Petra was invited to the Jewellers Academy podcast to talk about her top ten tools for metal clay. The session is especially useful for beginners, but even as a pro you might find a new favourite tool which will make your meal clay creating easier and/or save you time and money!

Grab a cuppa and click play below to have a listen. 

If you also want to see the tools, you can watch the podcast recording on YouTube - click here.

The more in depth calculations are below but here is a quick overview:

Paragon SC2, held at 800C for 30 minutes, will likely cost you less than 25p (£0.23).

Prometheus Pro1, held at 800C for 30 minutes, will likely cost you less than 10p (£0.098).

Prometheus Pro 7, held at 800C for 30 minutes, will likely cost you less than 30p (£0.26).

Every electrical appliance has a power rating which tells you how much electricity it needs to work. This is usually given in watts (W) or kilowatts (kW) (1000W is the same as 1kW). The amount of electricity actually used depends on how long the item's on for, and this is measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

The elements of our electric kilns are usually only on for about half to a third of the firing time, as the elements cycle on and off during both the heating and holding period as the kiln adjusts the temperature.

Electric bills are currently capped at 28p kWh for those paying by direct debit so we have re done then calculations based on that cost. Have a look at your bill to see what you're paying, and adjust the calculations below - I've laid them out clearly, so you can easily replace with your own rates.

Let's compare our kilns to some other home items and their average electricity usage (averages have been taken from Centre for Sustainable Energy);

Prometheus Pro1 - 700W

Paragon SC2 - 1650W

Prometheus Pro7 - 1900W

Toaster - 800-1500W

Hairdryer - 2000W

Tumble dryer 2000-3000W

Oven - 2000-2200W

Kettle - 3000W

Electric shower - 7000-10500W 

So a SC2 or PRO1 kiln will use about as much electricity as your toaster, less than your oven, kettle, and a LOT less than your electric shower.

Some people recommend firing metal clay for 2 hours. Personally I think this dates back to an old understanding of the original clays, which required this long to fully sinter. The modern versions of silver clay, like Art Clay Fine Silver, will be fully sintered in about 30-45 minutes at 800℃ - any longer than that and no real strength difference was detected in tests. As firing for 2 hours won't make much (if any) difference, my suggestion is to fire under an hour and save some energy!

Here are some examples of our kilns:

Prometheus PRO1 Kiln Firing costs

The Pro 1 kiln is rated 700W. This means it uses 0.7kW per hour when on full. This is A LOT less than most convector heaters or heating fans, which are usually 2000W-2500W.

Say our firing schedule takes about 30 minutes to heat up and then we hold for 30 min, giving us a 60 minute or 1 hour total firing.0.7kW x 1 hours = 0.7kWh

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If we estimate a scenario where the elements are on for half the time of that firing (as they will switch on and off during a firing), the actual energy usage would be:0.7kW (the energy the kiln uses) x 1 hour firing = 0.7kWh / 2 (half the time as elements switch on and off) = 0.35kWh used.

If we estimate the electricity cost to be 28 pence per kWh it would mean 0.35kWh x 28p = £0.098/firing.

So, if you take your Pro 1 kiln to about 800C and hold it there for 30 minutes, it will likely cost around 9.8 pence.

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Paragon SC2 Kiln Firing costs

The SC2 kiln is rated 1650W. This means it uses 1.65kW per hour when on full. This is less than most convector heaters or heating fans, which are usually 2000W-2500W.

Say our firing schedule takes about 30 minutes to heat up and then we hold for 30 min, giving us a 60 minute or 1 hour total firing.1.65kW x 1 hours = 1.65kWh

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If we estimate a scenario where the elements are on for half the time of that firing (as they will switch on and off during a firing), the actual energy usage would be:1.65kW (the energy the kiln uses) x 1 hour firing = 1.65kWh / 2 (half the time as elements switch on and off) = 0.825kWh used.

If we estimate the electricity cost to be 28 pence per kWh it would mean 0.825kWh x 28p = £0.23/firing.

So, if you take your SC2 kiln to about 800C and hold it there for 30 minutes, it will likely cost you less than 25p.

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Prometheus PRO7 Kiln Firing costs

The Pro 7 kiln is rated 1900W. This means it uses 1.9kW per hour when on full. This is less than most convector heaters or heating fans, which are usually 2000W-2500W.

