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Metal clay

ArtsyCraftsy
22 years ago

I can't wait to get my hands into this stuff! Two main brands - Art Clay silver and Precious Metal Clay. Usually it is fired in a kiln but you can also do it with a hand-held butane torch. The original clay shrank about 30%, but the new formula only shrinks 10%. Check it out!

Here is a link that might be useful: open directory metal clay links

Comments (8)

  • rosie_ga
    22 years ago

    Just read some of the info from your link. I had heard a little about this. Wonder if a person could shape this around cut-out china pieces? I saw a vendor at a flower show last weekend that had the broken china jewerly. It was gorgeous. All of the pieces appeared to have sterling on the edges.....she might have soldered stering on the edges. They were really nice.....with tiny rosebud bracelets, etc.

  • akaLia
    22 years ago

    I've always wanted to try this. Do you mean we could fire it ourselves with a butane torch??? I think my DH has one of those!

  • ArtsyCraftsy
    Original Author
    22 years ago

    Rosie- you probably could not because the china would not withstand the kiln heat without cracking. They suggest CZ's and lab grown sapphires/rubies for heat-resistant stones. Other things can be mounted with glue after firing the clay.
    The china jewelry is easy. I break a plate and get the decorative area I want to rough size with tile nippers. Then I use my stained-glass diamond grinder to smooth the edges. Wrap it just like stained glass with the copper foil tape, clean & flux it, and run silver solder all around the edges until the copper tape is completely covered. You can add little balls of solder to create decorative areas or imbed curls of silver wire with beads or pearls into the hot solder. some examples in glass are on the link.

    Here is a link that might be useful: stained glass jewelry

  • ArtsyCraftsy
    Original Author
    22 years ago

    This girl does some beautiful work and here she has created that look of china with her polymer clay and the PMC. Lovely!
    Lia- you can order a starter kit and they send you an empty torch which you get filled locally. They are not more than a foot long. You can also get them fired at a local ceramic shop or maybe college art dept.
    (I am very excited about taking a PMC charm bracelet class at Artiology this June!)

    Here is a link that might be useful: Shellie Brooks pin

  • rosie_ga
    22 years ago

    Wow.....the work by Shellie Brooks is indeed beautiful. Thanks for infor on china jewerly.....I want to try that someday. I don't have any experience with stained glass or soldering but I really admire the work. BTW...does Home Depot have the butane torch?

  • ArtsyCraftsy
    Original Author
    22 years ago

    I'm not sure about getting a torch at Home Depot, if they would carry them or if they would be the right size.

    This is what Tim McCreight had to say about torches- "Jewelers use a variety of torches, all of which deliver more heat than is needed to fire PMC. People with experience in metalwork and a good idea for heat colors will be able to fire PMC+ with any traditional torch. If a person is buying a torch specifically to fire PMC+, a butane torch like the Blazer makes a good choice. These compact torches are relatively inexpensive ($35-60) and are available from craft suppliers and jewelry supply companies. In fact I even saw one at a kitchen supply company where it was sold to caramelize crème brûlée. The torches are sold empty and filled (and refilled as needed) from a can of butane that can be bought from the same suppliers, grocery stores or tobacconists. "

    If you want to read his full article on torch firing go here
    then click on "Studio PMC", then on the "Last Issue". You will see the link to Tim's torch article.

    TONS of good info on the PMC Guild Board threads ...my eyeballs hurt from all this reading, lol!

  • rosie_ga
    22 years ago

    All the reading.....Isn't it amazing...all the knowledge. What did we ever do b4 the internet?
    Butane torch sounds like a pretty good price....The whole process is very interesting.

  • ol_dogll_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    Is anyone combining PMC with ceramic pottery?

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