r/metalclay

Hi everyone,
I’m trying to make my own silver clay because I want to eventually make a silver ring for my girlfriend, but I’ve been struggling badly with the binder.
My starting material is metallic silver that I’ve converted/recovered and dried. I’m trying to combine the silver powder with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and water to make a workable clay/paste that can later be dried and sintered.
I’ve tried several approaches:
• Adding a CMC solution slowly to the silver powder.
• Drying the silver first and then mixing it into an already-prepared CMC solution.
• Mixing the CMC and silver as dry powders before adding water.
• Adding CMC gradually to the silver/water mixture.
The main problem is ALWAYS the same: the CMC forms small hydrated lumps/clumps. These lumps seem to grab silver particles, become very thick/hard, and I end up with little pieces of CMC-rich material throughout the paste instead of a homogeneous clay.
I’ve also noticed that my silver powder is somewhat dark/grey, and the resulting paste looks darker than commercial silver clay, so I’m wondering whether the state of the silver matters — metallic silver vs silver oxide, particle size, particle morphology, etc.
My questions are:
1. What is the best way to hydrate CMC without creating these lumps?
2. Would methyl cellulose be better than CMC for silver clay?
3. Is it better to prepare a very dilute binder solution first and then incorporate the silver powder?
4. Does the particle size/morphology of the silver powder matter a lot?
5. Should I be using metallic silver powder, or is silver oxide ever used as the starting material?
6. For someone trying to make a workable DIY silver clay, what binder system would you recommend?
I’m particularly interested in advice from anyone who has actually made homemade silver/metal clay rather than just commercial PMC/Art Clay.
I’m trying to get a smooth, homogeneous clay that doesn’t contain little CMC gel lumps.
Thanks!
Also i face problema with the texture that turns shewing gum like some times, and it keeps puffing up when anhilated i think its be cause of cmc decompoaition

I purchased a silver clay ring with a beautiful stone. I don't think the ring sintered properly as I've had persistent, instant tarnishing issues. For this reason I don't feel right selling it on to someone else, but the ring was quite costly and I'd like to at least salvage the stone for another project to get some use out of it. I don't even know where to begin or who to take it to if I want to get the stone extracted from the setting. Any advice on the safest way to do this without damaging the stone?

As a first timer I probably made a very common mistake a.k.a not using a full torch

After about two minutes it ran out.

Is it possible to try and fire it for a second time if I get a new torch/refill this one

Or is this project a bust