Welcome to the Metal Clay Academy

Here you will find everything you need to know about metal clay. We've collected together the best resources and information from the internet, metal clay teachers and experts around the World to provide you with this comprehensive source of information.

Silver and gold metal clays have been available to the public since the mid-1990's. Mitsubishi and Aida Chemicals make Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and Art Clay Silver respectively. The ingredients are just fine silver particles, an organic binder and water. They can be worked in the same way as ceramic clays - rolled, formed, textured and cut. When the water is allowed to evaporate and the dry piece is fired, the result is a 99.9% fine silver item which is hallmark quality. There is also a gold variety of metal clay which works the same way.

Bill Struve has developed bronze and copper clays which come as ready mixed lumps of clay. These will be launched in mid-May. Hadar Jacobson has produced bronze and copper clays that come as powders which you mix with water. These products are available to buy now. Both these products work in a similar way to the silver and gold clays although the firing is more complicated. Bronze and copper clay requires an oxygen free environment to fire so the dried pieces are buried in activated carbon in a stainless steel pan and fired in a kiln.

Check back often to find out what's new in the world of metal clay, send us your questions and we'll add them to the FAQ page.

If you are a complete beginner, check out our metal clay beginners page. You'll find basic information, links to more resources and a useful article about how to work with metal clay without spending lots of money on tools and equipment.

News!

PMC Guild Annual 2009 - Metal Clay Academy Artists are Included!

Metal Clay Academy board members Lisa Cain, Robert Dancik, Celie Fago and Director Julia Rai have all been chosen to have their work included in the 2009 juried publication, The PMC Guild Annual. A total of 456 images were reviewed by a four-member panel to select the 109 photos that will appear in the book. Participants come from eight countries and 25 states in the US. The jurors were Linda Kaye-Moses, Catherine Davies-Paetz, Bill Griffith, and Terry Kovalcik. The Annual will be published in the Autumn.

Training Standards and Resources

Throughout late 2008 and early 2009, the Metal Clay Academy Advisory Board have been discussing and compiling a number of resources and guides for metal clay teachers. The well-known and respected teachers on the Board have a wealth of knowledge and experience about teaching a number of subjects including metal clay. Their combined expertise has been used to create these resources. Check them out!

The Metal Clay Academy on Craftcast

Some time ago, the director of the Metal Clay Academy, Julia Rai, had a chat with Alison Lee from Craftcast™. They chatted about metal clay generally and the mission of the Academy. You can listen to this interview here.

CRAFTCAST™ takes advantage of the podcast format to deliver weekly content, covering the latest information in the crafting industry. Listeners get personal time experience with a wide variety of artists and crafters. CRAFTCAST™ mission is to inspire and nurture the creative spark within each listener.

The Perfect Present

If you're looking for the perfect present for the metal clay maniac in your life, have a look in our shops. We've now added a UK shop so whether you're based in the US or the UK, you can buy affordable t-shirts, sweatshirts and other merchandise with fun metal clay slogans. Take a look now...

Metal clay maniac tshirt Tshirt

PMC Survey for Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

The PMC Guild has been asked to make the metal clay community aware of an information-only survey. If you'd like to participate you'll find the survey here.

Get Involved

If you're a metal clay supplier or a teacher, make sure you're listed - it's free. Got a great metal clay tip? Send it in and we'll publish it with full credit to you.

And if you have a website, please add a link to the Metal Clay Academy to your site. Thanks!

We hope you enjoy the site.