you can get a high finish mirror shine by hand polishing with a set of cheap inexpensive polish clothes it would make a MASSIVE difference to that matt silver finish.
Sian says: " Great advice, I will give it a go! I am a bit of a fan of a matt finish so that's why quite a lot of projects are a brushed or matt finish, perhaps it's time for me change!"
Sian says: "Thanks so much, thinking we might take your suggestion on board for a 'precious metal clay'/'wonky' drinking game! We'll not share those results though."
Thanks :) you can buy the paste or you can make your own by adding water to clay: www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/Art-Clay-Silver-10g-Paste-prcode-855-208
Thanks! You could make an adjustable ring however you must consider that the structure of silver clay when heated is sintered unlike sheet silver, this could mean that regularly adjusting or moving the metal could cause a weak point where it would break. You would need to think carefully about your design and thoroughly test it.
Great video. I always thought you needed a kiln to work with silver clay but I see you use a little torch that is so fantastic 😮 and so to use a stone you can’t use a natural turquoise for example? Can I prepare the ring with the bezel and set the stone at the end like we do with metal sheets or metal bezel wires? Thanks for your guidance on this :)
Sian says: "Just double check the silver clay you decide to use can be torch fired first. Smaller pieces torch fire better as the torch will only be able to get the piece to a certain temperature. Natural stones just simply can't handle heat with the exception of sapphires and diamonds however even these could be damaged if they have an inclusion in them. The silver clay needs to cool slowly with any kind of stone in it natural or synthetic. You can make a bezel for your stone and set a stone after, this may take a bit of experience as the clay will shrink so you will need to make the bezel a percentage bigger for the stone (different silver clays have different shrinkage rates). It could be a good idea to keep a record of what you make and it's size and thickness before and after firing so you can refer back."
Very helpful video, im thinking of adding pmc to my workbench. Can you add pmc to the surface of an already finished ring band? would this detail fall off the metal as the clay dries?
Sian says: " Not something I've tried but silver clay does shrink when it dries and when it's fired. You could make the shape and solder it on afterwards."
Sian says: "Yes you could cut a section of a silver ring out and solder it back together. You could also re shape it and increase the size on a mandrel with a leather mallet. Just bear in mind that the structure of silver clay is internally is sintered so it is different from silver sheet for example. You can polish fired silver clay as you would any silver jewellery. 999 fine silver clay is softer than sterling silver."
Sian says: " It's not something I have tried, it would really depend on how much heat the seaglass can withstand, it might lose it's colour. I think ultimately you would have to experiment with the size and design."
In short yes... however there are different clays with different shrinkage rates now on the market. It's a good idea to experiment specific to your ring design, the thicker and wider a ring also affects sizing .
This stone is synthetic and can be used in silver clay" www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/-Range=Fireable_Gemstones_for_Clay/-Alloy=0/-Type=0/&prdsearch=y&show=N
The liquid stuff is silver clay paste, you can make your own with water and silverclay or you can buy it in a handy pot: www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/Art-Clay-Silver-10g-Paste-prcode-855-208
CZ's can be fired in silver clay but they must not be quenched in water after firing. Books on silver clay such as: www.cooksongold.com/Books/Silver-Clay-Workshop:-Getting-------Started-In-Silver-Clay-Jewellery-By-Melanie-Blaikie-prcode-999-A191&query=silver%20clay%20book&channel=uk Have lots of great information and knowledge
Cooksongold sell the clay slip www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/Precious-Metal-Clay-PMC3-Paste-----Silver-Clay-18.6g-prcode-855-030&query=Pmc%20clay%20slip&channel=uk But as below you can make your own 😊
Vert Nice! U am just starting with silverclay and used a torch(for creme brulee) nothing happened. Now i have a new torch but they worn you not to use it for more than 10 seconds. You fire up the ring for 3 minutes, did you click it on and off?????
When firing silver clay with a blow torch you need to first burn off the binder and then keep the blowtorch on the clay at an even temperature for 3 minutes to ensure the silver particles sinter together. The torches we sell are: www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery-Tools/Jewellers-Soldering-Hand-Torch-----Butane-Blow-Torch-prcode-999-955 These torches are suitable to use for firing silverclay
Lots of kits and silver clay on our website: www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/Metal-Clay-Starter-Kit-prcode-700-557 www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/
How long does it last? Is it high-quality? Like is it comparable to ,,normal“ silver? And what glue do you use to hold the two ends of the ring together? Last question..how many rings can you do from a 10gramm package?
Silver clay is made from fine silver whilst sterling silver is 92.5.% silver. To join 2 pieces of unfired silver clay together you can use silver clay slip (it’s like a more liquid version of the clay) The amount of rings you can make really depends on the size, thickness and width of the rings. I think you’d need to try it to understand the material better and remember it shrinks when fired!
i can expand and give you a better answer i think. sterling silver most commonly known is 92.5% silver. Silver clay is a mix of pure fine silver powder and some binders that make it pliable. When its torch fired your left with pure 99.9% silver 'fine silver' more silver than sterling silver. It can be hallmarked as fine silver at an assay office. I suggest you polish with non expensive polishing cloths for a high mirror shine rather than leave it at this dull matt silver look, then your piece will look exactly like the shiny pieces you buy from a jewellers. A ring i made yesterday that has LESS clay than this ring took 7g of clay! I then used 10g to make two very small flat pendants. You do need a lot of clay to make a substantial piece. If you have 10g Id suggest looking at it like it will make one ring and if you can make a small pendant out of it too you are lucky, but it is fine silver it can be melted down in the future and made into other things, like poured into moulds (but it will never go back to being clay).
how durable is the ring? would you say it could last? I am thinking of making one, but it would need to last cause it would be..."special"...for a special someone...
