Library: Subsituting Gerstley Borate

This chapter in the book (and matching video at digitalfire.com) details how to substitute Gerstley Borate for another boron source in the popular Floating Blue glaze recipe. The lesson demonstrates that the most practical way to deal with the GB issue is on a glaze-by-glaze basis, formulating an approach that maintains the chemistry of the glaze, evaluates the sources of boron in the light of the chemistry of GB but also its physical properties and their importance to the working properties of the glaze. The boron sourcing frit (Ferro Frit 3134) is tried first and proves to be unsuitable, then ulexite is employed and found to be an ideal substitute.

Out Bound Links

• (URLs) Tutorial Videos at Digitalfire
  http://digitalfire.com/university/index.html
• (URLs) Digitalfire INSIGHT Instruction Manual
  http://digitalfire.com/ins/INSIGHTManual.pdf

In Bound Links

• (Materials) Ulexite - NaCaB5O9·8H2O - Sodium calcium borate

  Television Stone

• (Materials) Gerstley Borate - Plastic Calcium Borate

  Colemanite, Calcium Borate, Borocalcite

• (Recipes) G2587 - Floating Blue Cone 5-6 (Gerstley Borate)
  Classic recipe from David Shaner
  2004-03-12 - This glaze has its own page at www.gerstleyborate....
• (Materials) Ferro Frit 3134 - Leadless and zero alumina high calcia borosilicate frit

  F3134

• (Typecodes) 1: GBS - Gerstley Borate Substitutes