Just before my newsgroups stopped working, I took classes in PMC (precious metal clay). Who else here has done some? Besides me and Sooz.
PMC is really cool for those of use who are not silversmiths. It comes in sheets, clay balls, and paste. And varieties in those.
First we worked with the sheets. Those were the easliest material (chemical formula) to work with, but by far the least intuitive form for me. Others did all kinds of cool things with it. Fine silver oragami cranes (ooo! ooo! Marilee, like your paper cranes!). Draped and folded and accordianed shapes. If I had lots of time, I'd make a collographic "picture". I'll bet you'd be good with that form, Sooz, with all your experience with paper, stamping, and scrapbook stuff.
Then we used PMC3 clay. Made textured fold-over pendants, including some with simulated stones (natural ones usually have stress points). Also made molds and beads from those molds. I made a mold from flower shaped buttons and put a coil of fine silver on the back to string the bead. Also for making buttons.
Needed PMC+ to use glass with it. I put a fused glass "beetle" on a leaf; added a coil loop on the back which winds back around to the front like tendrils. I also put a rope of clay around a transparent dichroic cab, brought the ends around front for a loop, and tidied it up where it came together by putting leaves at the join. This clay was the stickiest and fastest drying and hardest to use clay.
And then we used paste, in two forms (as well as two formulas). First we used a cork "clay" to make an armature that would burn out in the kiln. We all made urns/amphorae, then layered it with paste (then dry and repeat, etc). We also made kimonos of paper to paste over. In addition I made a goddess armature, and painted the backs of leaves with paste. Then we used paste in syringes. We made a flat form, and also formed a squiggle bead over an armature. Then having practiced with the syringe, we used that to embellish some other beads we made. I also put a leave on my urn that I hadn't put enough layers on to survive on its own.
Anyone else?
Tina