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2, 5, 10, 15% calcium carbonate added to Ravenscrag Slip on a buff stoneware fired at cone 10R. It gets progressively glossier toward 15%, crazing starts at 10% (test by Kat Valenzuela). Adding a flux only reduces the SiO2 and Al2O3, this pushes the thermal expansion upwards. 5% is actually sufficient. An alternative would be to use wollastonite, it supplies SiO2 also.
The glaze is 10% calcium carbonate added to Ravenscrag slip. Ravenscrag Slip does not craze when used by itself as a glaze at cone 10R on this body, so why would adding a relatively low expansion flux like CaO make it craze? This is an excellent example of the value of looking at the chemistry (the three are shown side-by-side in my account at Insight-live.com). The added CaO pushes the very-low-expansion Al2O3 and SiO2 down by 30% (in the unity formula), so the much higher expansion of all the others drives the COE of the whole way up. And talc? It contains SiO2 (so the SiO2 is not driven down nearly as much) and its MgO has a much lower expansion than CaO does.
Recipes |
GR10-A - Pure Ravenscrag Slip
Ravenscrag all by itself makes a great cone 10 reduction semi-gloss glaze. It also has great working properties. |
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Materials |
Calcium Carbonate
In ceramics, calcium carbonate is primarily a source of CaO in raw stoneware and porcelain glazes. |
Oxides | CaO - Calcium Oxide, Calcia |
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