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What is metal clay?
Metal clay is a jewelry making material that
can be used by just about anyone to create
jewelry and small decorative objects. Metal
clay is made from powdered metal mixed with
water and a substance called "methyl
cellulose". Methyl cellulose may sound like a nasty chemical,
but it's actually made from the cell walls
of green plants. It's an organic ingredient used in
food additives and is non-allergic, non-toxic
and perfectly safe to work with.
Metal clay handles similar to traditional modeling
clays, and, when dried, it is transformed into a solid
object through a firing process. During firing, the methyl
cellulose, typically called "binder",
is burned away and the metal particles "sinter"
into a solid form. Sintering is the process of making a powdered material (in this case, metal clay) coalesce into a solid mass by heating it to a very high temperature, just below the point of liquefaction.
There are several types of metal clay available:
fine silver, silver alloy, gold, gold alloy, copper, bronze and steel. Each type of metal clay has unique
firing requirements because each metal has
a different melting point.
For the beginner, fine silver clay is the
easiest and quickest way to experience metal
clay because there are so many options for firing, including low cost hand held butane torches. All metal clays are optimally fired in a jewelry kiln and some require special firing methods. The overview below will give you the basics on the different types of metal clay and their firing requirements to help you decide which clay to begin your adventures with.
Types of Metal Clay & Firing Requirements
Shop Silver Alloy Clay
Shop Metal Magic Silver
PMC Sterling and PMC PRO are silver metal clays that are made of fine silver, copper and other metals. This type of mixture is called an "alloy" and results in a metal that is far stronger than pure fine silver. Metals are alloyed to enhance or impart characteristics that are lacking
in the main metal. Fine silver is a metal that is easily dented and
scratched. By adding other metals, an alloy with greater strength is
created. PMC Sterling and PMC PRO offers jewelery artists the ability to make thinner, more delicate jewelry that meets any jewelers standard for durability. PMC Sterling is 92.5% silver and a 7.25% proprietary blend of copper and other metals. PMC PRO is 90% silver and a 10% proprietary blend of copper and other metals, making it the strongest, most durable silver metal clay on the market.
Both clays are fired inside a fireproof container filled with activated carbon and fired in a kiln. Most pieces can be fired in 1 hour.
Minimum Firing Time: 1 hour
Firing Options: Carbon Firing (kiln required)
Learn more
Shop Gold Clay
PMC and Art Clay both offer gold clay products. Gold clays are either pure 24K gold or 22K alloy of fine silver and gold. 22K means there is 22 parts pure gold and 2 parts some other metal. Can be fired with a hand held torch in as little as 2 minutes.
Minimum Firing Time: 2 minutes
Firing Options:Torch, gas burner, enameling kiln, jewelry kiln
Learn more
Shop FASTfire BRONZclay
Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Bronze is a very hard metal and is the strongest of all the metal clays available. We offer 3 types of Bronze Clay. BRONZclay and FASTfire BRONZclay by Metal Adventures, Inc. The difference between these two formulations is the firing time required, the shrinkage, and the color of the finished metal. The 3rd type of Bronze Clay we offer is a large range of colored powdered Bronze clays by Hadar Jacobson. Powdered clays are distinctive in that the artist adds water to create the amount of clay wanted or necessary, with the powdered remainder having an extended shelf life.
BRONZclay is fired according to the thickness of the finished piece. The thicker the clay, the slower the firing. The thinner the piece, the faster the firing. This version shrinks about 25% during firing and is a warm bronze color.
Minimum Firing Time:
3 hours, 4 is average
Firing Options:
Carbon Firing (kiln required)
Learn more
Shop BRONZclay
FASTfire BRONZclay usually fires at full speed, but in some larger kiln models, the heating is slowed to 1000F/hour. This version shrinks about 20% during firing and is a golden bronze color.
Minimum Firing Time:
2 hours, 3 for extra strength
Firing Options:
Carbon Firing (kiln required)
Learn more
Shop ArtClay Copper
Copper clay is made of pure copper. We offer two excellent brands of copper clay,
COPPRclay by Metal Adventures, Inc and Art Clay Copper which can be fired by torch or in a kiln with or without carbon. COPPRclay must be fired in a kiln in activated carbon. Kiln
firing takes about 3 hours.
Minimum Firing Time: 5 minutes
Firing Options:
Torch or Carbon Firing (kiln required)
Learn more about COPPRclay
Shop COPPRclay
Learn more about ArtClay Copper
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