What is included in porcelain? Types and distinctive features of faience and porcelain

The dishes are made from the most different materials- glass, ceramics, wood, earthenware, porcelain and even plastic. The most popular products are those made from porcelain, earthenware and ceramics. Many people are interested in the question of how to distinguish these materials from each other, and this is not difficult to do.

China

Faience and porcelain - differences between materials:

1. Porcelain is a ceramic material that is impermeable to air and water, but at the same time has a slight thickness. What is ceramics? The answer is simple - it is a material that is produced by sintering clay with some mineral additives. As for the porcelain itself, its main components are considered to be kaolin (clay), feldspar, etc. The porcelain item has a perfect white color. It is impossible to see pores on the surface of porcelain, since there are none. This ensures the strength of porcelain, making it an ideal raw material for the production of tableware.
2. Earthenware is a material that resembles porcelain in its properties, however earthenware product, unlike porcelain, will have small pores. What is the difference between porcelain and earthenware? The latter absorbs a certain amount of moisture (about 12%), while this property is not typical for porcelain. Earthenware consists of 85% clay, which explains the material’s ability to absorb water. It is for this reason that all earthenware products are covered with glaze.

Porcelain and faience: types

Before you figure out how to distinguish porcelain from earthenware, you should learn about the types of these materials. There are the following types of porcelain:

1. Hard: produced by double annealing at temperatures ranging from 1350 to 1450 degrees, resulting in a super-strong material for making cookware. Conventionally, hard porcelain is divided into the following types: household, electrical, chemical and artistic. As for the groups of hard porcelain, they can be divided into European (clay predominates in its composition) and Oriental (it is fired with a more gentle fire). temperature conditions, and porcelain itself contains less kaolin).
2. Soft: this porcelain is obtained by firing at temperatures up to 1350 degrees. Its color and characteristics are in many ways reminiscent of hard porcelain, but the soft material is more susceptible to temperature changes. All soft porcelain is divided into European, French and English.

As for faience, it comes in:

• alumina;
• fireclay;
• limestone;
• feldspar.

It is no secret that porcelain is more expensive than earthenware, which is what unscrupulous sellers of products made from these materials take advantage of. In order not to fall for the tricks of deceivers, you should find out how these types of raw materials for the production of tableware may differ.

Faience swan

Differences

Porcelain or earthenware - how to distinguish them:

1. You should take the product (it could be a mug, plate, figurine, etc.) and pay attention to its rim. If the edge that is not covered with glaze is white, then there is a high probability that the product in question is made of porcelain.
2. The test item should then be held up to the light. If it is translucent, this indicates that porcelain was used to make it. As for faience, it does not have such a characteristic. If you are checking a voluminous product, you should pay attention to its bottom. The absence of glaze on it will indicate that the product is made of porcelain.
3. You should take the product and lightly hit it with a metal object. Porcelain will produce a clear and ringing sound. As for earthenware, the sound emanating when you hit it will be muffled.
4. Over time, earthenware may lose its attractiveness - cracks form on products made from such material. This phenomenon is not typical for porcelain.
5. You can estimate the weight of the product. If it is small, but quite heavy, then this will indicate that the product is made of earthenware.
6. Products made from real porcelain are not painted, as it distorts the natural white color of the material. Almost all earthenware dishes are colored and variegated.

Dishes and decorative items made of porcelain, unlike earthenware, have high cost. To avoid mistakes when purchasing porcelain products, preference should be given to products offered under well-known brands.

What is porcelain? What is its composition?

1. Porcelain is the noblest and most perfect type of ceramics. It differs from all other types in a number of special properties, for example, in the fact that its mass is absolutely white not only on the surface, but also in the fracture. Transparency is also characteristic in the thinnest places of the shard. Porcelain consists of a mixture of different types of clay and a translucent glaze that covers the shard. If the twice-fired porcelain mass is left without glaze, as was customary at some porcelain factories when making small plastic pieces, medallions, and less often tableware, then the formation of special kind porcelain - biscuit.
   Depending on the composition of the porcelain mass and glaze, hard and soft porcelain are distinguished.

