PMC Silver Clay
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There are currently 3 versions of PMC brand fine
silver clay, 2 types of
fine silver paste,
2 types of fine silver
syringe, and a fine
silver paper. Each type
of clay and clay
product handles slightly
differently and
has it's own unique working
properties. By
knowing the properties
of each clay product,
we can make smart choices
about what clay
to use for a project and
take advantage of
the unique characteristics
of each material.
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The PMC Forms: Lump, Slip & Paper
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The basic 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 comes
in a jar or loaded
in a syringe. The paste
form 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 used to
extrude wire for decorating,
setting stones, filling
cracks, etc.
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, 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.
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Lump Form - PMC Standard
This product is 70% fine
silver and 30% binder
by weight. PMC Standard
shrinks about 28%
of its original size during
sintering. The
2% difference between how
much silver the
clay contains and how much
it shrinks is
how much airspace is left
throughout a piece
after sintering. Objects
made from this version
are somewhat brittle. PMC
Standard can withstand
mild distortion such as
dapping. It can be
dapped (domed) slightly
before it gives way
to stress and begins to
show cracking. It
does not lend itself to
bending.
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| 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 Original 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 |
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Lump Form - 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 Original, 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 |
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Lump Form - 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 times
can be as little as 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, 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 |
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Syringe Form
PMC+ and PMC3 are both
available in syringe
form. The clay has been
loaded into a special
syringe for extruding.
|
| Uses |
This form is excellent for decorating objects
and setting stones. |
| Workability |
Easy to use syringe, keep capped and in an
airtight container
when not in use. |
| Embedded Objects |
Follow the guidelines for embedded objects
in the PMC+ or PMC3
lump version you
are
using. |
| Firing Options |
Fire at the same temperatures as for the
lump form of the
same PMC version. |
|
Paste Form
PMC+ and PMC3 are both
available in paste
form. Paste comes in a
jar.
|
| Uses |
This form is used to decorate, attach parts
and fill cavities,
and can be painted
onto
objects. |
| Workability |
Paste is thick but is easily applied with
a paint brush or
pallet knife. Keep
tightly
closed when not in
use. |
| Embedded Objects |
Follow the guidelines for embedded objects
in the PMC+ or PMC3
lump version you
are
using. |
| Firing Options |
Fire at the same temperatures as for the
lump form of the
same PMC version. |
|
Paper Form
PMC+ is available in a
thin sheet measuring
either 3x12cm or 6x6cm.
|
| Uses |
This form can be cut with punches or scissors
and applied as decorations
to objects. Use
for making bezels,
folded or draped
forms
and ring shanks. |
| Workability |
PMC+ paper dries very slowly. It's exceptionally
thin and can be laminated
to make thicker
sheets by applying
a mist of water (very
fine!) to the paper
and folding in half
or
placing another sheet
on top. |
| 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 |
Fire at the same temperatures as for PMC+
Lump. |
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