Art Clay, sometimes called silver clay, gold clay, metal clay, or precious-metal clay, is made by Aida Chemical Industries in Japan: it's a composite clay-like material, made of fine silver or gold powder and a harmless organic binder.

As it's fired, in a kiln, on a kitchen gas hob, on a camping gaz ring, or with a butane torch, the binder vapourises and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid 999 silver or 22 carat gold: real metal, not something that just looks like metal. During firing, small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour are released: so it's safe to use at home.

The firing temperature and time are important: metal clay has to sinter, not melt. There's a difference between sintering and melting. During sintering, metal powders bond to produce solid metal, but don't melt. During melting, metals become liquid and lose their original shape.

Art Clay is available as 650 silver clay, original silver, slow dry, slow tarnish, paste, oil paste, overlay paste, syringe clay, paper clay, gold clay, gold paste, gold foil, and cork clay.

Art Clay water-based silver and gold clays look and feel like dull grey and dull yellow plasticene or polymer clay, and can be shaped easily using familiar modelling tools and similar techniques. The silver clay comes in regular, slow-dry, and slow-tarnish: the gold in regular.

The slow dry silver clay stays malleable for about four times longer than the regular clay: so it's ideal for beginners, or anyone making thin, delicate, or intricate shapes.

The slow tarnish silver clay is slower to tarnish. However, remember that all silver, not just Art Clay silver, tarnishes due to environmental oxidants and pollutants.

Silver clay, after firing, is solid silver, which can be hallmarked as pure 999 silver. Gold clay, after firing, is a solid gold and silver alloy, which can be hallmarked as 22 carat gold: 91.7% gold and 8.3% silver.

Silver clay can be combined with a wide range of materials, before firing: beads, copper, dichroic glass, pearls, porcelain, polymer clay, semiprecious gems, and fine silver findings.
Its easy-to-use flexibility makes it a versatile material, ideal for home hobbies, jewellery making, craft businesses, glass studios, ceramic cafes, metalsmiths, modelmakers, and potteries.

Generally, there are just three easy steps needed to successfully make unique necklaces, bracelets, charms, keepsakes, earrings, rings, brooches, anklets, ornaments, and seasonal decorations.

Whilst shaping the clay, you can press or cut patterns into the surface, trim parts away, or add more using the clay, paste, syringe, and paper types. And it can be combined with silver findings and materials such as copper, beads, dichroic glass, pearls, semiprecious gems, porcelain, and polymer clay.

When the shape is more or less as you want it to be, it's ready to be dried. You can use a kiln, your kitchen oven, a hairdrier, or a central heating radiator.

After drying, it looks and feels like plaster, so it's still easy to reshape, file, and drill, or add a pattern or texture. You can even add more clay, drying it again before firing.

It's very important to refine the shape as carefully as you can at this stage, before firing, whilst it's still easy to work with and you can make changes or corrections.

When you've refined the shape, and it's completely dry, it's ready to be fired. You can use a kiln, your kitchen gas hob, a camping gaz ring, or a butane torch.

As it's fired, the organic binder vapourises and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid 999 silver or 22 carat gold. During firing, small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour are released: so it's safe to use at home.
There's an important difference between sintering and fusing. During sintering, metal powders bond to produce solid metal, but don't melt. During fusing, metals melt and lose their shape.

After firing, it's metal. So you can drill it, file it, polish it, burnish it, tumble it, hammer it, tarnish it, and solder it. Or it can be re-worked, added to, textured, or polished.

Art Clay UK is an information resource, not a shop. To buy Art Clay, transfer to Kitiki, using the Kitiki link above the menu bar. Alternatively, visit the Cherry Heaven Shop in Corfe Castle village.

Cherry Heaven, through The Kitiki Studio, is a UK distributor for Art Clay, made by Aida Chemical Industries in Japan, and Paragon Kilns, made by Paragon Industries in the US.

The Kitiki Studio is an Art Clay UK distributor, an on-line shop, and a learning centre with two Aida-certified teachers. It provides the full Art Clay range: 650 silver clay, original silver, slow dry, slow tarnish, paste, oil paste, overlay paste, syringe clay, paper clay, gold clay, gold paste, gold foil, and cork clay.

The Kitiki Studio on-line shop includes electric kilns, kiln shelves, kiln paper, precision jewellery and craft tools, pliers and cutters, rotary tumblers, magnetic polishers, shot, grit, mini-drills, mandrels, triblets, UK ring guages, files, rollers and spacers, texture sheets, moulds, stones, findings, abrasives, glues, safety equipment, and other tools and accessories.

The Kitiki Studio provides a comprehensive Art Clay educational programme as classes, masterclasses, workshops, and Art Clay Level 1 and Level 2 teacher-certification courses.

The Kitiki Studio, Paragon Kilns, Electric Kilns, The Art Clay Club, SilverClay, and Cherry Heaven, collectively provide the definitive UK on-line Art Clay knowledge-base and an unrivalled range of clays, kilns, tools, materials, and courses.
The Kitiki Studio is committed to the Art Clay world, so Art Clay is not just a secondary product within an existing polymer clay, glass, or craft business.

To learn more about working with metal clays, buying and using kilns and craft tools, shaping and finishing your work, or choosing a course, use the The Art Clay Club link above the menu bar. The Art Clay Club is an information resource, not a shop, providing free on-line help, 24 7 52: you don't have to register, log on, or remember a password.