Art Clay Silver Paste

Preparation Place the necessary amount of paste in a small container. Dilute with water if necessary. (Recommended dilution ratio: 2 parts paste to 1 part water.) Because the piece will shrink 8-9% during firing, consider its finished size. Paint any molds with thick, even layers allowing for ample drying time between each layer. A minimum of 8 layers is recommended. If the paste is being used to join pieces, apply it to both surfaces until no seam is evident. If combining sterling findings or pure silver wire to the piece, please do it at this stage. It is recommended that you use a quality equal to or higher than SV925 (contains 92.5% pure silver or higher). The most important thing to remember when working with 650/1200 Paste: Make sure it is completely dry before firing!

Drying The following is a list of recommended ways to completely dry the paste before firing.
Hair Dryer	At least 10-15 minutes with 1200 watt hair dryer at a distance within 5-10cm/3in. from the piece.
Food Dehydrator	At least 10 minutes at 60ºC/145ºF
Oven	At least 10 minutes at 180ºC/330ºF
Hot Plate	At least 10 minutes at 150ºC-180ºC/300ºF-330ºF
Electric Kiln	At least 10 minutes 150ºC/300ºF
Air Dry	At least 24 hours at room temperature.
Warning: Do not apply heat above 250ºC/480ºF or the binder will begin to burn away. How to Check If the Piece is Completely Dry Place the piece on a flat Stainless Steel, glass, or plastic plate. After 10-20 seconds remove the piece. If there is no area of condensation left behind, it is completely dry.

Firing To fire, place the piece in a cold or warm kiln (below 300ºC/570ºF). (It is safest to start with a cold kiln.) Take at least 15 minutes to reach firing temperature. You may use any of the four firing temperatures and hold times listed below. If you are combining with other materials (i.e. natural stones, glass), please check the appropriate firing temperature and hold time.
Schedule
Firing Temperature	650ºC/1200ºF	700ºC/1290ºF	750ºC/1380ºF	780ºC/1435ºF and higher
Holding Time	At least 30 min.	At least 15 min.	At least 10 min.	At least 5 min.
Note: If you are firing more than two pieces, make sure the pieces are not touching each other. You may fire Art Clay Paste using a gas torch or a gas stove. Some restrictions and conditions apply. Please ask for details from your supplier.
Finishing The surface of the fired piece will be white and matte due to the crystallization of silver, but luster can be obtained by polishing. (i.e. Stainless Steel brush, burnisher, sandpaper, file, etc.)
Completing The completed piece is pure silver (99.9%).