Fantastic Silver Clay Project Tips

Jersey Jaguars, Silver clay, precious metal clay, art metal clay, and art clay silver are all different terms and types of \"clay\" that can be magically turned into gold and silver.

These new metal clays have been around since the nineties. Jewelry hobbyists and designers can now mold and form expensive metal as easily as pottery clay.

Jewelry making of course has a long history. The difference nowadays is that you now do not have to bang or cast your metal to make jewellery if you do not want to. Silver clay now makes it feasible to make real metal forms without these traditional methods.

Here is how metal clay works. Gold and silver metal clays are made from fine metal particles suspended in an organic binder. This binder lets you mildew and shape the clay as you would potter\'s clay. Once you are pleased with the form, you let your project dry for at least 24 hours ( or more ). You then fire it in a kiln or by using a hand torch. The binder burns away, leaving the fused metal behind in the form you shaped it.

Before you grab a lump of silver clay and go at it though, you will need to keep a few rules in mind. Silver clay is not cheap, so you do not need to waste it.

Silver Clay Tips

Here are a bunch of tips for working with silver clay :

*Metal clays shrink 10-30% when fired. Be certain to check your package for shrinkage levels particularly if you\'re making rings or other objects that must be actual fits.

*Not all metal clays can be hand torch fired. If you won\'t be using a kiln be certain to check that your kind of silver clay is \"low fire\".

*Only small pieces should be torch fired. Pieces bigger than 25g should be kiln fired.

*Silver clay isn\'t cheap. The gold version particularly is terribly costly. Be sure to shop carefully and follow instructions carefully so you do not burn your money needlessly.

*Metal Clay simply takes on impressions of other objects ( and fingerprints too ). Play around with different textures and objects to make imprints onto the wet clay.

*Gemstones that can resist the heat of firing can be set into the wet clay.

*Be sure to let your metal clay dry fully before firing. Firing damp clay won\'t work and you will not be a contented camper.

*Metal clays are sticky to the touch so be sure to coat everything with a thin film of olive oil or other release agent. This implies coat your hands, your tools, and working surface. Just a touch of oil will do, so don\'t go too Jersey Jaguars far.

*You can improve drying time by placing your piece in a low heat range. ( 150-200 degrees fahrenheit ). Pieces finely than your palm usually take about 24 hours to entirely dry and harden without the cooker treatment.

*Sand your Jersey Jaguars dried and toughened piece before firing. If you Jersey Jaguars don\'t like fingerprints, you will not be able to remove them after firing.

*Metal clay is water soluble and can be fell with water. Keep a little bowl of water or a spritzer handy while you work. If it begins to dry out while working, you are able to add a bit of water to dampen it.