   Hard porcelain is distinguished by its strength, strong resistance to temperatures and acids, impenetrability, transparency, conchoidal fracture, and, finally, a clear bell sound. In Europe, it was invented in 1708 in Meissen by Johann Friedrich Boettger. A prominent representative of hard porcelain at present is the German company SELTMANN.
   Soft porcelain, compared to hard porcelain, is more transparent, its white color is more delicate, sometimes has an almost creamy tint. At first, European porcelain was, in most cases, soft, as exemplified by the beautiful and highly prized wares of old Sèvres. It was invented in the 16th century in Florence (Medici porcelain).
   Bone china is a well-known compromise between hard and soft porcelain. Its composition was discovered in England, and its production began there around 1750. It is more durable and harder than soft porcelain and less permeable, but it has a fairly soft glaze. Its color is not as white as that of hard porcelain, but purer than that of soft porcelain. Bone china was first used in 1748 in Bow by Thomas Fry.
   By British standards quality porcelain is called Bone China if the content of bone ash in it exceeds 35%. NARUMI/Bone China/ porcelain contains 47% (!) bone ash, which ensures whiteness, strength and fineness.

2. Porcelain (Turkish farfur, fagfur, from Persian fegfur) is a type of ceramic that is impenetrable to water and gas. It is translucent in a thin layer. When lightly struck with a wooden stick, it produces a characteristic high clear sound. Depending on the shape and thickness of the product, the tone may be different

   Properties

   Porcelain is usually produced by high-temperature firing of a fine mixture of kaolin, quartz, feldspar and plastic clay (this porcelain is called feldspar). The term porcelain in the English-language literature is often applied to technical ceramics: zircon, alumina, lithium, boron-calcium, etc. porcelain, which reflects the high density of the corresponding special ceramic material.

   Hard porcelain (English) Russian. , which contains 4766% kaolin, 25% quartz and 25% feldspar, is richer in kaolin (alumina) and poorer in fluxes. To obtain the required translucency and density, it requires a higher firing temperature (from 1400 C to 1460 C).
   Soft porcelain

   Soft porcelain (English) Russian. more diverse in chemical composition and consists of 2540% kaolin, 45% quartz and 30% feldspar. The firing temperature does not exceed 1300-1350 C. Soft porcelain is used primarily for the manufacture of artistic products, and hard porcelain is usually used in technology (electrical insulators) and in everyday use (dishes).

   One type of soft porcelain is bone china (English) Russian. , which contains up to 50% bone ash, as well as kaolin, quartz, etc., and which is particularly white, thin-walled and translucent.

   Porcelain is usually glazed. White, matte, unglazed porcelain is called bisque. In the era of Classicism, biscuits were used as inserts in furniture products
   http://www.topauthor.ru/CHto_takoe_farfor_58e9.html (Remove spaces)

3. porcelain is the highest grade of white clay
4. Porcelain is a type of ceramic that is impermeable to water and gas. It is translucent in a thin layer. When lightly struck with a wooden stick, it produces a characteristic high clear sound. Depending on the shape and thickness of the product, the tone may be different.

   Porcelain is also differentiated depending on the composition of the porcelain mass into soft and hard. Soft porcelain differs from hard porcelain not in hardness, but in the fact that when firing soft porcelain, more liquid phase is formed than when firing hard porcelain, and therefore there is a higher risk of deformation of the workpiece during firing.

   Hard porcelain - its composition includes 4766% kaolin, 25% quartz and 25% feldspar, richer in kaolin (alumina) and poorer in fluxes. To obtain the required translucency and density, it requires a higher firing temperature (from 1400 C to 1460 C).

   Soft porcelain is more varied in chemical composition and consists of 2540% kaolin, 45% quartz and 30% feldspar. The firing temperature does not exceed 1300-1350 C. Soft porcelain is used primarily for the manufacture of artistic products, and hard porcelain is usually used in technology (electrical insulators) and in everyday use (dishes).

   Porcelain was first produced in 620 in China. The method of its manufacture was kept secret for a long time, and only in 1708 did the Saxon experimenters Tschirnhaus and Bettger manage to obtain European porcelain.

   Attempts to discover the secret of Oriental porcelain continued for almost two centuries in Italy, France and England. However, the result was materials closer to glass.

   Johann Friedrich Bettger (1682-1719) began to conduct experiments in the creation of porcelain, which in 1707/1708 led to the creation of rothes Porcelain (red porcelain) fine ceramics, jasper porcelain.

