Metal Clay = The Magic of Modern-Day Alchemy!
Metal clay is an amazing malleable form of metal that lets you create jewelry, small sculptures and other objets d'art in a range of different metals —pure silver (.999 fine silver), sterling silver (.925 silver), .900 silver (AKA coin silver), 22K gold, copper, bronze, rose bronze, white bronze, brass, steel, and pearl grey steel—without a lot of costly tools, and even if you don't have any prior metalsmithing or jewelry making experience.
Metal clay is made of microscopic particles of metal mixed with an organic binder and water to create a clay-like material that can be molded, folded, cut, extruded, embossed, rolled, sanded, filed, drilled, carved, etc., to form nearly any shape, design or texture your mind can conceive. After it has dried, it is fired at high temperatures in a kiln (in a container of activated carbon for formulas that contain base metal), with a torch, or over a woodburning or gas stove. The binder burns away and any remaining moisture evaporates, leaving behind just the metal.
You can learn more about getting started with PMC (Precious Metal Clay) and Art Clay on my Squidoo lens, Metal Clay - Precious Metal Clay / PMC and Art Clay Silver and Gold. It's a great source of information about metal clay guilds and professional organizations, educational resources, artists, instructors, projects, recommended books, instructional videos, and much more.
PMC® (Precious Metal Clay®) and Art Clay™ are the two major brands of precious metal clay. Both offer silver metal clay in different formulas, each of which has different characteristics, and a single formula of gold metal clay. (For more information about the key characteristics of each formula, please visit my lens on Metal Clay Brands and Formulas.)
Fine silver metal clay from PMC® and Art Clay™ is available in four basic forms: lump, slip, syringe, and paper-thin sheets (PMC Sheet™ and Art Clay™ Silver Paper Type). Gold metal clay is available only as lump clay and slip, and PMC Sterling™ and PMC PRO™ are available only as lump clay.
The base metal clay formulas are available only as lump clay, but can be mixed with water to form slip. While there is no base metal clay available in a syringe, it is possible to mix in enough water to make the clay moist and soft enough to be extruded through a clay extruder. Also, COPPRclay™ can be rolled out into extremely thin sheets (1 or 2 cards thick) that remain fairly flexible even when dried, and any type of metal clay can be mixed very thoroughly with a small amount of glycerine to create flexible sheets of clay that behave similarly to silver PMC Sheet™ and Art Clay™ Silver Paper Type
This lens will focus on the properties and applications of each of the four forms of metal clay.
Metal Clay Forms: Quick Links to the Contents
Lump Clay
Lump clay is the basic and, arguably, the most versatile metal clay form. Because it contains the highest proportion of metal to binder and water, it also is the strongest form of metal clay. Here are some of the many ways in which it can be used:
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It can be shaped or sculpted by hand.
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It can be rolled out with a roller (e.g., a piece of PVC pipe) and cut into the desired shape with aspic cutters, cookie cutters, clay cutters, clay punches, brass tubing, a tissue blade or clay blade, a needle tool, a craft knife, a straw, the side of a playing card, or nearly any other cutting implement you can come up with.
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It can be textured easily by pressing a textured object into it (anything from a piece of lace to a toothpaste cap to a custom photopolymer plate texture), or by rolling it out onto a texture plate/mat/tile.
Note: See my lens on texturing metal clay for literally dozens of ways to add fabulous texture to lump metal clay!
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It can be pressed into a mold, either a commercial mold or one made from 2-part silicone molding compound or polymer clay."
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It can be carved when leather-hard (mostly but not completely dry).
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It can be rolled into snakes (AKA coils) or balls.
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It can be thinned with water to make slip in a variety of consistencies, from thin slip to very thick slips (AKA paste).
Metal Clay Slip (AKA metal clay paste)
Metal clay slip or paste is lump clay that has been thinned down to the consistency of a thick, viscous liquid or an even thicker paste. Its most common use is as a sort of "metal glue" to attach metal clay components together. Not all brands and versions of metal clay come in slip or paste form, but you can easily make your own by mashing drops of water (preferably distilled water) VERY GRADUALLY into a piece of lump clay with a palette knife. You can mix the slip directly in a slip jar or container (a very small jar or other container with a tight-fitting lid in which you will store the slip), but I find it much faster and easier to mix my slip on a piece of glass and then scrape it into a slip jar. Here are some the ways in which metal clay slip or paste can be used:
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It can be painted on leaves in many thin layers to create metal leaves (the organic leaf burns off in the kiln).
