English firing schedules of 950 Silver clay from Art Clay Silver ACS950_firing_schedules.pdf
The sterling silver clay of Art Clay Silver is made with 90% pure silver and 10% copper, binder and water. After baking there is a purity of 95.0% silver and can be checked as 925.This new variant is 60% stronger than the regular silverclay of fine silver* and will damage less quickly when wearing.
Note: The baked pieces break easily if you bend by hand, use a hammer and a metal mandrel to bend to a ring. For maximum strength, you can better scale for 4 hours at 870 ° C.
The clay dries in the air, which should be taken into account when working. Make sure your remains do not dry out while working with the clay.
Form phase
The clay can be perfectly treated with the moulding tools and materials you use for the regular clay. If the clay is a little more sticky than the regular 650 series silverclay. Apply your method to this, use some olive oil or silicone spray on your hands and tools. Does the clay feel drier than ad a drop of distilled water and knead it in some cling foil.
Drying phase
The clay differs slightly after drying with the traditional silverclay. The drying time is also slightly longer than the regular version, dry the clay long enough or use a mirror to control the clay. (Put your warm work piece on a mirror, when its damping down onto the mirror then it's not dry)
The clay feels slightly leathery after drying, you can repair or stick the clay together by making a paste of a silver clay residue. You can engrave and edit the dry clay with a sharp object. The shrinkage is about 11-13%. Especially with rings should be taken into account, a ring will shrink about 7 to 8 Japanese sizes. Sanding and firing is easier in the dry phase because the clay is clearly harder after firing.
Firing phase
The Silverclay 950 is open baked in the oven (in two phases), no active carbon is required. For support, fiber cloth or fiber paper can be used. The granulate can also be used to support vulnerable jewelery.
Place your work piece in a cold kiln and heat up to 500 ° C - hold 30 minutes for burning the binder, then you can immediately pass through to 850 ° C. - Hold for another 60 minutes and then turn the kiln off and allow it to cool to room temperature. This cooling is important for the curing process of the silver. Maximum strength is achieved by baking the jewelery for 4 hours at 870 ° C.
Finishing phase
The color after baking is light metal gray. Use a polish brush to remove this layer. Polishing costs a little more effort compared to the regular clay. Use the polishing sponges for further finishing. Or for more convenience, the use of the habras abrasive disks are no unnecessary luxury. With polishing paste you can finish the silver slate to high gloss. The Art Clay Silver 950 Professional has a beautiful deep silver color compared to the bright silverclay regular 650.
The Art Clay Silver 950 Professional is available in 25 and 50gram packs.
Fired Art Clay Silver 950 has a higher surface and bending strength compared to the regular Art Clay Silver clay, which is about 60% stronger *.
Due to the hardness it is suitable for more design possibilities and durability makes it particularly suitable for works that are thinner, narrower or open (like a ring or cufflink). Because the silver is more resistant to scratches, it is a suitable product for professional artists who give or sell their work. By hammering the silver, the silver becomes even harder and it is certainly also suitable for opening open rings.
For an open ring, use a minimum thickness of 3mm and use a rubber hammer and a metal mandrel to form the ring in the right size.
* Results may vary depending on demarcation and measurement conditions.
Read our Silverclay handbook for an explanation of silver clay.