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What kinds of ceramics are used to make dinnerware or Ceramics 101
By admin | January 22, 2009
First, lets start with – What is ceramics?
A basic definition of Ceramic would be:
Ceramic – any of various hard material made by firing a non-metallic mineral, as clay.
Ceramics are dinnerware or objects that are made from baked clay. The production of ceramics involve mixing powdered clay, a tempering medium, and water to create a paste or slip. A paste combination could then be made into a desired form. Slip is more liquid in nature and would be poured into a mold to create the desired shape.
The clay shape is then dried. Surface treatments like decoration or glaze may then be applied. The clay shaped object is then fired, and achieves a level of vitrification, where the particles of the clay fuse together. The high temperature of the firing has the effect of changing the physical properties of the clay object. For example, clay when exposed to water will turn to mud. After firing, the ceramic stays solid when wet.
Ceramics are usually classified in two categories:
- The nature or materials of the paste or slip from which the ceramic is made
- The type or style of surface treatment
The ceramic industry (not the dinnerware industry) separates the materials classification into three categories:
-
Earthenware
- The softest
- Least vitrified
- Stoneware
- Harder than Earthenware
- More vitrified than Earthenware
-
Porcelain
- The hardest
- The most vitrified (i.e. most glass-like)
The discussion of surface treatments for ceramics will be covered in a future post.
Topics: Dinnerware information, earthenware, porcelain, stoneware | No Comments »