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barium carbonate / food safe?

updated sat 31 jul 04

 

lela martens on thu 29 jul 04


Hello all,

Interesting the subject has come around to barium, cause I have a question.
A couple of weeks ago while visiting a fairly local gallery I noticed some
pottery, drinking vessels and pouring containers that looked like they were
completely covered in a barium blue glaze. They were made by a well known
and respected potter of the area, most of you would recognize the name. I
was very surprised.
Or, could there be a food safe glaze that looks identical to a barium? I
have never heard of one that has `that look`, but sure would like to.
Thanks, Lela

Antoinette Badenhorst on thu 29 jul 04


Lela, I have successfully adjusted some of my barium glazes and use
strontium carbonate instead. The color is slightly different, but the
matt appearance is the same. It might be worth it for you to contact the
potter and find out if he would want to clear that question for you.
Regards.

Antoinette Badenhorst
105 Westwood Circle
Saltillo MS
38866
662 869 1651
www.clayandcanvas.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of lela
martens
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2004 12:43 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: Barium Carbonate / food safe?

Hello all,

Interesting the subject has come around to barium, cause I have a
question.
A couple of weeks ago while visiting a fairly local gallery I noticed
some
pottery, drinking vessels and pouring containers that looked like they
were
completely covered in a barium blue glaze. They were made by a well
known
and respected potter of the area, most of you would recognize the name.
I
was very surprised.
Or, could there be a food safe glaze that looks identical to a barium? I
have never heard of one that has `that look`, but sure would like to.
Thanks, Lela

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Ron Roy on mon 2 aug 04


Hi Lela,

It is probably Barium - but even if it's not - those types of glazes are
rarely stable. Ask the gallery owner to leave a slice of lemon on the glaze
over night - and ask them if that is the kind of functional ware they want
to be know for.

Food safe is not the same as durable or stable - a glaze can be unsafe
according to the law - if it has a certain level of leachable lead or
Cadmium - unstable or not durable means the glazes will leach everything in
the glaze into foods including the colouring oxides - it's just a mater of
time.

Stable glazes leach their components into food very slowly - so slowly they
present no problem to human health no mater what is in them.

RR


>Interesting the subject has come around to barium, cause I have a question.
>A couple of weeks ago while visiting a fairly local gallery I noticed some
>pottery, drinking vessels and pouring containers that looked like they were
>completely covered in a barium blue glaze. They were made by a well known
>and respected potter of the area, most of you would recognize the name. I
>was very surprised.
>Or, could there be a food safe glaze that looks identical to a barium? I
>have never heard of one that has `that look`, but sure would like to.
>Thanks, Lela

Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
Phone: 613-475-9544
Fax: 613-475-3513