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Lithium carbonate had reached stratospheric prices and we were searching for a different supplier. We had to be sure the material from a new manufacturer was the same. How? We found a wonky glaze having 6% of it (lithium is a very powerful flux so small percentages are normal). By 'wonky' I mean one that gives little priority to function - it runs, crystallizes and crazes like mad and fires very differently depending on temperature, clay and firing schedule. We glazed a variety of pieces using this recipe and found it to work equally crazily on them all! These two, the original lithium on the right and the new one on the left, looked the most interesting, likely because of being on a dark clay body (Plainsman M390). Obviously, this type of recipe is very sensitive to thickness, we attributed the difference to that. Good news in 2024: Prices have dropped more than 60%.
Materials |
Lithium Carbonate
A powerful melter very valuable in ceramic glazes. It is 40% Li2O and has an LOI of 60% (lost as CO2 on firing). This material in now incredibly expensive. |
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