Five ways to sand and refine your silver clay jewellery
The difference between a beginner’s piece of silver clay jewellery and a professional-looking piece is your sanding and refining before firing. Taking the time at this stage can make a big difference to your final results. Here are five ways to sand and refine your silver clay jewellery and some top tips to getting great results every time.
Four ways to sand and refine silver metal clay jewellery. Jewellery School Scotland
Sanding sponge
If you have been to any of my workshops you will have used these sanding sponges. They are my favourite method of sanding. They come in different grits -800, 1000 and 1500 and I use them interchangeably. They have a sanding side and a sponge side and it is the sand side that you use. Simply rub the piece with the sanding sponge to refine and smooth the edges. The sponges also bend and flex meaning they are great for sanding curved pieces as well as flat.
These are the ones that I use
2. Emery board
You can also use an emery board normally used for filing your nails. I wouldn’t get the cheapest option, you want one where the bits from the emery board don’t come off with the silver clay dust. Dust from the emery board will contaminate your silver clay dust and you aren’t able to reconstitute that clay because it will have too much other material in it so it is better to either get good quality or use a sanding sponge.
3. Baby wipe (biodegradable)
These are fantastic to use but I’m always a bit concerned about the environmental impact so I am pleased that biodegradable wipes are now available. I got this tip from the awesome Joy Funnell. Baby wipes are great for smoothing any sharp edges and preparing the piece for firing. Always ensure your piece is completely dry before firing - the baby wipe will add moisture.
4. Needle files
Needle files are mini jeweller’s files that come in a set with different shapes e.g. Flat, Square, Half-Round, Round and Triangle. These files are great for getting into small areas, particularly if you have any hard-to-reach pieces that the sanding sponge won’t get to.
These are a good set.
https://www.metalclay.co.uk/miniature-diamond-file-set-10cm-5pc/
5. 3M Self-adhesive sandpaper roll
I discovered these at the Metal Clay conference a few years ago, one of the Japanese masters was using them. They are like jewellers emery paper or sandpapers but they have a sticky back. This means that they are great for sticking to a surface for sanding for example a flat mat or wrapping around something to get the shape that you want.
https://www.metalclay.co.uk/3m-self-adhesive-sandpaper-roll-180-grit/
What to do with your silver clay dust
Once you have filed your pieces ensure you keep all of the dust. It can be used to make back into clay. You can find my video showing how to do this here
https://www.jewelleryschoolscotland.co.uk/blog/how-to-reconstitute-and-recycle-silver-metal-clay
