Metal clay

Metal clay is a crafting medium consisting of very small particles of metal such as silver, gold, bronze, or copper mixed with an organic binder and water for use in making jewelry, beads and small sculptures.

The silver versions are also available as a softer paste in a pre-filled syringe which can be used to produce extruded forms, in small jars of slip and as paper-like sheets, from which most of the moisture has been removed.

[3] As a solid-phase sintered product of a precious metal powder used to form a precious metal article,[1] the material consists of microscopic particles of pure silver or fine gold and a water-soluble, non-toxic, organic binder that burns off during firing.

Owing to subtle differences in the binder and suggested firing times, this clay shrinks less than the PMC versions, approximately 8–10%.

The paste is painted onto the fired silver clay, then refired in a kiln, or with a torch or gas stove.

The actual creation time of a bronze or copper piece is also far greater than that of its silver counterpart.

A means to accomplish this –- to place the pieces in activated carbon inside a container – was discovered and developed by Bill Struve.

[6] RioGrande.com owns the rights to BRONZclay (Original and FastFire), COPPRclay and any other (MA) base metal clays.

[7] In the following years base metal clays by Hadar Jacobson and Goldie World released several variation containing copper, brass, and even steel.