Art Clay water-based cork clay is a composite material, made of fine cork particles and a harmless organic binder. It looks and feels like thick biscuit-mix, and can be shaped with modelling tools or a soft moist brush.

It has one main use: to create a mould on which to build a metal-clay shape, particularly for a delicate or hollow piece that needs support until it's fired.

As it's fired, the metal-clay binder and the cork-clay binder vapourise, and the cork burns away. The metal powder sinters, leaving solid 999 silver or 22 carat gold: real metal, not something that just looks like metal. As the cork burns, it releases smoke, so use it in a ventilated room.

The clay comes as a block in a cellophane wrapper. Partially unwrap the clay and, using a modelling knife, cut off a piece to work with. Knead it until it feels soft and malleable, but don't knead it for too long: it will begin to dry out and you'll get dry clay all over your fingers.

It's better to leave the clay partialy wrapped when you cut a piece off: if you lay the whole block down, it may pick up work-area debris which will be difficult to remove.

Clay left in the open air will begin to dry, so keep any useful scraps in a small airtight pot: later, you can knead them back into re-useable clay, possibly adding a tiny amount of water.

Be careful to only re-cycle clean clay scraps. One inexpensive packet of cork clay lasts quite a long time, so it's really not worth rounding up every scrap and risk including metal filings, dried clay, abrasive grit, or work-area dust.

New clay is just moist enough to work with, so knead it until it feels soft and malleable. However, if you're using clay from an old packet and it feels dry, or you want to stick two pieces of cork glay together, brush on a little water. If you over-wet the clay, dab it drier with lint-free cloth before kneading.

To store the remainder: put it back in the retail packet, wrap it in cling film, and keep it with a small piece of just-damp tissue or cloth in an airtight container, away from heat or direct sunlight. It's better to use a small container as there's less air inside. Don't keep it in a fridge.

You can use almost anything to shape the clay: a modelling knife, a scriber, a texture tool, a shaped cutter, or a soft moist brush. As you shape the clay, or add more, you can use a little water to smooth the surface and optimise adhesion. However, be careful not to add too much water.

Modelling knives use surgical blades which are sharper and thinner than DIY knife blades. Keep the blade clean, and replace it the moment that cutting begins to look like tearing.

Don't let clay dry on your work area or tools: wipe them with a damp cloth or wash them. Drill bits, files, and abrasives will clog up, so tap them occasionally, or rinse and dry them. Keep the sable brushes in water, removing excess water on lint-free cloth just before use.

If you use a roller, check that it's clean before you start. Roll gently, in several directions, rather than trying to do it in one pass. If you've improvised and used something like a marker pen as a roller, make sure it doesn't have a moulding seam that will press into the clay.

As you trim the clay to shape your piece, put the offcuts in a small airtight pot. By adding a tiny amount of water you can knead them back into re-useable clay. However, once dry, cork clay cannot be recycled.

If you're a beginner, try making your piece from plasticene or modelling clay first. You'll learn a lot about shaping, and how much clay you need. To learn more about shaping, look at the start page, then tools, then shaping.

When your cork clay is shaped, it needs to be dried to evaporate the water in the binder. If you don't dry it completely, the water will turn to steam during firing and the pressure increase may crack the clay.

Ideally, dry it in a kiln programmed from cool to 150°C, then held for at least 10 minutes. However, you can let it dry naturally in a warm place for 24 hours, use a hair drier or a hobby hot-air gun, put it in a kitchen oven, or leave it on a central-heating radiator.

Be careful not to overheat it: at about 250°C, the cork starts to burn away and your piece will begin to shrink or change shape.

Complex or fragile shapes can be supported on a ceramic fibre block, a ceramic fibre cloth, or vermiculite chips. Don't use an acrylic sheet: it will probably buckle.

Thin pieces dry quickly. Thicker pieces must be dry throughout before firing, or they will crack or explode. Always wear safety glasses when you open the kiln door.

Dried clay can be cut, filled, drilled, and sanded to perfect the shape. Whilst shaping, there will be tiny scraps and powder to clean up. Instead of blowing them everywhere or brushing them on the floor, use a hand-held mini-vacuum cleaner. Once dry, cork clay cannot be recycled.

During drying, cork clay progressively shrinks. Fortunately, it shrinks less than 2% so, although you could make the shape proportionally larger to start with, it's unlikely to make any noticeable difference.

When your metal clay is in position on the cork clay, and has been dried, it needs to be fired to become solid metal: using the recommended temperatures and times. However, there are a few things to be aware of:

Unlike metal clays, when cork clay burns away during firing it releases smoke. Don't open the kiln door, or the fresh oxygen may cause the cork to flare up. Apart from the danger, the increase in heat may distort or melt small metal-clay pieces. Any ash remaining on your work can be rinsed away later.

It's best to fire metal clay on a large cork clay piece slowly, from room temperature. If you put it into a hot kiln, it may flare up and disappear before the metal-clay shape has stabilised.

Unless the piece is small and you increase the heat slowly, don't use your kitchen gas hob, a camping gaz ring, or a butane torch. The cork clay will almost certainly flare up too quickly. If you want to try, wear safety glasses.

At Kitiki, and during courses, we work on two acrylic sheets: a transparent general work sheet and a black finishing sheet. We also use acrylic rollers, blocks, and thickness guides. They're smooth to work on, the clay releases without tearing the edges, and they're easy to clean. Also, if you're working at home, you can easily move an acrylic work sheet with your pieces.

It's a good idea to cut and shape on one sheet, and finish on another, to avoid picking up tiny offcuts of clay that may have begun to dry.

Don't use wooden work sheets: they're absorbent, contain oils, and cutting may release tiny slivers of wood. Although these will burn away during firing, they'll leave holes and may cause cracks during firing.

Whilst kneading the clay, make sure it doesn't pick up dust and absorb oil from your hands. Whilst shaping the clay, any tiny offcuts will air-dry quite quickly and, once they become embedded in your clay, will be difficult to remove. So, keep your work area clean, wash your hands, and don't use a skin moisturiser.

Using appropriate tools helps you enjoy your work, removes many technical difficulties, and liberates your imagination. To learn more about tools, go to start using the link below the menu bar, then tools.

Acrylics have a number of trade names, such as: Perspex, Setacryl, or Iridis. To learn more about setting up your work area, go to start using the link below the menu bar, then tools, then work area.

Kitiki Tool Kit 1 consists of a clear acrylic work sheet, a clear acrylic roller, and one pair of 1.5mm clear acrylic thickness guides.

Kitiki Tool Kit 2 consists of a clear acrylic work sheet, a teflon non-stick sheet, four pieces of non-stick paper, a clear acrylic roller, three different pairs of clear acrylic thickness guides, a clear acrylic rolling block, a black rubber work block, and a black acrylic finishing sheet.