Step-by-Step Instructions on Low-Fire Clay Mosaic Crafts
- 1). Cut a 1-inch thick slab of clay. Wedge the clay by kneading it and periodically thumping it against the table to remove air bubbles.
- 2). Place the clay on a piece of drywall and use a rolling pin to roll it in both directions until it is one-half inch thick.
- 3). Cut the clay into tiles of the desired dimension using your tile shape pattern and trimming knife. Do not move the clay once it has been rolled: lift the trimmed pieces out of the way, and re-wedge them for later use.
- 4). Allow the tiles to dry overnight on the drywall. The drywall will remove much of the moisture from the clay. Paint the desired pattern on the tile with under-glaze. Select colors based on the packaging; the colors will not appear true until the clay has been bisque fired.
- 5). Move the tiles to a metal drying rack and allow to dry for several days. Do not allow a direct heat source near the drying tiles, or the tiles may dry unevenly.
- 6). Bisque fire the tiles to Cone 5. Cone firing uses small test cones to determine the appropriate heat to which the kiln should fire. Different types of clay require different firing temperatures: clay used in making tiles tiles does not need as much heat as other types of ceramics (for instance, porcelain), so it is considered a low-fire clay, and should be used with a low-fire glaze.
- 7). Paint the tiles with a coat of clear low-fire glaze, taking care not to get any glaze on the back of the tiles. Low-fire the tiles to Cone 6.
- 8). Use a trowel to lay a small amount of mosaic tile adhesive (available at hobby shops), cement, or epoxy adhesive onto the surface you want to cover in mosaic tile. Apply just enough adhesive to cover about six tiles--otherwise, the adhesive may dry before the tiles are set. To make a freestanding mosaic, use a piece of MDF board or plywood as backing for the tiles.
- 9). Arrange your colored tiles into the adhesive, working with about six tiles at a time. When the adhesive begins to set, apply grout to the spaces between the tiles with a squeegee, and allow the grout to set for about 20 minutes. Wipe off any excess grout from the surface of the mosaic with a damp rag.
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