what is Art Clay Silver?

*What is Art Clay Silver which is now much talked about?*

What do the ACMI Seals mean?

The AP (Approved Product) Seal, with or without Performance Certification, identifies art materials that are safe and that are certified in a toxicological evaluation by a medical expert to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans, including children, or to cause acute or chronic health problems.�This seal is currently replacing the previous non-toxic seals:�CP (Certified Product), AP (Approved Product), and HL Health Label (Non-Toxic) over a 10-year phase-in period.� Such products are certified by ACMI to be labeled in accordance with the chronic hazard labeling standard, ASTM D 4236, and the U. S. Labeling of Hazardous Art Materials Act (LHAMA). Additionally, products bearing the AP Seal with Performance Certification or the CP Seal are certified to meet specific requirements of material, workmanship, working qualities, and color developed by ACMI and others through recognized standards organizations, such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).�Some products cannot attain this performance certification because no quality standard currently exists for certain types of products.

More information on AP seal and ACMI, please visit the website at

http://www.acminet.org/safety.htm#three

Art Clay Silver 650 Series

650 Clay type
This can be modeled in the same way as regular water-based clay. Once opened, it is susceptible to the air and must be kept moist in order to retain its pliability and workability. Use a container of water and a paintbrush to moisten any areas of the clay surface that begin to crack while working.

650 Slow Dry type
As this product name describes itself, it is formulated to remain pliable for up to four times longer than the 650 Clay type. The advantage of using Slow Dry type is its obvious extended working time, meaning that you could create small, delicate pieces without the edges cracking as quickly due to air drying. Flower petals, stems, etc., can be formed and joined easily. Also, Slow Dry type allows you the time to extrude the clay through an empty syringe into long ropes or strips which then can be woven, braided, or otherwise manipulated without cracking.

650 Paste type
The only difference between Paste type and Clay type is the amount of water portion in the mixture. Paste type comes in the consistency of melted ice cream and you should only transfer the amount needed from the jar to a small tray and dilute with water to create desired thickness. It is used in several ways:

●As a glue to join two piece of dry or wet clay together.
●As a gap-filler for pits and cracks that appear in dried pieces.
●To attach silver findings (screw eyes, bailbacks, brooch findings, etc.) to dried or wet clay pieces. During firing, the normal contraction of the clay bonds the findings.
●When applied in separate layers onto organic forms such as leaves, dried flowers, paper-origami, etc, the Paste type creates a perfect impression of the form.

650 Syringe type
Syringe type is 10gm of Art Clay Silver in a pre-loaded syringe. Syringe type comes packaged in three ways: with color-coded tips (blue, green and gray), each an increasingly larger diameter; a one tip (green) nozzle; and without any tips, purely a refilled syringe. Each of the tips is reusable and only needs to be purchased once. The diameter of each syringe nozzle is; Blue Nozzle: 0.41mm, Green Nozzle: 0.84mm, and Gray Nozzle: 1.19mm. The consistency of Syringe type is totally different from that of Paste type and it is not paste in a syringe. Syringe type is thicker, more controllable. It is used in several ways:
●To decorate pieces, much like using cake decorating tips. Lines, filigree, faux cloisonne borders, and even hollow balls can be made with Syringe type.
● As a repair glue to fill cracks and gaps.
●To attach findings to wet or dry clay pieces.

650 Overlay Silver Paste

It is specifically formulated to bond to non-porous or glazed surfaces such as ceramic, porcelain, and glass. This product can be used in a variety of ways:
●Paint directly, full strength, onto bisque, glazed porcelain or glass piece.
●Used in a technique called sgraffito, whereby a thin layer of Overlay paste is applied to the glazed porcelain or glass, allowed to dry, and a pointed instrument used to scratch a design into the layer. 　 the porcelain or glass beneath to appear. It is similar to stenciling. Fires at 650

/ 1200

for 30 minutes.

Art Clay Silver ST Series

Premium Silver Clay ST series comes in basic three forms, Clay type, Paste type and Syringe type. Silver products, whether they are made of pure silver or sterling silver (SV925 or 950) have a tendency to tarnish due to the chemical reaction between the metal and the air. Although, Art Clay products tarnish slower than sterling, a piece made of ST series tarnishes even slower than any other Art Clay series products. A piece made of ST can maintain its shine even longer with regular jewelry cleaning. ST series remains 99% high quality silver after firing. It fires at one setting of 800

/ 1472

for 30 minutes.

Art Clay Silver Basic Series

	Clay types There are two kinds of Clay types with the original formula, the original “Clay type” and “Slow Dry Clay type”. The maximum firing temperature of them is 870 / 1598 for 10 minutes, or 800 oC / 1472 for 30 minutes. After firing, the contraction is 9-10%. The piece is reduced to 99.9% fine silver and also can be hallmarked like the 650 series.

	Paper type It is a unique, paper-thin sheet of silver clay that needs no drying time. You can easily fold, bend, punch or cut shapes with a pair of scissors or paper punches just like you do with regular paper. You can apply techniques from Origami, paper crafting, fabric and leather crafting. It comes in 75mm square sheet, 10 gm of clay with nearly all of the water removed. There other features: ● Paper type needs to be fired from a cool kiln, below 150 / 300 and should take at least 15 minutes to reach the temperature. ● If you add excess moisture, Paper type will lose its shine and begin to degrade. Fires at 800 / 1472 for 30 minutes.

	Oil Paste type Art Clay Oil Paste is an oil-based paste and it is formulated to act as a bond between fired silver pieces. Oil Paste provides a solid weld between pure silver findings, or between two fired pieces. It comes in two separately sealed jars. One has 10gm of the very thick paste, the other contains a thinner that is used to keep the paste at working consistency. Both jars must be kept tightly capped. Silver findings also can be attached to the piece by Oil Paste, and then refired for adhesion. Fires at 800 / 1472 for 30 minutes or 850 / 1562 for 10 minutes.

Art Clay Gold Series

Clay type
Art Clay Gold Clay is a water-based gold clay that can be modeled in the same way as the other clay series. It will transform to high quality 22-Karat gold after firing and contracts about 15% during the firing process. Fires at 990 / 1804 for 60 minutes. Available in 5 and 10 gm clay.

Paste type
Art Clay Gold Paste is in a viscous liquid form, so that you can add texture or draw directly on the surface of Art Clay Silver (fired piece), ceramic, porcelain and/or glass. This product has 77.5% of indicated weight is 24-Karat gold, and it becomes 22-Karat gold after firing. Art Clay Gold Paste comes in two bottles. One has 1.5gm of thick paste; the other contains a 5ml medium that is used to dilute the paste to a more workable consistency on glazed surfaces.
Fires at 800 / 1472 . The holding time will vary depending on the combined material.