Metal clay

Metal clay is a clay-like medium used to make jewelry, beads and small sculpture. It consists of very small particles of precious metals (such as silver, gold or platinum) mixed with an organic binder and water. Metalclay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using moulds. After drying, it is fired in a kiln, with a handheld gas torch, or on a gas stove. The binder burns away, leaving the pure, sintered metal. Shrinkage of between 8% and 30% occurs (depending on the product used), but this is exploited by artisans to produce very fine detail.

Silver precious metal clay results in objects containing .999 pure silver which is ideal for enamelling. Gold clay is much more expensive to use by itself, but can be used to make beautiful accents on silver objects.

Metal clay is sold in sealed packets to keep it moist and workable. It is also sold as a softer paste in a pre-filled syringe which can be used to produce extrude forms and as paper-like sheets, from which most of the moisture has been removed. Silver metal clay is also available in a dry powder form to which the user adds water to obtain any desired consistency.

There are two popular brands of this material, Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and Art Clay Silver (ACS). Precious Metal Clay or PMC was developed in the early 1990s in Japan by metallurgist Dr. A. Morikawa. The material consists of extremely fine precious metal powder and a water-soluble organic binder which burns off during firing. Success was first achieved with gold, and later duplicated with silver, PMC Original which had to be fired in a kiln and had a very high shrinkage rate. Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, later developed two additional versions of silver called PMC+, which displays less shrinkage, and PMC3, which fires at lower temperatures in a kiln or by using a torch. A 22k gold coating material (Aura 22), and a 22k yellow gold alloy are also manufactured. PMC also manufacures an 18k gold clay and a platinum clay, but these latter two are only marketed in Japan.

Art Clay or ACS was developed by AIDA Chemical Industries. Art Clay followed PMC Original with their Art Clay Original clay, which allowed the user to use a handheld torch or gas hob for firing. The clay also shrank less, only 8-10%.

Further developments introduced the Art Clay Slow Dry, a clay with a longer working time. Art Clay 650 and Art Clay 650 Slow Dry soon followed - both clays that can be fired as low as 650C, allowing the user to combine the clay with glass and sterling silver which had previously been affected by the higher temperature needed to fire the previous clays. AIDA also manufacturers Oil Paste, a product only used on fired metal clay, and Overlay Paste, which is designed for drawing designs on glass and porcelain.

In 2006 AIDA also introduced the Art Clay Gold Paste, a more economical way to work with gold. The paste is painted onto the fired silver clay, then refired in a kiln, or with a torch or gas stove. When fired it bonds with the silver, giving a 22ct gold accent. The same year also saw Art Clay Slow Tarnish introduced, a clay which tarnishes less rapidly than the other metal clays.

Metal Clay Training
There are many training providers throughout the world, many of which have not had any formal training to train others. This doesn’t mean they’re bad teachers though. There are lots of very good teachers who have been working with metal clay for many years and have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to students. The best place to start if you’re looking for a teacher is to think about what you want to do with metal clay. Consider the following questions…

Do you want to dip your toe in the water and see if you like working with metal clay? If so look for a teacher who offers taster sessions of maybe a few hours or half a day. By choosing a short taster you can find out if you like working with metal clay and also find out if you like the teachers training style.

Do you want to jump right in and learn as much as possible in a weekend? There are lots of teachers offering weekend beginners courses.

Do you want to do a recognised certification or diploma training course? There are several ways of doing this; Art Clay Certification, PMC Certification or the Diploma in PMC Proficiency. Each of these courses have specific merits so read on to find out the one that’s right for you.

Art Clay Certification

Art Clay Certification has two levels. Level 1 Certification requires you to have some basic experience with metal clay, they don’t take complete beginners. It’s an intense course normally run over three days. You have to complete a number of projects exactly as they are specified in the Art Clay Beginners Book. The focus is on technique, precision and finishing your pieces to a consistently high standard. You have a tick sheet of all the skills and competencies the instructor is looking for and this has to be completed successfully for you to gain the certification. On this course you have no design freedom in the articles you make. One major advantage is that the course includes a very comprehensive toolkit and all the materials needed including silver findings.

Once you have the level 1 Certification you can teach beginners Art Clay classes and you normally get a small discount on buying Art Clay from the official distributors of Art Clay. You can call yourself an Art Clay Level 1 Instructor.

Level 2 Certification covers more advanced techniques and runs over four days. You have to complete a number of pieces during the course. Like the Level 1 Certification, the Level 2 projects have to be completed exactly as they are specified in the Art Clay Advanced Book. You have no design freedom on the pieces you make. You have a tick sheet of all the skills and competencies the instructor is looking for and this has to be completed successfully for you to gain the certification together with three pieces you’ve made after the course which are submitted and evaluated by a panel of experts. Once you pass these steps you are qualified to teach beginners, Level 1 and Level 2 Certification classes. You also get a bigger discount on buying Art Clay from the official distributors of Art Clay. You can call yourself a Senior Art Clay Instructor. Like the Level 1 Certification, the course includes more items to add to your toolkit and all the materials needed including silver findings.

PMC Certification

PMC Certification is primarily trained by authorised instructors. The Level 1 Certification is a three day intensive course covering gem setting, integral bails, syringe filigree, domed pieces, hollow forms using wood clay, painting paste on leaves or paper, using sheet clay, setting dichroic glass and flat band rings. This course includes materials, the certificate and a book. They don’t take beginners on this course; you must have some experience of using metal clay. When you’ve successfully completed the course you get a small discount on PMC purchased from official PMC suppliers.

The Level 2 Certification is a three day intensive course covering enamelling, adding ceramic or porcelain to your work, natural stone setting using bezel wire, using 22K gold in paste form, decorative clasp making and finishing techniques to achieve matt and high shine finishes. You have to have the Level 1 Certification to do this course. When you’ve successfully completed the course you get a bigger discount on PMC purchased from official suppliers.

Diploma in PMC Proficiency

This independent qualification is run exclusively by the Mid Cornwall School of Jewellery in the UK. It has no association with any supplier of PMC and also includes an element of silverwork, allowing students to make their own silver findings.

For those who want to teach classes or work seriously with metal clay, this is currently the most thorough training available anywhere in the world.

Because the Diploma in PMC Proficiency is free from any association with marketing, discounts or any particular supplier it is the first truly independent qualification and sets the new standard for excellence within the PMC world.

The course is recognised by the and in fact the grades of competency actually exceed the minimum requirements suggested by the.

Gaining this Diploma shows a high level of commitment by students. The Competency Certificates gained at each grade act as a record of achievement. The names of Diploma graduates are registered and displayed on the Diploma Graduates page of the website.

There are four grades which have to be completed to gain the full qualification. Grade 1 is for complete beginners and is a two day course. Basic techniques are covered and confidence is built. Grade 2 is for intermediate level students and is three days. This covers more complex projects like ring making and stone setting. The Grade 3 class is two days and covers very advanced projects including box making and adding gold to the silver metal clay. There is complete design freedom throughout the grades and students are free to express their own ideas within the context of the competencies they need to demonstrate at every level. Grade 4 is the teaching module. This two day class covers lesson planning, learning theory and training business topics like insurance and health and safety. Students also have to prepare and deliver a short training session which assesses their training skills.

Upon completion of all four grades, artists are entitled to use the registered letters after their names. For example, Mary Maker, MCSJ Dip. PMC.