









|
What is
Precious Metal Clay ( PMC )? PMC
is a revolutionary material - its is a mixture
of pure Silver ( or Gold ) in its finest powder
form, H2O and a non-toxic binder that has a clay,
putty-like consistency.
When fired to the right
temperature, the H2O and binder singe and
burn-off as the metal fuses together. Leaving
your creation in 99.9% pure silver or gold
with the original shape, textures and details
intact (slight shrinkage will occur). Until
now the art and timely process of metal
casting can entirely be skipped. You can
create pure silver or gold jewelry without
the limitations of traditional silver and
gold jewelry making. This process from
soft clay to hard metal is so magical that
it is called Silver Alchemy.
The Creative
Process - PMC can be:
- Carved, pinched,
cut, twisted and rolled by hand.
- Carved and engraved
with a wide range of tools.
- Extruded through
syringes, pasta machines and bakers tubes.
- Used in rubber moulds.
- Formed around a
core of paper-mâché, styrofoam
or wax to create hollow shapes.
- Imprinted with Leaves,
bark, shell, carvings and other materials.
- Decorated with glass
or enamels.
- Combined with other
materials including temperature-tolerant
stones, ceramic beads and shards, silver
and gold findings. Silver and Gold PMC
can be combined with stunning effect.
- Re-fired several
times to repair surfaces and joints or
to add new pieces and materials.
- Polished, tumbles,
oxidized, enamelled, plated, etc.
- And many new techniques
and methods yet to be discovered
The Product - Silver
PMC comes in 3 Versions:
- PMC
Regular
Easy to use, enables fine detail to be added as it shrinks by 25-30%
after firing. Available in a lump form.
- PMC+
This is the most commonly used PMC. It has a minimal shrinkage of 10%
when fired. Available in either a lump form, syringe, paste or paper.
- PMC 3
The lower temperature level needed to fire PMC3 makes it ideal for
stone setting and for use with more traditional metals. You can fire
it with stones that can withstand the lower heat level that Standard
and PMC+ cannot be fired in. Available in a lump form, syringe /
paste or paper.
And Gold PMC comes
in 1 Version:
- Gold
PMC is available in 24k and
can be used on its own or in conjunction
with the silver PMC to form an 18k
gold or used to gold plate the silver.
The Firing Process
- To turn the PMC into pure silver
or gold, the binder and water must be
singed away entirely. This is done either
by placing the PMC into a kiln, with
temperatures ranging from 800 - 10000c.
Or depending on the type of PMC, some
may simply be fired using a Butane gas
torch.
Once it is in
it's solid metal state, the silver can
be hallmarked as .999. and the gold
as 18 or 24k
Finishing
PMC - After PMC is fired and silver
has fused together, the end product
looks white and chalky. This item needs
to be finished. Usually you start by
brushing the item with a fine wire
brush and then with a finer brush cloth
or paper. You can add darkened details
by using liver of sulfur on the item
which will add a black color to the
details, cracks and crevaces.
|