The basic clays that make up ceramics.
BONE ASH - ls pretty much what it seems: The calcium phosphate ash that comes from burned bones.
FELDSPAR - is a mineral that, when it weathers or decomposes, it turns into clay. Its colors range from white to pink, brown, or gray blue.
KAOLIN - is a clay found in hot, moist climates such as the village of Kao-Ling (get it?) in the Jiangxi province of China.
Bone china is the stronger of the two, with a base of bone ash and other ingredients such as feldspar-type rocks and kaolin. It can be fired at a lower temperature (1450 degrees Fahrenheit) and tends to have a milky, slightly translucent look. Bone china can appear thin and delicate – yet because its base is bone ash, it’s stronger than it looks.
Porcelain is made from 50 percent kaolin clay, 25 percent feldspar and 25 percent quartz fired at temperatures up to 2500 degrees Farenheit. It was invented in China — and surprise – that’s why it’s called china! Porcelain doesn’t need to be glazed in order to be waterproof – any glazing is decorative and helps resist stains and dirt. In most cases, older pieces were glazed all over – including the standing rim.
If you see an “antique” with an unglazed standing rim, be suspicious! Porcelain’s base is white, and even if thick, it’s translucent enough so you can see your hand through it. If it’s decorated, the designs don’t fade over time. Should it break, the pieces resemble glass.
HARD PASTE PORCELAIN, made from kaolin and Petunste, is primarily used in dinnerware. Soft paste was an early attempt to reproduce Chinese porcelain by adding ground glass, soapstone and lime to the clay.
The term VITREOUS has to do with how much moisture the porcelain will absorb. Because bone china and porcelain are exposed to such high temperatures, their clays fuse together, making them vitreous. Vitreous items absorb less than 3 percent moisture. Semi-vitreous pieces absorb from 3 to 7 percent moisture and are often marked as “semi-vitreous” or “SV.”
To see all our listing, visit: Ika's Trains and CollectablesNote #1: I will combine shipping for multiple items. Please purchase the items but do *NOT* pay. I will review and calculate shipping as close as to what I have to pay. I will then forward an invoice with the adjusted shipping. If you do pay ahead of this recalculation, I will refund the shipping difference as part of preparing the items for shipment.
Note #2: I want you to be happy with your purchase and would appreciate you leaving positive feedback. In the event you are not, please contact me immediately before leaving feedback so we may resolve it. Thank you. Note #3: If not previously stated item(s) come from a smoke-free environment with cats. Note #4: This is a Grandma & Grandpa shop. We have a 4-business day shipping window (this means that if you pay for your order on a Friday, it may not get shipping until the following Thursday). We do combine shipping especially when we are asked about it.If you want combined shipping, please purchase all your items in one order. If you purchase items in more than one order, send us a message so that we know about the additional items and box the orders together. (When items are bought in multiple orders, we do not always notice they were bought by the same person unless we are notified by the buyer.) We refund extra shipping charges when combined shipping is requested. If we ship items separately, we do not issue a shipping refund.
For our international customers: YES!! we do combine shipping. The most economical way for you to buy multiple items from us is for you to send us a list of the items you want to buy. Do not purchase them as they are listed!! (This leads to higher than necessary fees & shipping.) Send us a complete list of all the items you want. Then we will cancel the listings for the items and turn them into a special listing just for you (We'll send you the listing named before making it active). It will have your full purchase with the correct shipping box size and weight. This saves you on the international fees & shipping.