Bentone EW

Description: Rheological additive for ceramic glazes

Oxide	Analysis	Formula
CaO	5.50%	0.13
Li2O	1.30%	0.06
MgO	22.70%	0.74
Na2O	3.20%	0.07
Al2O3	0.80%	0.01
SiO2	53.20%	1.17
Fe2O3	0.30%	-
LOI	12.70%	n/a
Oxide Weight		115.00
Formula Weight		131.72

Notes

The Elementis website categorizes this as an inorganic additive with this detail: "With our BENTONE® product range, we empower ceramic production by offering superior viscosity control for natural materials. These products excel in water-based dispersions, enhancing homogeneity and stability in high-solid blends. This translates to the ability to develop a wide range of viscosities, improved ceramic material hardness, enhanced impact resistance, and better homogeneity in high-solid dispersions."

However, their website is not forthcoming on more detailed information and data and the difference between Bentone CT, EW and GS. But it appears they target this as a rheological additive for glazes.

The iron content is very low promising possible use in plasticizing porcelains. The very low Al₂O₃ content is striking for a ceramic material based on clay.

Related Information

Getting a start on testing Bentone

Bentone (AKA Macaloid) is a super plastic additive used to modify rheolgy in many consumer products. It is made by refining Hectorite. It is very difficult to mix pure Bentone with water, it is just so sticky and the water content is so high, it takes a week to dry a sample and it cracks into pieces during drying. I am studying five different grades for use as a plasticizer in premium porcelains. I am interested in how they stack up against the king: VeeGum T (both in price and performance). The first step was to fire square tiles of the powder on small porcelain tiles at cone 6 to compare the iron content. Three sintered into a solid mass, shrinking to about half the size. The CT grade is the natural, untreated Hectorite clay (accounting for its darker color), the processing to purify the material obviously increases its affinity for water, shrinkage and fired maturity.

Links

Typecodes	Clay Other Clays that are not kaolins, ball clays or bentonites. For example, stoneware clays are mixtures of all of the above plus quartz, feldspar, mica and other minerals. There are also many clays that have high plasticity like bentonite but are much different mineralogically.
URLs	http://www.elementis-specialties.com/_pdf/Datasheet/T/8104XXEN.pdf Data sheet for Bentone EW
URLs	https://www.elementis.com/markets-and-products/ceramics/traditional-ceramics/tiles-pottery/ Elementis Bentone products for tile and pottery
Materials	Veegum A clay of incredibly small particle size. It has the highest plasticity of any known clay and acts as a suspending and gelling agent in slurries.

By Tony Hansen
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