Okay, this maybe a silly question for some....I still consider myself at either advanced beginner or intermediate level with PMC. Here are the questions: 1. can you drill your pmc piece after firing? I didn't know if this would cause cracking. 2. can you hammer a piece after firing maybe to add a hammered texture (I realize you should probably do this in its "workable" state), and 3. can you soder another silver element to pmc?

Thanks a bunch :)

I think the answer is yes to all of your questions, with qualifications.  All of this must be done in the same manner as if you were a silversmith working with sterling or fine silver.  For example, you need silver solder (which comes in 4 different working temperatures).  Drilling, you should have a diamond bit.  Hammering - not sure, but it might have to be annealed first.  At any rate, you are right - do the texture before firing.

As you can see, there is not a simple answer.

Thanks Bob for your help. You have confirmed what I thought but needed someone more knowledgable then I to tell me so.

:) Linda

I don't consider myself an expert on metal clay, I do a lot of it in my limited capacity...I use PMC3, I Hot Pot fire it (twice for each pot).  I mainly make small charms and large hole "barrel" (?) beads.  I have had luck making tabs and shapes for charms, firing them, and then hammering metal stamps into them to make words.  Normally, I use my stamps, pre-firing, when I'm first working the clay.  That's my BEST way to create words and gives me a HUGE choice of fonts rather than my limited supply of metal stamps.  But I've found that sometimes I can make up tabs/charms in advance and then hammer custom names, etc for people.  If I'm too heavy-handed, a piece can crack, and then it's back to the drawing board.

Sarah

PMC is much more brittle and pourous than fine silver or sterling. You can drill, hammer and solder but it is more difficult. A couple of tips. When you drill metal clay, DO NOT mark it with an automatice center punch. It will crack; every time. Learned that the hard way. You need to mark gently with a traditional center punch. Start with a small drill and work larger. I avoid hammering PMC, but if I need to do so it is best to burnish a LOT before hammering.

As to solder, metal clay soaks up solder. You need to use more solder than you would with traditional metals. Again, burnish a LOT in the area you intend to solder before soldering.

I hope this helps.

Good advise from the other posts, I know theres a good article about soldering PMC at http://www.cooksongold.com/category/Precious-Metal-Clay/ in there knowledgebase.   I was having trouble soldering and it helped, the adivse in the previous post about PMC being more absorbant than standard silver is really true, really hard to get used to when your used to using a little on 'normal' silver.

 Hi Adam

Do you still have a copy of that data sheet as I have looked on the cooksons web site and can not find it.

 I will be soldering some ASC to Sterling shortly and it would be a great help to see the data sheet.

Jenny
 

Sorry for the delay problems with my computer/email, links to solder articles on cooksongold

 http://portal.knowledgebase.net/article.asp?article=255136&p=11047

and from another article from cooksons I think I cant find the link.