First you sculpt whatever it is you want to make with your clay (it's just like real clay, except that it dries so fast so you have to work super duper fast!). Then when it dries you can file it further and smooth it out. Then you wait for it to totally dry and then kiln or torch fire it. Metal clay is fine silver mixed with an organic binder that burns of when you fire it. So, when you fire it, you are left with .999 fine silver, which is a higher silver content than sterling silver. And you can't have something that is sterling silver plated, I just have to tell you that, don't be fooled!
I use pmc 3, which is a low-fire metal clay. I have a torch and a kiln. I got a kiln from my in-laws last Christmas. I don't have the greatest luck with the torch, but I love the kiln. The torch also gets used up so quickly. I think I fired three pieces with my torch before it was empty. But, also I spilled lots of butane on my hands and jeans when I filled it up, oops. I was happy to not have spontaneously combusted.