Sian says: " When the silver clay has been accurately fired the particles of silver are sintered together so it's solid. To be durable the ring would have to be a minimum width and thickness otherwise it could distort when worn. Additionally any ring regardless of the metal or how it's made should be looked after by the wearer. For example manual jobs, going to the gym, gardening etc are all times rings should be removed and kept safe."
Silver clay is either 999 silver or 925 silver depending on which one you use. Fine silver particles are mixed with an organic binder, when dry the binder is burnt off and the silver particles sinter together. www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/
The fired clay can be filed and polished as you would any other silver. It is important to remember that the internal structure is slightly different than sheet or wire as the silver particles from the silver clay are sintered.
Silver jewellery is often oxidised using liver of sulphur or platinol, this 'tarnishes' the silver a black colour. Where the silver jewellery has detail or recesses the top surface can then be polished to give a contrast.
www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/Metal-Clay-Balm-prcode-700-576&query=balm&channel=uk www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/Natures-Touch-Balm-prcode-700-575A&query=balm&channel=uk You can also use badger balm
What is she using or saying when she applies something with her brush, it's not water, I understand Slip but I don't find anything online (English not my native language) is that a metal clay liquid bonder? Thanks guys :)
I do a bit of silversmithing but never tried precious metal clay. It was interesting to see the process in your video but the ring came out looking as chunky ceramic ring. I still prefer silversmithing, rings from wire or sheet.
You are completely right. Silversmithing does give you the more polished result. Depending on the jewellery makers' preferences and how much time they have to give a piece of jewellery can also impact the final look. For example in this video we didn't polish or file the finished ring which is why it may look chunky. We really appreciate you watching and hope you tune in for more videos.
It is interesting isn't it! I think I struggled with the thought of making a band out of the pmc as I would intuitively use sheet and wire but I loved trying it and I think if you like an organic finish and not want to cast initially it's a great way to experiment
I also did traditional silversmithing alone, for about 7 years or so until I found out about metal clay in 2019. Initially I felt the same way you did; the finished clay-made pieces I was seeing looked…less refined maybe? Not sure of the right word here, and I’m not saying they looked bad or anything, just that my work leans more towards the delicate side and I wasn’t seeing metal clay do that. Until I found out about Cool Tools. Their videos on metal clay changed my view and my work! They have so many examples and tutorials for pieces that are as delicate and detailed as my sheet and wire pieces, some even more so. I bought a little beehive kiln for $200 in 2020 and have been working almost exclusively in silver clay with a side of wire ever since. I haven’t bought any sheet at all in the last 3 years. I can’t even explain how much it has changed my working times, expanded my ideas and range of work, and saved my back and shoulder from not being hunched over sawing all the time lol. After fired you can throw them in the tumbler, burnish, solder, anything you can do to sheet and wire. Except mistakes are MUCH easier to fix when it’s still clay! I know I probably sound like I’m shilling for them, but their videos have really changed the game for me even though I was starting from a skeptical mindset. My claywork pieces now are just as delicate, just as detailed, and just as shiny as my sheetwork was. In many ways better. I’ve done prong and pave set engagement rings, slide-through cloisonné pendants, fine line enamel work, exact replicas using simple silicone molds…and you’d never know I used clay to start. All of that blabbering to say, from one traditional silversmith to another, I think you’ll get a much better idea of what metal clay is capable of and how it doesn’t have to look so ceramic-like by pulling up a few of Cool Tools videos here on RU-vid!
Sian says: "I used baking paper and then you can get teflon sheets with one of silver clay kits Cooksongold sell. Additionally you can cover a surface with a balm" www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/Metal-Clay-Balm-prcode-700-576&query=balm&channel=uk www.cooksongold.com/Precious-Metal-Clay/Natures-Touch-Balm-prcode-700-575A&query=balm&channel=uk
All silver clay has different firing times that you can find on the instructions. This particular ring was made with PMC and that is fired for 3 minutes using a hand blow torch once the binder has been burnt off.
Sian says: "When I make a ring from silver clay I often use a leather mallet to gentle tap the ring on a mandrel to ensure it's round. Things to think about are fine silver clay will be softer than sterling silver clay or sterling silver sheet and wire. The silver clay is made of tiny particles of silver that are sintered together so it has a different structure to sheet and wire therefore I'd be a little more cautious around hammering it with a lot force. Everybody hammers differently too so I would be inclined to do your own experiments."
Sian says: "CZ stones can withstand the heat however there are lots of other natural stones that really don't like any kind of heat. I recently did sandcasting silver with natural sapphires in place and they are a stone that can withstand heat. If you heat Amethyst for example it will change colour and become yellow. If you use any stones with hot metal remember not to quench (put in water) as this will shock the stone and crack it, even CZs. Sometimes even a stone that should be ok with heat can react badly if it has a flaw in it for example."
yeah quite a few but some not. its all about the tmps they can withstand but shifts in temp so suddenly going from hot to cold can make them crack. some also change colour when fired too especially green ones