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It can be used as "glue" to join metal clay pieces together before firing, or to attach elements (like metal clay balls) to unfired metal clay.
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It can be used to fill in very fine cracks in unfired clay.
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It can be painted on thickly with a brush or palette knife to create stucco-like or other textures (as you might do with cake frosting).
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It can be used to apply dimensional designs or patterns using the "slip trailing" technique, in which a brush dipped in slip is touched briefly to a dried metal clay component and then lifted up slightly and gently pulled horizontally to create a thin "thread" of slip that is allowed to trail down onto the component in a thin line. The design is created with a series of short, adjacent "slip trails" and then built up in successive layers to create the desired height or dimensionality.
For more detailed information and instructions for this technique, read the chapter by Terry Kovalcik in the excellent book, PMC Technic.
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Art Clay™ makes a special Overlay Silver Paste (OSP) for decorating porcelain, ceramic and glass with silver accents, and a fantastic Oil Paste product for making very secure attachments or repairs to fine silver (including fired silver metal clay).
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Slip made from PMC® silver clay can be mixed with 100% pure essential lavender oil or another pure essential oil to create a homemade oil paste that creates very strong attachments between pieces of fine or sterling silver metal (including fired silver clay), between fine or sterling silver clay and fine or sterling silver metal(including fired silver metal clay), and between pieces of silver metal clay.
Note: See my lens on Making PMC® Silver Metal Clay Oil Paste for instructions on how to mix up your own homemade silver clay oil paste and for more information about using it.
Syringe Clay
Syringe clay's consistency is midway between that of lump clay and paste clay. It comes in its own non-refillable syringe with separate tips that can be interchanged. It can be used to attach or repair metal clay components, or to embellish them (similarly to embellishing a frosted cake with an icing-filled cake decorating syringe).
The tip of an opened clay syringe must always be submerged in water when not actively in use. During a work session, you can stand the syringe in your water jar with the point submerged, or in a jar with a soaking wet sponge cut to fit inside the bottom of the jar so that the tip of the syringe is pressed into the wet sponge. After you're through working with the syringe for the day, store it in a way that keeps the tip submerged in water. You can use a capped florist's water tube (for keeping cut flower stems fresh in transit during delivery) filled with distilled water and push the tip end of the syringe through the cap so that the entire tip end is submerged in water, or stuff a small piece of sponge inside one of those tubes, saturate it with water, and push the tip of the syringe through the cap all the way down into the wet sponge. With either of these methods, store the syringe (with the tipped kept wet inside the florist's water tube) sealed inside a zippered plastic bag. Or buy Linda's Lid™, a glass jar with a special screw-on lid designed specifically for this purpose that can hold up to 4 open syringes upright with their tips submerged in a wet sponge (or just distilled water). Make sure to buy extra corks to seal the unused holes in the lid. Linda's Lid™ is available directly from inventor Linda Stiles Smith of Naturescapes Studio and from several metal clay suppliers.
Here are some the uses of syringe clay:
The tip of an opened clay syringe must always be submerged in water when not actively in use. During a work session, you can stand the syringe in your water jar with the point submerged, or in a jar with a soaking wet sponge cut to fit inside the bottom of the jar so that the tip of the syringe is pressed into the wet sponge. After you're through working with the syringe for the day, store it in a way that keeps the tip submerged in water. You can use a capped florist's water tube (for keeping cut flower stems fresh in transit during delivery) filled with distilled water and push the tip end of the syringe through the cap so that the entire tip end is submerged in water, or stuff a small piece of sponge inside one of those tubes, saturate it with water, and push the tip of the syringe through the cap all the way down into the wet sponge. With either of these methods, store the syringe (with the tipped kept wet inside the florist's water tube) sealed inside a zippered plastic bag. Or buy Linda's Lid™, a glass jar with a special screw-on lid designed specifically for this purpose that can hold up to 4 open syringes upright with their tips submerged in a wet sponge (or just distilled water). Make sure to buy extra corks to seal the unused holes in the lid. Linda's Lid™ is available directly from inventor Linda Stiles Smith of Naturescapes Studio and from several metal clay suppliers.
