PMC Fine Silver Clay Products
PMC fine silver clay is available in 3 versions, each with a different minimum firing temperature. The 3 versions, PMC Standard, PMC+ and PMC3 represent innovations in manufacturing that allowed for lower firing temperatures and shorter firing times. All of the PMC fine silver products are listed below.
The Basic Forms: Lump, Slip & Paper
Lump Form
The basic metal clay material is called "lump" form. It comes in a sealed foil packet and is ready to use. Lump form is used to roll slabs, snakes and to mold or sculpt objects. Lump form can be thinned with water and used as a paste.
Slip (or Paste) Form
Slip, also called Paste form, comes in a jar or loaded in a syringe. The paste form is fairly thin and is used like glue to paste wet or dry PMC objects in place, as a media for slip casting, for painting onto an object for a hollow form, and decoration. The syringe is form is much stiffer. Metal clay syringe is used to extrude wire for decorating, setting stones, filling cracks, etc.
Paper Form
Paper form is a very thin sheet of clay that can be used to make bezels for objects to be set before or after firing, used for ring shanks, and folded like oragami. Shapes can be cut out with punches and applied as decoration. It can also be laminated with water to make it thicker.
PMC FIne Silver Clay Product Line
PMC Standard
This product is 70% fine silver and 30% binder by weight. PMC Standard shrinks about 28% of its original size during sintering. PMC Standard can withstand mild distortion such as dapping. It does not lend itself to bending.
| Uses |
This form is excellent for highlighting details and texture. The shrink factor can be used as a design device to scale down larger forms. This version can be used to craft any type of item, but is not recommended for making rings. This version does not have the strength to hold up to the abuse that rings are subjected to and break easily. I avoid soldering PMC Standard. If you do solder this version, the area to be soldered must be burnished well. Be aware that it requires a huge amount of solder, about 4 times the normal amount, and you need to remove the flame the moment the solder starts to flow, leaving a lump of what I call solder slobber. Consider using a cold connection or embed and re-fire with other forms of PMC to incorporate it into a design. |
| Workability |
PMC Standard stays moist longer than the other formulations, which gives a longer working time, but be sure to keep any unused portions tightly sealed from air because all metal clay (except paper form) dries very quickly when exposed to air. |
Embedded
Objects |
Any object that can withstand the firing temperatures and times of PMC Standard can be embedded and fired in place. Some natural gemstones, lab gems, cubic zirconia and porcelain can be used. |
Firing
Options |
| |
Temperature |
Hold Time |
| Kiln |
1650F |
2 hours |
| Torch |
Not Recommended |
2 hours |
|
PMC+
This product is 85% fine silver and 15% binder by weight. This variety shrinks 12-15% during firing. The metal particles in this version are smaller than those in PMC Standard, which allows higher metal content and therefore less shrinkage. The firing times have been shortened dramatically from 2 hours to a minimum of 10 minutes.
| Uses |
This form sinters more solidly than the original version and results in a stronger final product. This version can be used to craft any type of item, but we caution it's use for rings since it is not as strong as PMC3. It must be burnished well before soldering and uses surprisingly more solder than sterling silver. |
| Workability |
PMC+ dries more quickly than PMC Standard, so care must be taken to quickly remove and save scraps. Unused clay should be kept tightly sealed when not in use. |
Embedded
Objects |
Any object that can withstand the firing temperatures and times of PMC+ can be embedded and fired in place. Some natural gemstones, lab gems and cubic zirconia's can be used, as well as porcelain. |
Firing
Options |
| |
Temperature |
Hold Time |
| Kiln |
1650F
1650F
1560F
1470F |
2 hours (optimum)
10 min
20 min
30 min |
| Torch |
Red Glow |
5 min |
|
PMC 3
This product is 85% fine silver and 15% binder by weight. This variety shrinks 12-15% during firing. The metal particles in this version are smaller than those in PMC Standard and PMC+, which allows higher metal content and therefore less shrinkage. The firing duration can be as little as 2 minutes.
| Uses |
This form sinters more solidly than the original version and results in a stronger final product. This version can be used to craft any type of item, and it is especially recommend for rings. When fired at the highest temperature (1650F), it produces the strongest final product. It must be burnished well before soldering and uses surprisingly more solder than sheet or wire forms of sterling silver. |
| Workability |
PMC3 dries more quickly than PMC Standard, so care must be taken to quickly remove and save scraps. Unused clay should be kept tightly sealed so that no air can contact it. |
Embedded
Objects |
Any object that can withstand the firing temperatures and times of PMC3 can be embedded and fired in place. Some natural gemstones, lab gems and cubic zirconia's can be used, as well as dichroic glass and porcelain. Findings and some types of glass can also be embedded when fired at the lowest temperature. |
Firing
Options |
| |
Temperature |
Hold Time |
| Kiln |
1650F
1650F
1560F
1470F
1290F
1200F
1110F |
2 hours (optimum)
10 min
10 min
10 min
10 min
20 min
45 min |
| Torch |
Red Glow |
2 min |
|
PMC Silver Clay Products
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