| Today there are many options for putting
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| | silica. This clay composition accounts
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| colorful patterns onto porcelain china.
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| | for the pure white gleam of porcelain.
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| Some, like decoupage, waterslide decals
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| | Artisans who paint porcelain (rather than
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| and air-dry paints like Delta Air-Dry
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| | actually make it) refer to three grades
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| PermEnamel are within the reach of any
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| | of porcelain: hard-paste, soft-paste, and
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| home crafter.
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| | bone china. They all contain kaolin but
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| Others, like dye sublimation printing,
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| | only hard-paste has feldspar and silica
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| transfer printing and hand-glazing
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| | and is high-fired. The high temperatures
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| high-fired pottery require substantial
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| | cause the body and the glaze to fuse.
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| investment in equipment and are best
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| | When hard-paste porcelain is broken, it
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| suited to well-capitalized businesses and
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| | is impossible to distinguish the body
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| artists' cooperatives.
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| | from the glaze.
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| The two classic ways of putting patterns
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| | Soft-paste porcelain adds ground glass or
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| onto porcelain, hand-painting and
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| | frit (material for glass that is not yet
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| transfer printing, still exist today. In
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| | fused and vitrified) and is fired to
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| addition, there is a high-tech version of
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| | between cone 01 and 1 (1999 to 2109
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| waterslide decals used commercially which
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| | degrees F). Because soft-paste porcelain
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| consists of screen-printing decals with
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| | is fired at lower temperatures, it does
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| glazes and applying the decals to the
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| | not completely vitrify and remains
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| porcelain. In each case, the pottery is
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| | slightly porous. When soft-paste
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| high-fired before decorating to at least
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| | porcelain is broken, you can distinguish
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| cone 6. [Cone is a measure of heat
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| | a grainy body covered with a glassy layer
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| absorption resulting from heat applied
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| | of glaze.
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| over time. Cone 6 translates to between
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| | Bone china has bone ash added to the
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| 2165 and 2269 degrees F (depending on how
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| | kaolin and vitrifies (becomes glass-like)
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| fast the kiln heats - or ramps - up).]
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| | somewhere between cone 2 and cone 5 (2034
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| Such high-firing produces the hard
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| | to 2205 F). Though not as hard as true
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| almost-translucent quality of genuine
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| | porcelain, bone china is more durable
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| porcelain. Then the piece is decorated
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| | than soft-paste porcelain. The bone ash
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| and lightly fired repeatedly to melt and
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| | greatly increases the translucence of the
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| fuse the glazes to the porcelain.
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| | porcelain.
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| Incidentally, the term "porcelain" has
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| | Finally, go to a tile store and look at
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| been applied more and more broadly as new
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| | their "porcelain" tiles. If you turn them
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| techniques developed. Ask any potter to
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| | over, you will see base clay ranging from
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| define "porcelain" and he will likely
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| | white to brown to gray. The definition of
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| give you the classic definition. To a
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| | "porcelain" in the tile industry has
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| potter, genuine porcelain is high-fired
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| | nothing to do with the clay content or
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| (cone 6 or higher) white clay that is at
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| | level of firing. Rather, tile
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| least somewhat translucent. It has a
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| | manufacturers define as "porcelain" any
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| large proportion of kaolin clay, with the
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| | tile fired to the point where it absorbs
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| remainder being primarily feldspar and
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| | less than 3% moisture.
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