Say our firing schedule takes about 30 minutes to heat up and then we hold for 30 min, giving us a 60 minute or 1 hour total firing.1.9kW x 1 hours = 1.9kWh

_____________

If we estimate a scenario where the elements are on for half the time of that firing (as they will switch on and off during a firing), the actual energy usage would be:1.9kW (the energy the kiln uses) x 1 hour firing = 1.9kWh / 2 (half the time as elements switch on and off) = 0.95kWh used.

If we estimate the electricity cost to be 28 pence per kWh it would mean 0.95kWh x 28p = £0.26/firing.

So, if you take your Pro 7 kiln to about 800C and hold it there for 30 minutes, it will likely cost you less than 30p

The silver used for Art Clay Silver is 100% recycled.

Aida collect waste and recycle it into pure gold or silver (99.99%), platinum and palladium.

When Petra (the owner of Metal Clay Ltd) visited their factory outside Tokyo many years ago, she witnessed herself how old X-ray plates and film negatives were used. It is an absolutely fascinating process!

Once the silver is recycled it is turned into bars, which are then laser blasted into micron sized dust, which is mixed with organic binders and water to turn it into magic!

This gives us Art Clay Silver - the clay-like material which is in fact pure silver. We can shape it just like modelling clay, and once fired, we're left with real silver!

So, it feels like moulding putty, but once you've dried it and added heat you are left with real, pure, fine or sterling silver. Alchemy magic!

If you are teaching classes with Metal Clay then this programme could be of interested to you!

It offers a number of benefits including the chance to earn free silver, the chance to increase your income with our specially designed kits as well as bespoke tool discounts. If you've been teaching for a while or have just started and think we could support you please fill in this form.

Not yet teaching but think it's something you would like to do? Then why not fill in our considering teaching form and we can send over some more information?

This is a lovely creamy clay that stays workable for a long time, which can be used for jewellery, craft designs, sculptures, and models.

Characteristics:

Art Clay Bronze is creamy, pliable, and workable straight out of the packet.

It stays pliable with a great consistency for a long time.

It dries hard and solid, with little flexibility.

Shrinkage approximately 10-13%

It polishes up to a stunning gold colour. Just using a stainless steel brush gives a lovely soft golden shine.

Once fired, Art Clay Bronze is an alloy of 90% Copper 90% and 10% Tin. In the clay stage 90% is copper/tin and the remaining 10% is binder and water.

Shrinkage: Approx.10%-13% in length

Size: 50g (2 individually wrapped 25g pieces)

Reviews:

"The Art Clay Bronze has a lovely creamy consistency, straight out of the packet it is very workable and smooth. It takes texture beautifully and has a very good working time in the wet clay stage. It dries evenly both with and without heat, with no warping.

Firing was straight forward. I used coconut carbon and I fired at a ramp speed of 900℃. For my larger piece (about 40gm) I extended the firing with 40 minutes longer than recommended. I quenched my pieces once the kiln had cooled to around 500℃ and there was no sign of any fire scale, just natural patina.

You can achieve a lovely yellow gold semi-matt finish with just a steel brush. No pickling required. A high shine can be achieved with tumbling followed by 3M Polishing Papers or 3M Radial discs for a mirror shine." - Jade Cameron, Metal Clay Ltd

"My overall impression of Art Clay Bronze is that it handles beautifully smooth with no or very little odour. It picks up texture very clearly with sharp definition that is maintained after firing. I was impressed with how it fired with no warping, and I’m completely enamoured with the golden smooth quality of the polish and finish that can be achieved." - Tracey Spurgin, Craftworx

There are even some video tutorials for this collection so you can be guided through making an amazing piece step by step!

Have a browse here!

Have you got one but haven't dared turn it on yet (yes, you - we see you at the back of the room...)?

Whether you're a new jewellery maker or want to take your skills to the next level, buying a kiln is one of the best investments you can make. We're always happy to guide you in this process to make sure you end up with the right kiln.

Have a listen to this Jewellers Academy podcast, where our own Petra was invited by Jess to discuss everything you need to know when purchasing a kiln, along with some important safety tips!

You can turn any leaf into silver!*

Real silver, which you can paint with? Yes, that is Art Clay Silver Paste! Did you know that you can use Art Clay Silver Paste to transform a leaf (or any other burnable organic shape) into silver? In short, you paint the silver paste on the leaf and it will take on the texture of the leaf!

What is included in the kit?

• Art Clay Silver Paste - 10gm
• Brush
• Stainless Steel Drying Mesh
• Detailed instructions

*Technically you can use ANY leaf, but some work better than others - the project instructions will tell you how to choose the best version!

Hello!

