This is a pair of earrings I just finished for a custom order. It was pretty difficult. Some tiny sculpting and a little molding. They are to match a much larger pendant that the customer already had. The sanding and polishing was very tedious! It was also the first time that I worked with PMC original. Sorry, if you are not a silver clay artist, I realize that means nothing... It is the first formula of silver clay that was invented. Now, there are several different brands and types on the market. PMC original silver clay has a ton of binder in it. Because of this, it shrinks quite a lot upon firing. It also must be fired at 1650 degrees for two hours. 
I also want to show a photo of them with an unfired piece of PMC original to show the shrinkage for those who haven't worked with it yet. It can also be a pain to sand because of the binder. It felt like micro straw to me. I had to wait for them to dry thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly before doing the fine sanding.
You can see from the photo, that that is quite a bit of shrinkage. Because of this, PMC original definitely has it's uses. The main reason I chose it for this project was because of it's shrinkage factor. However, after working with it for a while on this, I don't think I'll be using it much any more. Just not as nice to work with. It doesn't seem to take as fine of a detail as PMC3 or Art Clay Silver do. It's also more expensive than the other silver clays, and you are paying for all that binder it contains.
So, does anyone else out there have any PMC original silver clay stories to tell? I would love to hear about other's experiences with it. And, along with that, which brand of silver clay do you prefer? And why?
Have a great day!
Janie
9 comments:
These are incredible and the shrinkage is significant! Love the detail, that was not a simple project!
You did a magnificent job with these. I love all the patients you have.
Thanks you guys! You are right, it was not a simple project! I just returned from delivering them. She wants a necklace to match! Yay!
Those look fantastic! I have yet to try PMC silver clay, but hope to in the future. I am sure your customer was thrilled in how amazing they turned out :D
Thank you Colette!
Wow! So much detail! I can't believe the amount of shrinking! I use ACS and have never tried anything else. Thx for showing!
You're welcome Anise. I think I'm going to go back to PMC3 after I finish up with my current stash of clay. Thanks for reading my blog :).
PMC Original sure has it's uses for making those detailed items that look even more impressive once they've shrunk but I do wonder about then conveying to the customer that the same (or more) work goes into such a small finished piece.
That's a good point Susan. I wonder also.
Usually, when I create something complex and detailed that takes a while to do, I will take time to explain my process to the customer so they realise what did go into it.
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