My 6 favourite products for silver clay jewellers for under £10
I've been working with silver clay for a while now and have tried a lot of different tools and products over the years. here are some of the ones I keep going back to. They're all under £10 so won't break the bank but will definitely make a difference to the jewellery you make.
(no one has asked me or paid me to recommend these items, I just think they're great!).
Paste Maker
This is a fantastic product developed by Metal Clay artist Sherri Haab. I have used it to make silver clay paste from the dust I collect when sanding and filing pieces. The paste you end up with is strong and great for sticking dry pieces of clay together, filling in cracks and painting designs onto your jewellery. Add a few drops to a dried out pot of paste to bring it back to life!
Clay Stay
I love using Clay Stay, part of the Aussie Metal Clay range of products. Clay Stay is a metal clay glue. In the past I have always used Paste or Syringe to fix things, stick pieces of dry clay together etc. However, there is usually some clean up with using Paste or Syringe. This isn't necessary with Clay Stay as it dries clear. It creates a very solid bond and I have found that this fires well. I've used it with Art Clay and it works well.
PMC Aqua
This is an effective way to rehydrate PMC and (in my experience) Art Clay Silver. It helps to get your clay back into a good working state if it has dried out and is more effective than water alone. If you struggle with your clay drying out this is a must try product.
3M Self-Adhesive sandpaper
I discovered these products at the YCMI Metal Clay Residential conference as the Master tutor who visited from Art Clay in Japan was using them. They are self adhesive sandpapers. Sold on a roll, the back of the sand paper is sticky meaning you can stick it down to a flat surface to get a good even sanding. They can also be stuck around a dowel or ring mandrel for sanding rounded pieces. As with the usual jewellers sand paper they come in your choice of grit and I have found that they last well.
Double Sided Diamond Sanding Mat
the double sided Diamond Sanding Mat is a great option if you work a lot with flat pieces. One side of the mat is 360 Grit and the other is 600. This is a hard wearing tool and you simply brush away your dust (use the Paste Maker to make it back into usable clay!) and use again and again.
Clear away tray
While not strictly necessary I do find this Clear Away Tray really helpful when I am filing my dry clay. You simply file over the tray and then tip it up to use the funnel to pour the dust into your paste or recycling container.
A neat solution.
(But lots of craft stores sell them for working with embossing powders and glitter)
What products and tools do you recommend? I'd love to hear from you over on Instagram @annaccampbell or on my Facebook page