You’ll need a stainless steel mesh if using a stove. Find a heat brick if using a gas torch. A kiln is recommended for large or thick items. To estimate the temperature you can achieve on your gas stove, heat a small, thin aluminum pan on high and point an infrared thermometer at the surface once it is fully heated.
You can purchase this in lump form for sculpting, as a softer paste extruded from a syringe for finer detail work, or even in “paper” form for origami designs. [1] X Research source
The silver clay will shrink during firing, so make the jewelry slightly on the large side. Check the label for details, as shrinking can vary from 8% to 30% between products. You can push a metal stamp or any metal object into the clay to form a surface design.
Look away periodically to relieve your eyes.
Place a piece of stainless steel mesh on a stove top burner. Turn the burner on to its highest setting. Observe the mesh to locate the hottest area on it. This area will glow. Turn the burner off and allow the mesh to return to it’s normal color. Place the silver onto the hottest area of the mesh and turn the burner back on, this time to a low flame. Use tweezers or flat, non-serrated pliers to handle the silver. After the clay has burned off completely, turn up the burner and heat until the silver glows red. Turn it down again if it glows orange. [4] X Research source Continue heating for ten minutes, then turn off the heat.
The optimal firing temperature for most silver clay is 1650ºF (900ºC), held for 2 hours, but the jewelry might come out strong enough even at temperatures as low as 1200ºF (650ºC). [5] X Research source
Never quench jewelry with embedded glass, precious stones, or other additions.
Sterling silver may be labeled “ster” or “. 925. “[7] X Research source
A jeweler’s saw with a saw blade numbered 2/0 A small buffing machine with canton flannel wheels (or a bench grinder with the grinding wheel replaced)[8] X Research source Jeweler’s rouge or blue polishing compound. (Scratched silver may require white rouge or brown Tripoli polishing compound instead. ) For earrings: sterling silver ear hooks, a drill, and a number 64 drill bit For surface designs: a metal stamp and hammer.
To test the saw, stroke the blade with a fingernail and listen for a “Ping” sound. If it does not make this sound, tighten the saw until it does when stroked.
Use a slightly forward tilt to the saw as you cut. Move the saw up and down as you cut.
Use a “medium” or “hard” silver solder made from silver alloy, not standard solder. Avoid solder containing cadmium unless you have a respirator. A small oxy-acetylene or butane torch, preferably with a flat “chisel tip. " Any brazing or soldering flux labeled as suitable for silver. Copper tongs and tweezers (of any metal) for handling the silver. A “pickle” solution for soldering, heated according to label instructions before you begin.
You’ll need a container of water anyway to rinse the jewelry, but a fire extinguisher doesn’t hurt if you are working in a room with flammable materials.
Powdered flux must be mixed into a paste or liquid form first. Check the instructions for details.
Position the objects carefully on the heat brick, then apply a chip of solder (or a dab of solder paste) with tweezers. Heat from about 4 inches (10 cm) away, focusing on the thicker piece of silver. Do not heat solder directly. Hold thin pieces of silver with tweezers to prevent melting.
Avoid putting the pickle in contact with skin and clothes, as it can be corrosive. Non-copper tongs may react with the pickle, corroding the metal. If you prefer the look of “aged” silver, you can skip the pickle.
To attach a pendant, wrap the wire around an object, or solder it to a pendant with a sterling silver attachment point.
For the most predictable and controlled effect, let the hammer fall from directly above the silver, striking the surface at a 90º angle.
The correct temperature is typically around 1100ºF (600ºC), but this varies depending on the exact alloy of your sterling silver.
