Work Smart and Plan
Take care when working with Art Clay Silver to get the most out of it with little waste. Here are some tips:
- Do not expose the clay to air until you are ready to use it. Keep wrapped in cling film and place in an air-tight container with a piece of damp sponge.
- Plan your project before you start. Work out how to make the item as efficiently as possible, calculating quantities and measurements.
- Rub a little olive oil into your fingers before handling the clay as this will help to stop it drying out.
- Ensure the clay is thoroughly dried before firing as damp clay is likely to crack.
Recycle powder left over from filing by adding a little water to make silver paste which can be used for repairs or for joining pieces together.
Recycle powder left over from filing by adding a little water to make silver paste which can be used for repairs or for joining pieces together.The precious Art Clay Silver clay can be shaped by hand or in a mould made from silicone. Detailed original shapes can be created from polymer clay, which when baked and cooled, can be pressed into the silicone to replicate the shape. The silicone mould kit contains a 2 part moulding putty which when combined takes just 30 minutes to set into a flexible and reusable mould.
Kemper Cutters
Other useful tools for shaping silver clay include Kemper cutters which are perfect for making tiny shapes. The sprung plunger releases the clay with a minimum of waste. The Ring Sizing Sheets are an ingenious pad of ‘post-it’ sheets which can help to measure your ring size and then be transferred to a mandrel for accurate measurement.
It is still difficult to believe that this incredible medium can be transformed into pure silver when fired on a gas hob! A stainless steel mesh is placed over the burner to give the object something to rest on and the item is transformed in minutes. Our firing page provides further information on how to fire Art Clay Silver and also includes information on how to use a Blow Torch or a Kiln.
The fired jewellery or ornament is 99.99% pure silver and contains more silver than sterling silver which is 92.5%. Very special items can be sent to an Assay Office for hallmarking.