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What is metal clay, precious metal clay, art metal clay, art clay silver, silver clay,
gold clay, bronze clay, copper clay, etc.....?
Metal clay is very new, only just over a decade old, with BronzClay being the latest addition, and with Copper Clay ready to be released in the Spring of 2009, so if this is the first time you've heard of it, don't worry, it won't be your last. Metal clay is almost what the name says. It is "clay", that when fired becomes metal. That is, it is very finely sized (microns) particles of a precious metal (platinum, gold, silver, bronze, or copper), added to an organic binder (very secret substance that can best be thought of as pulverized cellulose or corn starch), and water. This combination is highly malleable and feels and works like clay. So you shape it, then dry it, then fire it, just like you would with sculpting clay. Once fired, the organic binder is gone (burned away) and you have a piece of solid*, pure metal** in your hands. When it is fired, not only does the organic stuff burn away, but the metal particles get closer together and fuse in a process called sintering.
*Though solid, it is not as dense as melted or cast metal because of all of those microscopic spaces
that are left behind from the organic binder. Even once the metal particles have sintered, there are spaces. These spaces
are called porosity. The advantage to this is that the pieces will be lighter than a piece of equal size made in sterling
silver (which is ~7.5% copper), so your earrings won't stretch your ears so much.
**Well, actually, the platinum (not available in North America), gold, silver, and copper clays are pure metals, bronze clay is an alloy of 89% copper and 11% tin, and sterling silver (an alloy of silver and copper, is not available in North America) so they are not ALL pure metal, strictly speaking. But the bronze clay is a true bronze, the same combination of metals used by our ancient ancestors. How much more can I tell you about it? You are welcome to peruse my gallery for images of pieces made from these metal clays, and, of course, you are welcome to contact me for more information and instruction. Want even more? Check out the websites below where there is a wealth of information about the types and products available.
PMC Connection - www.pmcconnection.com PMC Guild - www.pmcguild.com Art Clay Canada - www.artclaycanada.com Art Clay World - USA - www.artclayworld.comIntroducing Bronze Metal Clay - www.bronzclay.com Metal Clay Academy - www.metalclayacademy.com
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