As I’m sure you are already well aware, individuals as well as businesses across all sectors are being hit with challenges. Importing and manufacturing is not what it was a couple of years ago. We, like our suppliers and service providers, are affected daily by stock availability problems, raw material shortages, shipping delays, staff issues, increased product costs, hugely increased import costs (most of our import shipments have doubled in cost, some even tripled), material costs, and shipping costs - the list goes on and makes quite bleak reading. Sorry about that. I’m pleased to say there is some positive news in this letter.

I wanted to share some information on how we’re tackling these challenges, and how they may affect you.

Are we going to increase prices?

To be blunt, yes, over the next few months you will see some increases on individual items. But, good news, they will be kept to an absolute minimum, and will only reflect increases from suppliers or import costs.

During the last year, 90% of our suppliers have increased their prices at least once, some more than that. We have absorbed the majority of these costs.

You might be aware that at the end of 2020 we had to implement a 7% price-rise on Art Clay Silver items? The actual increase to us was between 14-16%, with the shipping to us doubled in cost.

We've held prices on a lot of our products for many, many, many, years; some have been the same since I started the business in 2004 (nearly 18 years ago)!

Did you know that today we sell 50gm of Art Clay Silver at the same price we did in 2011, 10 years ago? And I’m so relieved to say that for now it is staying that price!

We’ve kept our prices by making cost savings in other areas and working smart. Now, we need to make some changes to maintain the support and service you've come to expect from us. We hope the changes we have in mind will be bearable for business customers as well as hobbyists. We know you are seeing price increases everywhere, we’ll do all we can to not add too much stress.

GOOD NEWS - we are not implementing an ‘across-the-board’ increase on our products. GREAT NEWS - we will keep any increases as low as we possibly can, on as few items as possible.

** FABULOUS NEWS **

There are currently no plans to increase the price of Art Clay Silver!

Will we be able to supply you with the stock you need/want?

The short answer; YES, we think so! Over the last 12-18 months we have worked hard to build up our stock levels. We have plenty of stock and are confident that most of our key products will remain in stock during peak shopping season. Of course, if you know you simply must have something specific available by a specific time, call us for a chat.

Just-in-time ordering is fine when supply chains are running smoothly and there are no Brexit, Covid or shipping issues - not now. We’ve been ordering earlier and bigger (where possible) to not get caught out with major shipping delays or materials shortages.

By the way, we recommend you do the same where you can - read more at the end of the letter.

New courier, and shipping changes.

For years, we’ve given free UK mainland shipping on all orders over £35, and offered a heavily subsidised next- day courier service. We think we might’ve been the only company doing this in the jewellery making

sector. Unfortunately we can no longer maintain this approach.

Whilst free shipping will no longer be a standard option we believe our new charges are extremely competitive and well priced. You can see the new shipping costs in the box below. We’ll also be adding Fedex, giving you another option for courier services.

NEW SHIPPING CHARGES - These charges will start early October.

UK standard Non tracked delivery service From £2.95 - 2 to 4 days.

(This service can be used on most orders weighing less than 2kg)

UK Standard tracked Tracked courier delivery service From £5.95 - 1-2 days** UK Next Day tracked Tracked courier delivery service From £6.95 - 1 day**

(**To Scottish Highlands, Northern Ireland, and Islands, these start from £16.00)

International orders Royal Mail or Courier From £12.95

Help us help you.

If you are planning to buy machinery (like polishing machines, kiln, Foredom or JoolTool), we encourage you to order sooner rather than later. We have good stock levels, but the supply chain for these products has been hit hard. Stock is hard to get hold of and over time we’ll likely see price increases from the suppliers.

Don’t forget, Klarna is available on our site, with it you can spread the cost of an order over three payments.

Don’t buy last minute - yes, we say this every busy season. This year it is particularly important. We have no issues in-house to handle your orders but getting your order to reach you can take longer than normal.

Royal Mail and couriers are still struggling. As the network becomes busier delays are inevitable. Our couriers are warning us that they may limit the amounts of parcels they collect from us on busy days (so we will have your parcel ready to go, but we might be forced to wait a day for a courier to collect it).

You read this far!

If you managed to read this far, thank you for taking the time. I hope the fact that we’re not planning any Art Clay Silver increases brings you some relief. I know it does to me.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, and get to do something that brings you joy. I’m going to spend some of it walking on the beach with family and dogs - that definitely puts a smile on my face.

Warm regards, and as always, happy claying, 

Petra

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It produces smooth, clean, bright surfaces quickly and economically, without destroying fine detail or tolerances by minimising the risk of over-pickling, pitting, burning, and wire brushing.

