Precious Metal Clay

Precious Metal Clay (also known as PMC) is exciting clay like medium you can use to make jewellery, beads and small sculptures. It consists of very small particles of fine silver or gold metals mixed with an organic binder and water. Metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using moulds. After drying, it can be fired in a variety of ways including in a kiln, with a handheld gas torch, or using a Hot Pot®. The binder burns away, leaving the pure, sintered metal.

With Silver metal clay you can create objects containing .999 pure silver - FINE SILVER. Gold metal clay is also available and the colour and richness is phenomenal. It can be used to make stunning solid gold objects or used sparingly to make beautiful accents on silver pieces.

Lump metal clay is sold in sealed packets to keep it moist and workable. 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.

Precious Metal Clay or PMC was developed in the early 1990s in Japan. The material consists of microscopic particles of pure silver or fine gold powder and a water-soluble, non-toxic, organic binder which burns off during firing. The original formula of PMC, now called "Standard", must be fired in a kiln at 900 °C for 2 hours and has a shrinkage rate of 30%. Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, later developed two additional versions of silver called PMC+ which can be fired as low as 810 °C for 30 minutes, and PMC3 which can be fired as low as 600 °C for 45 minutes. Both PMC+ and PMC3 have a shrinkage rate of 12-15% and may also be fired with a handheld torch for 4-7 minutes. A 22k gold gilding material - Aura 22, and lump 22k yellow gold clay (an alloy of fine silver and gold) are also available.

"Getting Started with PMC" is a free eight-page booklet that you can download and print out for yourself. It will give all the information you need get started, including forming, firing, and basic finishing techniques.

EDUCATION

Introductory and One day seminars:

These are designed by the PMC Instructor to introduce customers to PMC and give them a basic understanding of the products and their uses.

Certification Level I
This two day class systematically takes the student from simple to more complex projects. The goal of the class is to make the student comfortable with Precious Metal Clay techniques for making, firing and finishing, using 5 different projects. The techniques are very specific but the students are allowed room for personal creativity in their designs. This understanding of PMC will offer a solid base for the student to begin to use PMC more extensively for their own use. We encourage students who successfully complete the course to share their new found knowledge through running their own Introductory Workshops.

Certification Level II
This workshop is open to those who have completed the Level I Certification.

Certification Level II program is a second two day class that follows on from the Level I Certification and teaches advanced techniques using the 3 types of PMC3 (clay type, paste, syringe and sheet). The class systematically takes the student from the projects of Level I to even more complex projects. 4 different projects are completed during this course and these advanced techniques will offer the students an expanded knowledge base to pass onto their students.

Certification Level III
The Level 3 Certification is an advanced two day class. It presents advanced techniques using the 3 types of PMC3 (clay type, paste and syringe). The workshop is open to those who have completed Level 2 Certification. The class takes the student beyond the projects of Levels 1 and 2 to even more complex projects.

The goal of the class is to make the student comfortable with advanced silver clay techniques for making, firing and finishing, using just 2 projects. As with the prior classes, the techniques are very specific but the students are encouraged to explore personal creativity in their designs. This more advanced understanding of PMC will offer an expanded base for the student to use PMC more extensively. We encourage students who successfully complete the course to teach general PMC classes, demonstrate and share this new experience.

PMC Certified Teacher:
To be eligible for the title of Certified Teacher the artist needs to have successfully completed Certification I, II and III then be able show that they can and are successfully teaching PMC in a class situation.