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Precious Metal Clay represents a dramatic development in the handling of precious metals. PMC consists of microscopic
particles of silver or gold suspended in an organic binder to create a pliable material with a consistency similar to
modeling clay.
When heated to a high temperature, the binder burns away and the metal particles fuse to form solid metal that can be
sanded, soldered, colored and polished like conventional material.
History
Precious Metal Clay was developed by scientists working at the Mitsubishi Materials Special Products division in Sanda,
Japan. After years of experimentation the first patents were awarded in the early 1990s with many additional materials
joining the family of products. The principle ingredient of PMC is gold or silver, reduced to tiny flakes smaller than 20
microns in size. As a point of reference, it would take as many as 25 of these particles clumped together to equal a grain
of salt.
The other ingredients in PMC are water and an organic (naturally occurring) binder. After firing, the water and binder
have completely burned away so what remains can be hallmarked as .999 silver or gold.
How Does It Work?
Under the proper conditions, crystals of metal fuse together in the same way that droplets of water run together to make
larger puddles on the window pane. In the case of metals, oxides (tarnish) that form naturally on most metals prevent this
from happening. The solution here is to use precious or noble metals in their pure state. These do not readily oxidize so
even at the high temperatures needed to induce fusion they remain free of coatings. This explains why there is not a brass
or sterling version of PMC – short of firing in a vacuum, it will not work.
PMC Aura 22K Gold
Tiny particles of pure gold (91.6%) are blended with fine silver particles ( 8.4% ) to create a precious metal with deep
yellow color and the ability to fuse to silver at low temperatures. The
The result is a layer of gold that is considerably thicker than possible with electroplating Because it can be painted on,
Aura 22 offers gestural responses unlike any other gold layering process. It is especially recommended for heavily textured
surfaces, and for embellishing areas that would be difficult to cover with alternative techniques.
