Metal Clay

So what is all this fuss over metal clay.

METAL CLAY - A REVOLUTIONARY PRODUCT
The discovery of Metal Clay has revolutionized the skill of jewellery making. Artists or aspiring jewellery hobbyists are no longer restricted by a long involved learning curve and enormous monetary investment, if they aspire to be creative with precious metal. Metal Clay is user friendly and has changed all of that. Metal Clay is made of pure silver powder, water and non-toxic organic binder. In its raw state, Metal Clay feels like play dough or putty and can easily be shaped, moulded, or sculpted with simple tools or fingers to create original projects and designs. When dry, Metal Clay becomes hard and can be engraved, filed, carved and sanded to a flawless finish before firing. After drying, Metal Clay can be rehydrated back to clay with the addition of water. Any residual pieces and powder may be recycled with water and made into paste/slip, leaving no waste. During the firing process, the harmless binder burns away and the silver particles combine together to form a solid 99.9% pure silver piece which can be hallmarked SV999. Amazingly, most Metal Clay can be fired to sintering (fusing) temperature using a gas stove top, blow torch or kiln.

I went to a metal clay workshop on Thursday, after a very long night I made a couple of pieces and was amazed with how easy it was to work with. The material has its limitations as its so soft to work with initally but after firing it turns to silver and it can be manipulated as a metal then. Best and different results from working with silver were the possibilities from using cutouts, stencils, push moulds and textures.