PMC Dried Out? Try This

I tried this on a lump I've had for four years, because I'm getting back into PMC/Art Clay. I dug up my lump and it was rock hard. Okay - what is PMC made of? Fine silver, binders and water. Why does it dry up even if it's still in an unopened package? Water evaporates. Doesn't matter what it's in, really - it will evaporate.

All you need to do to get your clay workable again is follow these instructions. It works. I tried it - it's from Tim McCreight's PMC Guild website.

PMC is made of particles of precious metal, an organic binder, and water. The precious metal and the binder stay the same, but it's possible for the water to evaporate over time, even though the PMC has never been opened. If, when you open the box, the PMC is stiff and hard to form, it simply needs more water.

I've successfully re-hydrated PMC that had dried out rock-hard. It's easy to do: open the box and hold the lump of PMC under running water for a few seconds so its surface gets totally wet. Rewrap it in cellophane and set it aside overnight, periodically kneading the lump through the cellophane. The goal is to get the moisture into the PMC. This takes time because it is a very dense material. Unwrap and test the PMC: you should be able to flatten it into a disk without cracks appearing at the edges. If it's still too stiff, wet and rewrap it again and let it sit longer. Two treatments are usually enough, but you may continue until the PMC returns to its original, soft, workable consistency.

Also you can grind the clay up in a spice grinder or pepper grinder into a fine powder, then slowly add water drop by drop allowing time for the moisture to absorb.

This totally works (Tim McCreight is AWESOME) but you MUST be patient. Don't try to work your clay if it has cracks in it the first time you test it after adding water. Just add a few more drops of water, wrap it up again and let it sit overnight - knead it through the wrapping just as you did the first time and test again. You may need to do this a few times depending on how dry it is, but it DOES work. PMC and Art Clay are way too expensive to throw out just because they dried out. So be a smart artisan; rescue and reuse!