by Elaine Luther

Keys to finishing PMC to metalsmithing standards

Plan to work on the piece for a longer time.

Plan to work with the piece in its leather hard state:

– file the edges with the pink nail sanding board, you can find these at Walgreens. On line you can buy them from PMC Tool and Supply.

– trim interior or undercut areas with a blade like tool. Some folks like X-acto knives. I happen to not care for them myself. I use the “carving tool,” as seen on my site for trimming, applying slip, refining, basically everything.

While the PMC is still damp, sand it using a damp, but not sopping wet, eye shadow brush. Dunk the eye shadow brush in water, squeeze out the excess and then “wet sand.” You can buy these from Target, K-mart, Walgreens, Sally Beauty Supply, etc. 

Complete as many tasks as possible while the material is in the clay form, but after it’s fired, don’t necessarily consider it done. If any filing, sanding or shaping is needed, it can still be done. PMC + (and other forumulas and brands) can be sanded, filed, soldered, drilled, and dapped. Sometimes it is easier to shape the PMC after firing than to try to fire it in a specific shape.

I have dapped after firing: rings, (rounding up), a spoon bowl, cuff bracelet, and probably more things that aren’t coming to mind at the moment. The spoon I did in an hydraulic press.

(c) Elaine D. Luther 2007-2008  All Rights Reserved