Art Clay Silver

PREPARATION

• SILVER CLAY IS WATER-BASED AND DRIES NATURALLY IN THE AIR

• USE CLAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER OPENING THE ORIGINAL PACKAGE

• ART CLAY SILVER SHRINKS DURING FIRING 10%

WET STAGE

• Cut off us much clay as you need, and put the rest in a ziploc bag, or wrap up in cling film.

• Put the clay you are going to use in some cling film and knead it gently for a few seconds, just to soften it a little before you start working.

• If you are using cutters or rubberstamps, oil them slightly before use to stop them sticking to the clay.

SHAPE CLAYKeep a small pot of water and a brush next to you. If you are using cutters or rubberstamps, oil them slightly before use.

DRY STAGE

• Drying guideline for drying a piece up to 1mm thick, 5g:

hot air dryer: 10 - 15 mins natural air drying method: more than 24hrs• If the piece is larger than this size, drying will

need more time.• The dried clay will become hard like plaster, it is

now ready for the process of drilling, filing and sanding.

DRYING CLAYHeat gun 10-20 minAir dry at least 24 hours

FIRING

• Gas hob firing• Silver clay can be torched fired• Kiln fire at 650°C for 30 minutes.

FIRING ON GAS HOBAfter firing for 5 minutes, turn off the burner and let the piece cool on the net for about 15 minutes.

FINISHING

• The surface of the fired piece will be white. Close the surface of the fired clay (burnish it) to bring out the silver shine.

• Do this with a stainless steel brush . If you want a higher shine, follow up with a metal burnisher.

• Polish with polishing pads or metal polish and a lint free cloth.

FINISHING CLAYPolish with stainless brush, burnisher, polishing pads

ART CLAY RING MAKING

• As Art Clay shrinks when fired, you need to make rings slightly larger than wanted. • Art Clay shrinks by volume - this

means that a thicker and larger piece will shrink more than a small thin piece, as it contains more clay.

Wet clay

• Wrap wooden mandrels with ring-sizing paper, a post-it or Teflon sheet where you’re making the ring, to stop it from sticking. • When the ring starts drying, ease it

up slightly on the mandrel to allow for the slight shrinkage whilst drying.

Dry clay

• When dry, remove the paper from the ring by wrapping it around itself, starting from the inside.• Don’t pull it off the ring as this

can break a delicate ring. If it’s sticky, leave to dry a bit more.