Silver clay? Whatever is that?
Silver clay, precious metal clay, art metal clay, and art clay silver are all different terms and makes of “clay” that may be magically turned into gold and silver.
These innovative metal clays have been around since the 90′s. Jewellery hobbyists and designers can now shape and mold precious metal as simply as play doh.
Making jewelry naturally is as old as time. The difference these days is that you now do not have to hammer or cast your metal to make jewellery if you do not wish to. Silver clay now makes it possible to make real metal forms without these normal strategies.
Here is how metal clay works. Silver and gold metal clays are made from fine metal particles suspended in an organic binder. This binder lets you mold and shape the clay as you would potter’s clay. When you are happy with the form, you let your project dry for a minimum of twenty-four hours ( or even more ). You then fire it in a kiln or by utilizing a hand torch. The binder burns away, leaving the fused metal behind in the form you formed it.
Before you grab a lump of silver clay and go at it though, you will need to keep 1 or 2 guidelines under consideration. Silver clay isn’t cheap, so you do not need to waste it.
Silver Clay Tips
Here are a considerable number of tips for working with silver clay :
–>Metal clays shrink 10-30% when fired. Be certain to test your package for shrinkage levels particularly if you’re making rings or other objects that have to be precise fits.
–>Not all metal clays can be hand torch fired. If you will not be using a kiln be certain to check that your type of silver clay is “low fire”.
–>Only small pieces should be torch fired. Pieces larger than 25g should be kiln fired.
Silver clay isn’t cheap. The gold version particularly is extraordinarily high-priced. Be certain to shop thoroughly and follow instructions punctiliously so you do not waste your money futilely.
- You can dunk the piece in water after firing to cool down it swiftly.
- Metal clays are sticky to touch so be certain to coat everything with a thin film of olive oil or other release agent. This means coat your hands, your tools, and work surface. Just a hint of oil will do, so don’t go overboard.
- You can step up drying time by placing your piece in a low heat stove. ( 150-200 degrees fahrenheit ). Pieces finely than your palm typically take about twenty-four hours to totally dry and harden without the cooker treatment.
Now that you have some silver clay tenets, I bet you are psyched. You wish to work with this innovative material now! What will you make first?
Want to discover more about precious metal clay? Read more silver clay articles. http://shop.how-to-make-jewelry.com