Art clay silver is one of the most popular types of silver clay used in amateur jewellery making today. It is modeling clay that contains tiny particles of real silver. These pieces of silver are fused together with a firing torch. Art clay silver is widely used in the production of a variety of pendants, earrings, rings and other pieces of handmade jewellery.
Over the past couple of years, art clay silver has firmly established itself as a favourite amongst both professional and novice jewellery designers. However, it can often become dried out. This is because it is essentially molding clay and if left out in the open for a long period of time it will start to become very dry - as any type of clay would. You may at first think that it would be best to just chuck away art clay silver that has dried out over time. But this is a waste of a good material. Do you really want to lose or waste any amount of this fine material? Probably not. Therefore you'll need to find out how to return your clay to its original, pre-dried state.
There are a few basic tools that you will need in order to use your dried out art clay silver after it has become dried out. Don't worry though you'll still be able to use it - without wasting any.
First of all you'll need to grab a mortar and pestle, an eye dropper and a toothpick. Once you have these tools, take the dried out art silver clay and leave it dry out completely; if you do this you'll find that it'll be much easier for you to work with. Sometimes you may need to let the clay sit around for several days before you start the recovery process.
Allowing the art clay silver to dry out will make it easier for you to convert it into a dry powder. Once it has completely dried out, grind the art clay silver into a powder by using the mortar and pestle. You can break down larger pieces to make the grinding process easier. Place the powder into a bowl and grind it down until it becomes a fine dust. If there are any pieces that will not grind down because they are too hard. After several attempts just remove them from the solution.
After you've done this you should add some water to the art clay silver to create a paste-like solution. You can use the eye dropper to add a few small drops of water; gradually stir the mixture with a toothpick. Continue on with this process until the mixture develops a doughy consistency - which will enable you to use it again. Any lumps or dried out art clay silver flakes that have been left over will need to be fired. You do this by placing these materials on your brick and fire them using a butane torch. These small pieces will then fuse together to create a combined lump of silver which you will be able to use in your jewellery making projects.
Art clay silver is a material used by many amateur jewellery makers. This article documents the processing of returning dried-out art clay silver to its original state.
Art clay silver is a material used by many amateur jewellery makers. This article documents the processing of returning dried-out art clay silver to its original state.