across the surface covering the transferred image.  You would need to protect the transfer from wear and tear.  Future posts will show you how I brush a glaze layer of resin across the surface! 
Here are all four transfers.  
The transfer paper I like the best 
is Print'n Press. 
It transfers a lot more of the colour.  I had noticed this a few weeks ago when I did a fabulous transfer one day and then a not so fabulous transfer the next.  Print 'n Press did the better transfer that time too.  I buy it in Michael's Crafts Stores.

 The good news is that all four transfer papers worked.  It just is a personal preference which you use and indeed which you have access to buying locally.
 To finish my pendants, I brushed a little pink acrylic paint on the edges that were not coloured.
 Aren't they great?
Imagine the possibilities!
You can transfer photos, images of art, numbers, lettering and anything that can be copied on the transfer paper.  Tomorrow I'll show you my new beautiful lady necklace!

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