Reviews: Working with Precious Metal Clay

I really liked Tim McCreight's Working with Precious Metal Clay book published by Brynmorgen Press. I recently purchased a copy and have had time to give it a thorough review. If you've thought of working with metal clay or do so already, then you might find this a good book for your library. It's full of projects, tips, and tool ideas.

Projects
Packed with 50 projects to try, if you are not sure where to start or what to make, this section can help get you started quickly. This is where I learned how to make a Leaf Bead , and after trying that project, I adapted the same technique for my Quilted Silver Beads. As Tim explains in the beginning of the book, learning techniques and adapting them to your own ideas is exactly what he hopes you will do when using his book. Along with a number of great bead project, including a very interesting raku donut bead, he has even more jewelry making projects including earrings, pendants, rings, and even charms. If you want to try making non-jewelry related items, he has other projects such as buttons, spoons, boxes, and a cute little tea pot. Each project is ranked in difficulty from 1 to 5, along with the finished weight of the piece and approximate time it should take to make it.

Tips
Before getting too crazy with just following his projects, it would probably be a good idea to look through his "Technical Tips" section. In this section, he explains some important points about PMC such as understanding the shrinkage, sizing for ring projects, setting gems, polishing finished pieces, and, of course, firing PMC in a kiln. With 28 pages of tips, this section is an important part of the book.

Tools
One of the best parts about working with clay is that fact that almost any object can be used as a tool. Many items can be stolen from your own kitchen such as cookie cutters or even vegetables. Besides showing how to make some basic tools, this section also describes how to create more advanced pieces of equipment such as an extruder and tumbler.

I've described the three main sections of this book, but there are a few more subjects covered. Information is provided about health and safety of working with the clay, melting points of materials used with the clay, resources and suppliers found around the world, and an over-view of basic PMC data. I can't wait to try more projects in this book as well as learn techniques to create my own PMC designs. If you are interested in purchasing this book, it is available from most PMC suppliers and retails for about $30.

Review in Bead and Button

Tim is an empowering teacher. His book begins with 50 PMC projects with various levels of difficulty. Each is presented with a phot and step-by-step illustrated directions. He introduces this new material simply and directly and encourages readers to use the book in ways that suit their style; follow the directions exactly; add variations, or combine projects. The second half of the book is full of technical tips ranging from tools and materials to sizing, gem setting, firing, finishing, design, safety, suppliers etc. Whether you're considering getting involved in silver clays, or are already experienced, this is an invaluable reference. It's also fun to read.

Lapidary Journal
Review Linda Kaye-Moses 9/2000

In 1995 jewelers in this country were introduced to a new material, Precious Metal Clay (in 1999 PMCplus became available). Almost immediately a need developed for a manual on the use of the two materials. After five years of researching PMC, Tim McCreight has published Working with Precious Metal Clay. McCreight's informal style sets the tone of this benchtop manual, and his attention to detail, immediately evident in his choice of sturdy covers, intended for heavy use, and spiral binding, designed to life flat on the workbench, make this an easy-to-use text that answers many of the questions about PMC. The body of the book is divided inbto foru main sections "50 Projects," Technical Tips," "Tools you Can Make," and an Appendix. The preface contains a general list of tools useful for working with PMC ("PMC Toolbox"); there is a brief discussion of "PMC Basics" -- a description of the characteristics of and methods of handling PMC and a review of simple tools, joining and assembly, drying, firing and finishing. McCreight keeps the preface brief and simple, with clear references each topic to be discussed more completely later in the volume.

Each project in Part One is accompanied by clear instructions and illustrations, a photograph of each completed piece, a chart indicating the amount of PMC required, firing time and skill level. Instead of simply including them in the text of the instructions, it would have been helpful to list the tools and materials for each project separately, however. Still, the thorough instructions are easy to follow and the projects are engaging and challenging. For addtional information pertinent to each project, the reader is directed to other sections of the book, keeping each project page uncluttered and very readable. The projects designed to introduce the material to beginners are so carefully described that one would have no difficulaty navigating them. At the same time, there are enough challenging projects to sustain the interest of more experienced PMC users.

The third section of this book reflects McCreight's goal of keeping things simple. Here he describes how to make ten tools from easily-acquired materials and equipment, including: a textured rolling pin, stamps, a polishing stick and a tumble polisher. Some of the tools may be superfluous for some readers, but all will find the tools easy to make.

The Appendix contains seven separate sections, with "Health and Safety" being the first. The use of active ventilation for some processes should have been more strongly encouraged (the Raku Donut Bead, for example). Other topics covered in the Appendix are a sizing chart, PMC resources and suppliers, and tool and equipment suppliers.

Working with Precious Metal Clay is immensely useful and PMC users will want to keep the book within easy reach on their workbenches.

Rio Grande promotion

McCreight has become a guru of sorts in working with Precious Metal Clay (PMC), a clay-to-metal material that's easy to use: "Even a grown-up can do it!" he says. Comprised of pure metal (pure gold and pure silver), organic binder and water, PMC can be formed into unique jewelry designs and objects. In his new book, he creatively instructs both the novice and professional PMC user in how to get the most out of PMC.

This beautifully illustrated, 128-page book is filled with step-by-step instructions, diagrams and technical information - more than 50 photographs of finished pieces and more than 470 drawings by [Jeff McCreight, Tim's son]. The spiralbound, glossy hardcover encloses full-color pages, divided in easy-to-find sections. There are detailed, simple directions for completing some 50 projects: pendants, earrings cuff links, charms, barrettes, bracelets, ornamental and textured rings, interesting beads - even a beverage stick that's throne to an olive!

The technical section boasts 25 illustrated tips for working with PMC. It includes everything from making holes, gem-setting, filing and sanding, to blackening or polishing. The last section details instructions for making ten tools you can use in other mediums: rubber stamps, textured rolling pins and polishing sticks are just a few.

Mr. McCreight finishes his book with health and safety information, a melting point chart, and list of resources for suppliers of PMC.

Precious Metal Clay is a unique, flexible medium to dig your hands into; sculpt jewelry, trinkets and other artistic creations. Working with Precious Metal Clay shows you how to design, build and fire PMC on your own. Learn how from the master!