Silver Clay

Silver clay is a residual product in which silver powder is mixed with water and a binding agent. It is available as clay and as a liquid paste (piping paste). It is difficult to work with and dries out very quickly. Therefore, it is generally not used for very fine or detailed projects. Those who know me can guess what will happen when people say that something is (too) difficult... 😇

As long as you don't bake it, you can reuse it by grinding the dried silver clay or paste into a powder and mixing it with water. You will then be left with a thin paste that you can use, for example, to smooth out imperfections in your clay project. Or you mix the thin paste with new clay.

When your project is finished, it must dry thoroughly, all water must have evaporated, otherwise your creation may explode during baking (🤯). After drying, you can give it some extra finishing, for example by sanding it.

And now the most exciting part: baking. The variant I use is baked on an open flame, for example a gas stove or a small gas burner. Be sure to read the instructions carefully for the type of clay you use, this may differ! Because of the risk of explosion, I place a metal cage over the project during the firing process. After firing, 99.9% silver remains, which is called fine silver.

I have learned that it is indeed quite difficult to work with this clay. And that's probably why I like it so much! Because it is difficult, but not impossible…