Art Clay Silver

By Maggie Bergman

A kind thank you to Silverlab for the use of some of their images and for assisting with this article.

What is Art Clay Silver?

Art Clay Silver is made of miniscule sized particles of pure silver. The silver is mixed with water and a non-toxic organic binder, which then allows it to be rolled, sculptured, stamped, sanded, filed, engraved, drilled and polished. Once fired, the binders are burnt away and the result is a self designed 99.9% pure silver piece of art.

There are two categories of Art Clay Silver, original and low-fire. They handle much the same and both shrink approximately 10% in the firing process. The low-fire clay, known as 650/1200, can be fired in a kiln at 650°C for 30 minutes, or at 800°C for 5 minutes.

Art Clay Silver can also be fired for about 5 minutes with a butane torch, or even on the gas ring of the stove! You can tell by the cherry red colour of the metal, that you're at the right temperature and you can also check the size. Measure it before firing and you should be 10% smaller after the firing. If your uncertain, you can always play it safe and fire a bit longer. When choosing an alternative firing method to the temperature-controlled kiln, the main thing to watch is over-firing, if you see glistening on the surface, then STOP. That's the metal melting!

I'm constantly amazed at how nice the piece looks once it has been fired and finished, so much better than when it was in clay form, it's Alchemy!

Art Clay Silver Products

There are different types of clay available in both original and low-fire categories.

Clay: You can roll and shape it like clay and it can capture impressions with all sorts of texturing tools such as stamps.
Paste: It acts as a glue to join pieces of unfired clay together. It can also be used to paint onto any organic material, such as leaves, twigs etc. that will burn away in the kiln, leaving a pure silver replica.
Syringe: The clay is packed in a syringe, which can be fitted with very fine nozzles, to make wire-like extrusions. The nozzles come in three sizes.
Paper: It comes in a very thin sheet that doesn’t have to be dried before firing. Just form it and fire!
Oil Paste: This is used to join fired pieces of Art Clay Silver together, or to repair cracks that might have occurred in the firing. You can also join fine silver wire or sheet to the Art Clay Silver with Oil Paste.
Overlay Paste: This material has been specially developed, to be used with glass or porcelain. It can be painted on directly in a design, or you can paint it on thinly and scratch though it, allowing the glass to shine through. It can also be used as an alternative to Oil Paste, to fill cracks and to fire metal to metal.

About the Author

Maggie Bergman is an Art Clay certified instructor and teaches classes for all levels of student in her Tamborine Mountain Studio. For details on courses, products or more information check out www.SilverclayArt.com.

August 2004

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