How to reconstitute and recycle silver metal clay
One of the things I love about metal clay is that there is no waste - every little bit of it can be used. Check out this video showing you exactly how to reconstitute your dry clay back into workable silver clay for more beautiful creations. I also share some top tips and answers to frequently asked questions.
What does reconstitute mean?
Reconstitute is the word we use for making the dry clay usable again. So, if I make something and decide I don't like it I put it in my recycle pot. All the silver clay dust from sanding and filing goes in there too. I tend to wait until I have a fair amount in the pot and then I will reconstitute it.
What you need
Dry silver clay
Coffee grinder (just used for this!)
Tea strainer
Tap water
Mixing tool (I used a rubber clay shaper)
Some tips
A coffee grinder is a quick way for grinding up the clay as fine as you need it. You don’t need an expensive grinder and it cannot then be used for coffee. I am on my second coffee grinder as the blades did break on the first one which is to be expected over 10 years or so.
An alternative to the coffee grinder is a mortar and pestle
Don’t miss the step of putting the dust through a tea strainer to get a very fine powder. Larger lumps do not take moisture in as well and make the clay grainy. You can affordably get a tea strainer in a pound shop and it is well worth it.
If you use different brands of metal clay do have a recycle pot for each type of clay and label them carefully. They may not mix so it’s safer to reconstitute them separately
FAQs
Can I grind up fired silver?
No. This can only be done with dried clay that has not been fired. Once it is fired it is silver and can no longer be turned back into clay. Fired silver can be melted and rolled through a rolling mill to make it into silver sheet. Alternatively, it can be sold as scrap silver.
What happens if I can’t remember which silver clay I used?
If you have lots of dried-up pieces of clay and you’re not sure which type it is e.g. sterling silver clay or fine silver clay, you can still grind them together. However, it is advisable to keep the brands separately if you can. When firing, use the instructions of the clay that needs to longest firing to be on the safe side. If this does happen, I would use that reconstituted clay on a more basic piece that you don’t spend lots of time over in case there are any issues when firing. But most likely it will work fine so don’t waste it.
What do I do if my clay gets mouldy?
This has happened to me in the past but I haven’t had it happen for a few years now so I am going to conclude that the manufacturers of clay have done something to prevent this. However, if you have a piece of clay that you have kept fresh for a while and when you go to use it it has mould don’t panic. You can pick off the mould or just work it into the clay. Any organic material including the mould will burn away during the firing process so it isn’t an issue.