Keep All Your Precious Metal Clay Filings

by Mary
(Spring Valley, CA)

One of the first tips I received when learning to use precious metal clay was to never throw your filings away. When I sand my pieces I use a plastic ice-cream carton to catch the filings and then I use distilled water to refresh them and use them as a paste to fix broken pieces and connecting bails or decorations.

The other tip is to always wash your hands over a container then wait until the clay settles in the bottom and then pour the water off. You are left with a clay sludge which can be put in a container with the filings and used later. Always making sure that the container is air tight.