Metal Silver

Metal Silver

How to Use Precious Metal Clay in Jewellery Making

Precious metal clay (brand names are PMC and Art Clay) is modern-day alchemy. PMC is a clay base with tiny pieces of silver suspended within it that, when heated, burns off the clay leaving a solid silver residue. The clay base acts as a binder for the metal particles. Once this has been removed, the remaining silver particles bind together, giving you the finished product.

The real beauty of precious metal clay is that it can be manipulated like any ordinary modelling clay, making it perfect for jewellery making. The modern precious metal clay can be using a jeweller’s torch, as the firing temperature is much lower than the early versions of this clay. However, a small kiln will produce a much more constant temperature range and can be controlled exactly, meaning that the results will be more consistent.

Precious Metal Clay once had a very bad reputation for shrinkage, making it unsuitable for fine work or detail. Modern precious metal clays have a much lower shrinkage rate (around 10-15%), but you still need to factor this into the final piece to ensure that really fine detail is not lost in the firing process.

Once fired, the silver piece will seem very lacklustre and dull, so it will need finishing. The dull matt surface hides the real beauty underneath, so finishing and polishing will reveal the shining silver below. When soldering finished precious metal clay pieces it is essential to remember that the surface will be more porous than standard sterling silver, so it is best to burnish the piece prior to soldering. But because it is almost pure silver there is little risk of fire stain on the surface and the final results are almost indistinguishable from sterling silver.

Because precious metal clay is a clay, it takes impressions very well. A design can be pressed onto the surface of the clay and be revealed in the final silver piece. Patterned rollers, lace or even leaves can be used to create unique effects that are difficult to reproduce in ordinary silver unless it has been cast. Precious metal clay is a popular way of making silver beads. The clay can be formed into beads, decorated with a surface pattern and then fired in a kiln quickly and easily, producing high quality silver beads.

Safety considerations have to be taken into account when working with precious metal clay because of the high temperatures required to fire the clay. A small enamelling kiln allows you to safely achieve the temperatures required for optimum results, but ensure that you have all the correct equipment such as tongs with heat resistant handles to extract work from the kiln safely and a heat-proof surface upon which to work.

Precious metal clay is an ideal medium to work in if you want to create pieces of silver jewellery that are unique to you. The only thing that limits you is your imagination. Precious metal silver clay is widely available from good jewellery equipment suppliers. There are two main brands – Precious Metal Clay and Art Clay Silver. The clay is also available in other metals including gold, but the cost is significantly higher than the silver clay.

About the Author

Adam Hunter – E-commerce Marketing Manager of cooksongold.com. Cookson Precious Metals offer a choice of
jewellery making
supplies from over 10,000 products including gold and silver jewellery findings, tools,
precious metal clay
, and gold and silver sheet. Contacts Adam Hunter E-commerce Marketing Manager Tel(DDI): +44 (0) 121 212 6491 E-mail: adam.hunter@cooksongold.co.uk

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Is my Fancy Guppy close to giving birth?

Okay, my Fancy Guppy is showing these signs:
-She’s not moving as much as normal
-Avoiding the other female and chasing her away
-Her bottom squared over night
-She stays in one area of the tank

Is she going to give birth? I learned in the past that Guppies will show these signs when they are about to give birth, I just don’t know if mine is. Help? Oh, and it’s snowing here, if that helps.

Yes, exactly. The abnormal movement happened because the developing fries are getting heavier, About the squared bottom, that means the birth canal has dropped and ready for giving birth. Staying in an area of the tank it’s like finding a secure place to give birth. Quickly separate that female guppy from the others, other fish might make your pregnant guppy feel stressed and hold the birth. Separate it and watch over the birth. Fries, normally would swim to the bottom of the breeding tank to avoid being eaten. After your female is done with the delivery, return it to the main tank or if you prefer to let it rest in another tank, do it. If it’s snowing, you might need a heater because guppies are tropical. Fries can survive without food as long as a week from its birth. In that week, they still have the yolk from their mother’s body. But on the 8th day, the yolk is gone because it’s eaten and you really need to feed it food from outside. But I recommend you start feeding it other food from the second or third day. Because my last guppy fry batch won’t touch the food I gave on the 1st day. You can feed the fries BBS, egg yolk mixed with water (paste), and infusoria. Maybe you’re to familiar with the word “infusoria”. Infusoria is a tiny food suitable for fries and you can culture infusoria at home, it’s very easy, steps:
1) Place a piece of lightly boiled potato in a jar filled with old aquarium water
2) Leave it open to the air for about a week
3) After a week, if you see the water is cloudy, the cloudy stuff is the infusoria, pur some to your fries
BBS is baby brine shrimp and I think you can get it at petshops. And for the egg yolk thing, this one is easier, you just hard-boil and egg, take out the yolk (you can eat the whites) mix it with some water until it turned into some paste, just give a tiny ammount of this as egg yolks can foul the water easily if uneaten. Good luck

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Calling all bridesmaids….would you like this gift??

I only have two women…my sister and my FSIL. Both are my matrons of honor and I love them dearly.

I ordered monogrammed black snap-cases to carry in their purses that contain a mini-pair of scissors, nail file, tweezers and nail clippers. They just came and are really cute!

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Would you maids or matrons find these useful? or even like this sort of thing?

Thank you! :)
I love all your opinions! I am not giving out any thumbs-down! Thank you to everyone!

Okay well I am not a maid or matron but a bride but I think the mini coaches are great. I thought the same as you. I want to buy them something they can use all the time not just one day. I read on here some brides bought full size coach bags but I guess if they had the money for those. Wheeewww.
I bought my girls each a bottle of their favorite perfume, cost each was between $50-$60 and I was at Dillards the other day and they actually had a sale on a few different coach wristlets. 25% off and that is unheard of for Coach, so I also bought those. I got them for $36.50 plus tax. For 4 of them I paid 155.49, and they only had 4 so I will have to pay out a little more to buy the fifth but I think it’s worth it. What I deal. I definitely say get them. I don’t think they are useless. I love have a mini wallet to carry on my wrist when I am making a quick trip out or even will be out all day. You can fit some cash in it, credit cards and an ID. All you need to shop. I love that you want to get them something they can use all the time. That’s why I chose what I did. I am also making their jewelry to spare them some expense. I say go for it! I would definitely use that stuff if I received it.

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