Better Porosity Clay for Brown Sugar Savers

Terra Cotta brown sugar savers are made by hundreds of companies and individuals. However would you like to make ones that have triple the porosity and are safer? Standard terra cotta clays need to be fired to cone 06 at least (to assure they will not chip or break at the edges). Ideally, they should be fired to cone 04. That means typical porosity will be about 8-12% (as measured by the SHAB test). However terra cotta clays have an issue regarding safety: Their geological origins, by definition, make them contaminated clays. Contaminated with iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium in significant amounts (e.g. 1% or more). These contaminants act as fluxes, causing the clay to vitrify at low temperatures. Terra Cotta clays also contain trace amounts of dozens of other elements in both soluble and insoluble forms. And they contain calcium and magnesium sulphates, which are both soluble also.

For many years I have suggested to people that they use a clay specifically formulated to have much higher porosity and the potential to be safer. The vast majority of people just answered that it was not a big deal. So now I am going to publish how to do it. The secret is the use of a red fireclay. The very fact that it is a fireclay necessitates far lower percentages of alkalis and alkaline earths (they act as vitrifiers in terra cottas). And the addition of two other ingredients dilute it to only 40% of the mix. The three part mix can be fired to high enough temperatures that glass development occurs, to lock in trace elements, while not impacting porosity (as high as cone 4).

I am still testing, stay tuned for the recipe and what you need to know to use it in the coming weeks.

Related Information

Terra Cotta brown sugar savers on Amazon - you can do better

These are sold at a wide range of prices and typically have 10% porosity. That means a 30-gram saver will soak up only 3 grams of water. If they are actually made of terra cotta clay then they contain what typical terra cotta clays contain: soluble salts that will effloresce (be brought to the surface by the water leaving a white stain on edges). And, if they are real, they contain other things: Terra cotta clays are nature's trace element who's who of the periodic table of elements. While higher temperature red burning clays are also trace element libraries, they are to a much lesser degree.

By Tony Hansen
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