Prometheus® Jewellers Sterling White Bronze Clay

Prometheus® Jewellers Sterling White Bronze (PSW®) is a clay-like material that turns into pure, solid bronze upon firing in a kiln, similar in color to sterling silver. It is a mixture of micro-sized bronze powder, water, and an organic binder. It can be shaped by hand, rolled into a sheet, or coiled. It can be molded, textured, or even thrown on a pottery wheel. PSW® can be fired with most lab-created gemstones (cubic zirconia), pre-tested natural stones, glass beads, ceramics, porcelain, and PROMETHEUS® METAL CLAYS.

When the clay is fired in a kiln, the organic binder evaporates and burns away, leaving you with pure, solid white bronze.

You can create unique jewelry, ornaments, hollowware, statues, sculptures, and many other decorative objects. Everything you create with PSW® is a work of art. You can create multi-colored pieces by combining PSW® with other PROMETHEUS® METAL CLAYS.

Combine it with your imagination and let your fingers do the rest!

Working with PSW®

It is similar to working with Prometheus® metal clays (silver, copper, and bronze), polymer clays, modeling dough, flower paste, and ceramic clays. It is very easy to use.

At normal consistency, PSW® does not stick to hands, work surfaces, instruments, or molds, and no lubricating oils are required. However, lightly oiling your fingers and the work surface is helpful and will not harm your clay. Olive oil is preferable.

Take the clay out of the plastic bag and place it on a clean plastic surface or wax paper. Use your fingers, rollers, spatulas, clay shapers, craft knives, toothpicks, and other simple tools to shape it, texture it, or throw it on a pottery wheel. You can texture the clay using stamps, texture mats, leaves, paper, and other interesting textures.

When you take the clay out of the packaging, the "Wet Stage" begins. Try not to work too long at this stage to prevent your clay from drying out. However, if you don't rush your work, you will have plenty of time to play with PSW®. If you notice cracks on the surface, immediately apply some water with a brush or spray and fill the cracks with a little paste* to repair them.

* To make a paste, mix a little clay with a little water until it reaches the consistency of thick yogurt.

To join two parts together, simply apply some water to the points that touch or add a little paste. If both parts are dry, dampen the contact points well and apply some paste to create a secure bond.

Store unused clay in a ziplock plastic bag so that it does not dry out. Place any leftover pieces immediately back into the bag while working and keep it closed. If you do not intend to work with the clay for a while, place the sealed plastic bag into a jar with a tight-fitting lid. If you place a damp sponge at the bottom of the jar, your clay will remain in good condition until your next use. If storing for a long period, keep an eye on the sponge and add water if necessary.

Drying

Before firing the PSW®, you must dry your piece completely. A hairdryer or placing it on a kiln works well. Hot plates or food dehydrators also work well.

To check if the clay is completely dry, place the hot clay (straight after drying) on a cold mirror. Move it after a few seconds and ensure there is no condensation on the mirror. This test is especially important for large and thick pieces. If the piece is not completely dry, it may crack, break, or have bubbles on the surface during firing.

We recommend not drying large and/or massive pieces (statues, etc.) quickly. For these, it is recommended to leave them at room temperature for a while and then continue drying at moderate temperatures to avoid cracks.

Dry

Although dried PSW® is strong, you must be careful when working. You can carve designs onto the surface*, file, sand, and drill holes using hand tools or rotary tools and engravers. To join dried pieces, dampen the contact points with a brush and apply some paste.

* Draw your design with a pencil, dampen the lines with a brush, and carve with any instrument—even a toothpick.

After completing your design, you can easily sand uneven surfaces with sandpaper and sanding sponges. It is much easier to perform this step now—before you have fired the clay!

PSW® Firing

Before firing your works, test the accuracy of your kiln by firing a small piece of clay. Electric kilns can have slight variations due to their temperature control systems and insulation. Depending on the test result, you can change the firing temperature by 5% (up or down) until you have achieved the correct sintering.

Firing PSW is done in two steps.

Step 1: Place the dried pieces on a stainless steel mesh and place them in a cold kiln, let it rise to 500°C, and fire for 15 minutes. Move it to a heat-resistant surface and let it cool.

Step 2:

Place the piece about 3 cm deep in activated carbon at the bottom of a steel container. Place the pieces at least 1.5 cm apart from each other, fill the container with activated carbon, close it, and place it in the kiln preheated to 770°C. Let the kiln return to the target temperature and fire for 2 hours. When firing is complete, either let it cool in the kiln or carefully remove it and let it rest on a heat-insulated surface until it is cool enough to take your pieces out.