Creating and Firing Art Clay "Sterling Silver" When Art Clay Silver is taken out of the package, it is a slightly moist lump of clay, composed of silver powder, organic binders, and water. The clay is then molded into its desired generic shape, and dried. After completely drying, the clay can then be filed, sculpted, and sanded, after which it is fired with a gas stovetop, butane torch, or kiln.
During the firing process, the organic binders burn away and the resulting silver particles "sinter", becoming denser and stronger. The burning away of binders and sintering of metal causes the piece to shrink 8-10% in overall size. Once completely fired, the remaining piece is composed of 99.9% pure silver.
Examples of the three different firing methods.
  
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