• Longer lasting, easy-to-use, safe replacement for dangerous sulphuric acid!
• Minimises hazards like acid burns, corrosive fumes, and hazardous storage
• Minimises risk of over-pickling and pitting of metal
• Heat compound for faster results
• Mix no stronger than 1:7 (one part Sparex with 7 parts of water)

Contents:

• How to use the book with explanations for each of the various jewellery making processes
• Gemmology and how can it help
• How to use a loupe and tweezers
• Visual clues of indications how a gemstone may react to the processes (with photos)
• 130 pages of gemstone information covering more than 110 different varieties and including 181 colour photos
• Gemstone facet names, shapes and cuts
• Information about casting in place, kiln firing and torch firing gemstones
• Table of gemstones by colour
• Cleaning gemstone jewellery and care advice for customers
• Glossary

Firescoff® is a spray-on nano-technology heat activated ceramic coating that provides a consistent solder flow and unbeatable protection against fire scale. As well as protecting gemstones and metals it also preserves the original polish, colour and patina of precious metals.

Simply warm your work gently, spray on Firescoff®, reheat to coat, solder your piece, and then rinse clean with warm water!

If you'd like to read more about it or purchase some you can find it here!

(Starting top middle going clockwise) 

Narrow Arch, Botanical Drop, Curved Arc, Organic Shape 1, Cushion 2, Organic Shape 14, Organic Shape 15, Skewed Pod, Loop, Scalloped Drop 2

Use these with a needle tool to cut out pendants, charms, accents, ring toppers or earrings from any type of jewellery clay - with so many different sizes and shapes available it is easy to make matching sets, or just to find that perfect shape in the perfect size.

Can also be used with sheet metal, using a scribe to scratch the shape directly onto the metal sheet.

Do you want to try them all? We do!

Find them HERE!

We put together a little video which you might find helpful. It is a brief comparison of the most popular metal clay kilns in the UK. We're not going into details, so if you want specifics on sizes and more, please follow the links below.

In the video we’re having a look at the following kilns:

• Paragon SC2
• Paragon SC2 Professional
• Prometheus PRO1 (also called MiniKiln)
• Prometheus PRO1-PRG (a programmable mini kiln)
• Prometheus PRO7

Have a look at the video comparing metal clay kilns available in the UK

These are all kept in stock at www.metalclay.co.uk, including a whole rainbow of colours for the Paragon SC2, ready for next day delivery in the UK.

ULTRALITE STUDIO KILN

Of course, we also carry the fabulous Ultralite Studio Fine Jewellery Making Kiln, which is used for Keum-Boo (adding gold foil to silver and other metals), 999 silver clay firing, small glass fusing, enamelling, and granulation.

We LOVE this little mini dinky thing for Keum-Boo and making quick little glass cabochons.

This is a question we get asked a lot and our response almost always starts with....."it goes further than you think!"

We know what it's like to spend a significant amount of money on 7g of silver clay and then feel disappointed when you open up the package to find what looks like a very small, dull-looking, grey lump that you think couldn't possibly be enough to make a beautiful, shiny silver piece of jewellery. Well we're here to tell you it can, and has, and will be done! All you need is the clay, some basic tools and a plan!

A 7g package should be enough to make an average sized ring, a small to mid-size pendant, or 2-3 small charms. Of course it depends on how thick you roll your clay but maybe this visual will help....

Here's a 7gm pack of clay rolled out to 1.5mm (or 6 cards thick). Perfect for 2-3 little pendants or charms, or a pair of good sized earrings:

And here's a 7gm pack rolled out to 1mm (or 4 cards) thick:

And don't forget there is no wastage, so you can pick up your unused clay straightaway and roll it back out to create more, or wrap it up tightly in some cling film and store it in an airtight container to be used later. Our Art Clay Moisturising and Storage Pot is great for this. You can even use it to reconstitute completely dried out clay!

Check out some of these lovely pieces made by our customers, using 7g of silver clay or less. Simply amazing!

Artist credits - Top row (left to right): Trisha Poxon, Nick Gray, Hannah MacDouall, Tracey Spurgin. Bottom row (left to right): Nicole Borbely, Lucy Mathieson Ross, Amy Clay, Annamarie McHugh.

For more tips and tricks for working with metal clay, visit our Learn More web page. And as always, if you have any questions or need advice, email us at support@metalclay.co.uk or call us on 01929 554771. We're here to help!

Happy claying,

The Metal Clay Ltd team
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