Here are some the uses of syringe clay:
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Use syringe clay to create a lacy "filigree" of metal clay over a combustible core, such as cork clay, wood clay, or even puffed cereal.
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Use syringe to create latticework or netting designs.
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Use syringe clay to create an outline of clay for freeform openwork designs.
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Use syringe clay to create dots and lines.
- Use syringe tips in different sizes and shapes to extrude different types of strands. You can buy syringe tips in several different shapes and sizes. You also can buy extra tips and modify them yourself to create even more shapes. For example, pinch opposite ends of the opening of a large, round syringe tip so it's more leaf-shaped and then cut a small V-shaped notch in the center to extrude leaf shapes with a center vein.
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Use syringe clay to attach silver metal clay components together, to join the ends of silver clay ring bands, etc.
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Use syringe clay to caulk cracks, small holes, or other small imperfections in dried or fired silver clay.
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Make a coil or nest of syringe clay as a bezel for a stone that can be fired in place.
Note: See my lens on Setting Gemstones in Metal Clay for a wide range of methods for setting stones in metal clay, both before and after firing.
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Use low-fire syringe clay to loosely but completely encircle a dichroic cabochon before firing. Continue the loop to create a bail, if desired.
Paper Clay / Sheet Clay
PMC® and Art Clay™ make two slightly different versions of this paper-like form of silver metal clay, which remains flexible even when completely dry. Art Clay™ Silver Paper Type is about twice as thick as the PMC+ Sheet™, so for certain applications you may want to "laminate" two sheets of it together for applications that require thicker or sturdier clay. Here's how Celie Fago taught me to laminate layers of PMC+ Sheet™: Start by placing one piece of the PMC+ Sheet on a piece of nonstick sheet. Brush or mist the silver sheet very lightly with water, and then stack another piece of silver sheet on top of the moistened layer. Immediately smooth the top sheet against the bottom sheet with the sides of your hands, smoothing from the center of the clay out to the edges to press out any air trapped between the two layers. Cover the top layer with another piece of nonstick sheet and weight it down with a heavy book for at least 20 minutes, which will allow the water and pressure to bond the layers together securely. If you want to laminate three or more layers of PMC+ Sheet™, don't add more than one layer at a time; wait until the previous layers have been weighted down under the book for at least 20 minutes before adding the next layer. (Don't forget to cover the top layer with nonstick sheet before weighting it down!)
When attaching silver metal clay "paper" to another piece of clay (any form), be sure to use water or slip very sparingly so the "paper" doesn't disintegrate. Apply the water carefully to the back of metal clay "paper" only, place it on the clay to which you want to attach it, and then apply gentle pressure from the front to make sure it adheres securely to the clay underneath.
Tip:There is a smooth side and a slightly textured side (small dots) to the paper, so pay attention to which side you want up.
Here are some uses for silver clay paper:
When attaching silver metal clay "paper" to another piece of clay (any form), be sure to use water or slip very sparingly so the "paper" doesn't disintegrate. Apply the water carefully to the back of metal clay "paper" only, place it on the clay to which you want to attach it, and then apply gentle pressure from the front to make sure it adheres securely to the clay underneath.
Tip:There is a smooth side and a slightly textured side (small dots) to the paper, so pay attention to which side you want up.
Here are some uses for silver clay paper:
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Create appliqués by cutting out shapes with a sharp scissor or craft knife or using craft punches or paper punches. Attach them to your design by lifting the underside of each appliqué with a barely damp brush, carefully sliding it off the brush exactly where you want it and pressing the dry top of the appliqué firmly.
Note: If you get water on the top of the paper, it will turn mushy and be ruined. Also, be very precise when sliding each appliqué off the brush, as you generally can't move it successfully once it touches the clay to which it's being applied.
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Use the leftover PMC Sheet or Art Clay Paper Type from which you cut or punched out shapes previously to create negative space appliqués. Barely moisten a sheet of plain metal clay paper (or rolled out lump clay), then carefully lay the punched or cut-out PMC Sheet or Art Clay Silver Paper on top of the backing sheet and smooth it evenly it from the center out toward the edges, taking care not to tear or distort the fragile paper "filigree." After firing, use the recessed areas for patina, enamels, or keum-boo accents.
