A: PMC is made of particles of precious metal, an organic binder,
and water. The precious metal and the binder stay the same, but it's
possible for the water to evaporate over time, even though the PMC
has never been opened. If, when you open the box, the PMC is stiff
and hard to form, it simply needs more water.
I've successfully re-hydrated PMC that had dried out rock-hard. It's
easy to do: open the box and hold the lump of PMC under running
water for a few seconds so its surface gets totally wet. Rewrap it
in cellophane and set it aside overnight, periodically kneading the
lump through the cellophane. The goal is to get the moisture into
the PMC. This takes time because it is a very dense material. Unwrap
and test the PMC: you should be able to flatten it into a disk
without cracks appearing at the edges. If it's still too stiff, wet
and rewrap it again and let it sit longer. Two treatments are
usually enough, but you may continue until the PMC returns to its
original, soft, workable consistency.
Also you can grind
the clay up in a spice grinder or pepper grinder into a fine powder,
then slowly add water drop by drop allowing time for the moisture to
absorb.
Trish Asked
Can you use both PMC and Art
Clay on the same piece?
Yes you can, just
make sure that you fire to the highest temp required by the type of
clay you are using. So if you use PMC original with Art Clay650 slip
you have to fire to 1650F and hold for two hours.
Pat says.....Subject: Just
starting...just got a programmable kiln Why didn't you
order the kiln from us? was it price? free shipping?
Can Art Clay and PMC be mixed.
Yes always fire to the higher temp required by the clays.
..I understand
the art clay gold sheet is thicker and more easily cut?
Yes it is larger and thicker.
Can all of the forms of Art Clay be fired at
1650? Will they be stronger, as in PMC?
Yes after (or during ) firing art clay and PMC are .999 silver
so they have the same properties.
What do you do if after you have fired
something at 1650 and want to add a stone or a
dichroic cabochon with PMC3.
The PMC3 slip will adhere to fired PMC.
Will it
adhere on its own with slip or do you have to use something
else.
Art Clay Oil Paste will work even better, or you could paint Art
Clay's overlay paste on the cab and then slip that to an
existing piece. The overlay paste will adhere to glass.
Do you add
this right after the firing or do you polish it first and
then add the cabochon?
I would not polish as it will make the silver less likely to
adhere.Firing
Lynne asks
Please let me know whether the
Art Clay or
PMC Starter Kits
Include the torch. It
doesn’t mention it, however does state
Everything you need to get started making, firing .....
No to the torch, you can use a
gas stove or a BBQ with a side burner. We cannot ship torch fuel
through UPS so you would have to go buy it anyway. You can go to
home depot and get an inexpensive propane torch for plumbing
$14.00 including fuel. I think this is the easiest way. Of
course you can get smaller butane torches for cooking creme
brûlée but they tend to cost more. Firing is not difficult.
Rubina asks .....Can PMC
original be fired with a torch instead of a kiln?
>Maybe you could but you would have to do it for two hours!
Q. How do you
fire Art Clay Silver in a cone sitter kiln?
Low fire clay fires to 1200 F which
corresponds to cone 019-020, the highest recommended firing
temperature of all silver is 1650F or cone 010-011. Ceramic
kilns fire much slower than jewelry kilns so the actual hold
time is not too important.
For PMC3 or ArtClay 650 fast fire
to cone 017 no hold time needed. (Fire on High until the
cone turns off). let cool as long as you can wait.
For regular art clay or PMC+ use
cone 014. 011 is the hottest possible cone for the most
durable item. (Actually if your rate is 585F in the last 200
degrees then cone 020 works out to 1201F if you want to get
technical) but we need a no hold time temp to fire to. Don’t
try to fire PMC original if you have no way to hold for 2
hours.
Place the silver-clay on a kiln
washed shelf right under the cone setter. That way the
cone is measuring the temp right at the silver-clay. All of
these suggestions relate to computerized kilns too if you
cant figure out the ramp and hold programming. Don’t worry
about the cost of firing a large kiln it is about $1.00 per
hour.
Place the Silver-Clay near the
cone sitter or thermocouple, on a shelf, use Alumina Hydrate
to support the piece if it seems like it needs it.
I just read
one of your answers to a kiln firing question and I just need to
make sure that I have it correct. If I'm firing PMC Original at
cone 014 (I have an automatic kiln) do I need to enter a hold
time for that or just keep it at zero?
Thanks!!
Kristie
PMC Original needs to be
fired to 1650F and held for two hours. If you have a digital
kiln you don’t use the cone fire mode. Program your kiln to
ramp up at 1000 F per hour to 1650 and hold for 2.00 hours.
Deborah H
asks Can PMC/Art Clay be
applied and formed over a lead weight- or other less precious
heavy metal, and then fired?
The only one i have heard of is using fine silver as a backing,
most other metals tarnish in the kiln. The other problem is that
dissimilar metals don't like to be bonded and are likely to
corrode. Stainless steel may work, you try it and let me know.
Of course the lead or tin would melt before the silver was
fired.
Can other metal components be
incorporated into designs using the silver clay as a plate?
Fine silver and 24 K gold will
work for sure, sterling sort of works, I bet stainless will
work, you cant fire anything with copper in it.
Sandy
Asks... I want to work with the metal clays to go around my
fusion glass
pieces and..
My question is will glass melt into the metal?
It will if you fire over the sagging temp of the glass.
& do I make the metal piece 1st and then
glue on the glass, or the other way around?
You could but we don't like glue, better to make a mechanical
connection.
( Can the glass be finished (fused) and
then go back in the kiln with the metal? )
That is the most common way. fuse the glass at 1425F and then
fire the PMC3 to 1200F and the glass will not be effected.
Ivanna asks
I would like to know if I can
embed the Sacagawea coin's in PMC gold or silver ???
No, only real
precious metals can be fired, the dollar is not made of anything
valuable. Make a bezel 10% larger and then mount the coin after
firing and polishing.
We keep getting bubbles in our piece when we
torch fire the piece - what are we doing wrong or how can we avoid
this effect? Help! Thanks. C
Y
our
clay is not dry. Try these recommendations.
|
Drying Time |
Hair dryer (1200w) |
At least 10-15 minute 10cm/4 inches from the piece. |
|
Cooking plate |
At least 7-10 minutes at 150~180/300-330o F |
|
Electric kiln |
At least 7-10 minutes at 150/300o F |
|
Natural dry |
At least 24 hours at room temperature. |
Little Ceramic
hot pot
Hi! Thank you for
providing a forum for questions! I am having an issue with some
of the pieces I make, I am hoping you can help me. I fire my
pieces in the Little Ceramic hot pot that uses gel fuel. I can
fire 2 pieces at once and 1 piece will be perfect, the second
will have areas on the back that remain a powder.
I thought that maybe I
had too many pieces in the pot , so I have tried firing one at a
time. I still get these weird areas where the PMC3 has not
become solid metal. I use a wire brush and brush like crazy and
eventually get to metal. The back of the piece ends up with dips
and gauges. What am I doing wrong? I hope you can help! Thanks,
Marilyn.
The manufacturer says to
1. Only fire one piece centered on the grate
2. Fill the pot almost to the top with the napalm
3. Make sure the hot pot is not in a windy or breezy place.
Perhaps in a large box, outside or maybe on your kitchen stove
with the exhaust fan on full blast, with a window cracked open.
Lisa ...
