Zero3 Porcelain - Experimental

Notes

This body is not available for sale. It is a fritware porcelain (frit is the flux instead of the traditional feldspar). Frits melt far low temperatures so this supercharges the firing maturity. A long series of test mixes in search of a blend of North American materials found that the glassy phase of the frit amplifies the color of any iron in the kaolin (even tiny amounts). No kaolins available to us were suitable except Grolleg and New Zealand Kaolin (it contains only 0.15% iron). NZK is short, so lots of VeeGum is needed. A pinkish color still remains making it necessary to add a small amount of blue stain (giving it the color of cone 10 reduction porcelain). Propeller mix it very thoroughly and be careful about substituting that stain, agglomerates during mixing produce ugly blue fired specks! This body pairs with G2931K clear glaze (the fully fritted version of G2931F) and a drop-and-soak firing glaze schedule. The secrets of this body are thus: -The 30% frit: Frit is expensive but it makes the impossible possible! -The NZ Kaolin: The whitest available in the world. -The VeeGum: Super plastic super-white. Bentone also works. -The silica for glaze fit and as a structural framework. As noted, this body will be among the most plastic you have ever used (of any kind). But this is only true if it is stiff enough. Do not use it soft, the shrinkage will be much higher and you risk drying cracks. Higher than normal firing shrinkage is a part of using this type of body. But that also indicates very high density and strength. This frit is slightly soluble. That means that on storage it will affect stiffness in the plastic clay or affect the rheology of a casting slip. It can affect plaster and your plaster table. If we were to manufacture this is could cost $150 a box. But before dismissing this think about the advantages of using it for making smaller pieces: -Fast firing: As little as 3 hours cold-to-cold. -The appearance of cone 10R but with far brighter colors. -High strength. -Throw ware ultra thin and light. -A perfectly fitted ultra-clear dipping glaze that is far cheaper to make than commercial glazes. -Dramatic reduction in wear-and-tear on kiln elements and energy usage. A final note: Because this body matures at such a low temperature it needs to be bisqued much lower (around 1500F. if ware is not absorbent enough fire lower). Units-of-measure: I have specified 50 lb bags to fill the needed amount for the NZ kaolin, however it comes in 20kg bags. But you are likely mixing in grams or ounces so just refer to the percentage column.