I like this effect so much that I sometimes cut or punch shapes out of metal clay "paper" specifically to create a negative-space design. Of course, I always save the cutouts to use as appliqués on the same or other projects.
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Weave strips to create a fine silver "fabric" effect. Make sure to attach the loose ends of all the strips securely on both sides with a tiny bit of water. Roll out a backing sheet from lump clay to stabilize the woven "silver fabric".
Tip: Use PMC Original™ for the backing sheet to create a domed effect.
See my step-by-step tutorial lens on weaving with PMC Sheet or Art Clay Silver Paper Type.
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Create a bezel for stones that can't be fired in place with a strip of PMC Sheet or Art Clay Silver Paper. See "Recommended Links," below, for the link to order a reprint of Jennifer Kahn's "Metal Clay Bezel" article in the May 2005 issue of Lapidary Journal (now Jewelry Artist magazine). Better yet, order the book PMC Technic (see the section on Recommended Metal Clay Books, below) which includes an entire chapter that Jen wrote about her metal clay bezel technique.
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Create fine silver origami by cutting and folding PMC Sheet or Art Clay Silver Paper.
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Braid strips to use as decorative accents.
What's your favorite type of metal clay?
Do you prefer to use the basic lump clay and paste forms of metal clay, or do you enjoy using syringe clay for embellishment (or as a strong alternative to slip)? Have you tried using silver clay sheet or paper type for bezels, embellishments, weaving or origami?
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Recommended Links
- Jennifer Kahn's "Metal Clay Bezel" Article (Lapidary Journal May 2005)
- Jennifer Kahn - Celie Fago's apprentice and a wonderful metal clay artist in her own right - developed a terrific technique for making accurately-sized bezels from PMC+ paper type clay for cabochons that can't be fired in place. Her excellent step-by-step instructions was published in the May 2005 issue of Lapidary Journal. Unfortunately, LJ no longer sells reprints of the individual article, but this link will take you to the magazine's online store for back issues and you can order the May 2005 back issue as long as they still have copies available. Better yet, get a copy of the superb book, "PMC Technic" and read the entire chapter she wrote about her metal clay bezel technique!
- Metal Clay "Master Lens"
- This is my core lens metal clay - artists, suppliers, general information and education links, projects, instructors and more. Eventually some of these sections will grow large enough to merit their own lenses.
- Metal Clay Tools and Supplies
- My recommendations for a great basic toolkit, and the additional items I can't live without. Also links to some excellent lists and articles by top metal clay instructors on what they use and recommend to their students.
- PMC Guild
- The premier organization for Precious Metal Clay. A superb source of information about the clay itself, tips and techniques (including video demo clips), artists, instructors, suppliers and much more. There's a wonderful Search for a Class feature that lets you search by location, instructor, date and/or type of class. Join the Guild and your annual fee will entitle you to their outstanding print magazine, Studio PMC.
- Art Clay World USA
- As the name implies, this is the place for all things Art Clay-related: product information, techniques, classes, a gallery, distributors/suppliers that sell Art Clay, and much more. You also can shop for a huge assortment of Art Clay products and metal clay-related tools and supplies, from kilns to fine silver findings to books and videos.
I hope you like (and "like") this lens :)
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Recommended Metal Clay Books
These are a few of my favorite books about metal clay.
Bid on Metal Clay-Related Items
What are your favorite ways to use different forms of metal clay?
Let me know (or just leave a comment to let me know you stopped by!) :)
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hippiechicjewelz
Apr 17, 2012 @ 7:56 pm | delete
- I like lump clay, you can do so much with it...beads, pendants, bracelets and so much more! The possibilities are endless!
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MSchindel Apr 17, 2012 @ 8:26 pm | delete
- I agree! I also enjoy combining it with syringe, slip and paper-type clay. Thanks so much for your comment! :)
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Copyright and Terms of Use
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Exception: If you are teaching a class, you are welcome to distribute unaltered, printed copies of this lens along with the link information.
This
work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 License.
©2007 Margaret R. Schindel. All rights reserved.
Exception: If you are teaching a class, you are welcome to distribute unaltered, printed copies of this lens along with the link information.
This
work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 License.
©2007 Margaret R. Schindel. All rights reserved.
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