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Which metal clay is the best for me?

Posted on: 06/16/2021
By René

Metal clay has picked your interest and you like to get started? But what kind of clay is best for you? This article will help you find the right clay to realize your ideas.

What is metal clay?

Metal clay is a clay like material with metal particles, an organic binder and water. You can work with it in the "wet stage" just like with polymer clay: you can form it, mould it, roll it, etc. When it has dried you can drill, file and sand it. You can even construct complicated pieces with it.

During firing, the binder burns away and the metal particles sinter together leaving you with a solid metal piece

Art Clay Silver 10 g.

What kind of clays are there?

There are quite a lot of metals that are available in form of metal clays: gold, silver, copper, bronze, brass, iron and steel. The clays difer in terms of preparation, consistency and firing method.

The right clay for beginners

If you don't have any experience with metal clay we recommend starting with precious metals, i.e. gold or silver. Of course gold is really expensive but silver [↪] is a good choice. It's by far the easiest clay to work with. You can make beautiful jewellery with silver clay. The greatest advantage of silver clay: it's easy to fire. You only have to make sure that your piece is completely dry before you fire it.

But what is the difference between FYI 999 Silver Clay [↪], Art Clay Silver 999 [↪]. Prometheus Silver 999 [↪] and FYI 960 Silver Clay [↪], Art Clay Silver 950 [↪]. Prometheus Silver 950 [↪]? 999 is the purest form of silver you can get, because it's 99,9% silver.

950 consists of 95,0% of silver and 5% copper. 999 is the easiest clay to fire, you can even fire it with a handheld torch.

Firing the clay with a handheld torch

Our advise for beginners: start with Art Clay Silver 999 or Prometheus Silver 999. When you buy our exclusive Metal Clay Starterkit [↪] you get the instructions, all the tools and even 10 g of 999 silver clay included.

Rolling out the clay

Looking for cheaper alternatives?

When you’re looking for cheaper alternatives to silver clay, you have to know that most base metal clays (bronze [↪], copper [↪], brass [↪], steel [↪], iron [↪]) need to be fired in an electric kiln in two steps with activated coconut carbon. There are a few exceptions: Art Clay Copper [↪], Prometheus Copper [↪], Prometheus Bronze [↪] and Prometheus Sunny Bronze [↪]. can also be fired with a handheld torch. But firing is more difficult and you need to respect some limits.

The right clay for larger pieces

If you’re planning to make bigger jewellery or larger pieces, the cheapiest way is working with base metal clays. There are several types of metals: copper, bronze, brass, steel and even iron. Bronze clays [↪] are even available in different colours: maybe you prefer more red shining pieces (Météor Bronze rose [↪]) or more light grey (Météor Bronze clair [↪]) or more antique looking pieces (Goldie Roman bronze [↪]) … 

Most base metal clays require a kiln fo fire. Firing must be done in two steps with activated coconut carbon because you need an oxygen free environment. 



Mix the powder with some drops of water

Powder or ready-to-use clay?

Art Clay and Prometheus Clay come as ready-to-use clays. You just have to open the packaging and start with your work. Goldie Clay [↪] and Météor Clay [↪] come in powder form. You have to add some drops of water, mix it and a few minutes later you can start with your project. The advantage of powder: it doesn’t dry out, you can keep it for years! Just prepare the quantity you need for your project.

Posted in: Clays

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