   However, real porcelain had yet to be discovered. The process of porcelain production is carefully documented in the travel accounts of missionaries and merchants, but the types of porcelain used could not be inferred from these reports. technological processes. For example, the notes of the Jesuit priest François Xavier d'Entrecole are known, containing the secret of the technology for producing Chinese porcelain, made by him in 1712, but which became known to the general public only in 1735.

   It is believed that the experiments on creating white porcelain took place simultaneously with the experiments on creating rothes Porcelain, since just two years later, in 1709 or 1710, white porcelain was more or less ready for production.

   At the end of December 1707, a successful experimental firing of white porcelain was carried out. The first laboratory notes on usable porcelain mixtures date back to January 15, 1708. On April 24, 1708, an order was given to create a porcelain manufactory in Dresden. The first examples of porcelain fired in July 1708 were unglazed. By March 1709, Bettger had solved this problem, but he presented glazed porcelain samples to the king only in 1710.

   In 1710, at the Easter fair in Leipzig, salable jasper porcelain ware was presented, as well as examples of glazed and unglazed white porcelain.

Products made from these ceramic materials almost always surround a person. They often delight the eye with their sophistication and ease of use. However, many do not fully understand what their differences are despite their external similarity.

Ringing and transparent

This type of pottery is made by exposing a very finely ground mixture of white clay called kaolin, plastic clay, feldspar and quartz to high temperatures. If you lightly hit a porcelain cup with a wooden shelf, it will ring with a clear, high-pitched sound of varying tones. The wall of such dishes will be translucent.

It is known that porcelain has Chinese origin. It was first received in the middle of the first millennium. The local porcelain production masters strictly guarded its secrets. For hundreds of years, Europeans struggled to solve it, until early XVII century, Meissen porcelain was not experimentally obtained. For a long time, neither in the East nor in Europe could they determine the chemical composition of porcelain raw materials and the technological details of its production.

Later, porcelain began to be divided into hard and soft. The first is a homogeneous white mass, which is fired at 1350-1450 °C. This procedure is carried out first at a low firing temperature limit. Then glaze is applied to the product, after which it is fired on upper limit temperature. This type of porcelain contains more kaolin and less feldspar. It has no pores, is distinguished by its high strength, heat resistance and whiteness. It is classified as dense ceramics and is used mainly in the manufacture of dishes.

It is usually glazed, but there is porcelain called bisque that does not undergo this operation. A special type of hard porcelain is porcelain invented in England, called bone. It received this name because up to half of its composition is calcium phosphate, contained in the bones of cows. This is a very fragile material of exceptional whiteness and translucency, from which it is mainly made art products. In addition to tableware and decorative purposes, hard porcelain is used for the production of electrical insulators and laboratory glassware.

There is also soft porcelain or semi-porcelain, which is fired at a temperature lower than the lower firing threshold of hard porcelain. Outwardly, it is similar to hard porcelain, but is sensitive to temperature changes and mechanical stress. It is usually used to create highly artistic sculptures. Chinese porcelain, which contains less kaolin, is also such porcelain. Typically, porcelain products are coated with a glaze, which can be poured onto the painted surface or paints can be applied to it, which are then baked into the glaze.

Porous and opaque

Earthenware, which is close to porcelain, is used for the production of inexpensive dishes, sanitary ware, facing tiles, parts decorating architectural objects, etc. To make products from it, the same components are used as for porcelain, but in a different ratio. Of these, approximately 85% is clay. Its firing temperature from 1050 to 1280°C. Inside it is finely porous and dense, usually white. The porosity can reach contributes to its water absorption, which can reach 12%. Therefore, earthenware is covered with transparent or opaque glaze. He also came from the East.

Products imported from Iran, painted with cream glaze and colored enamels, were extremely popular. Starting from the 16th century, faience began to be produced in France, then spread to England, Germany and Russia. Faience was used for artistic purposes. It was painted with enamels, decorated with reliefs and covered with colored glazes<. src="https://vchemraznica.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/taar268.jpg" alt="Faience plates" width="472" height="490" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-9880" srcset="https://vchemraznica.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/taar268-289x300.jpg 289w, https://vchemraznica.ru/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/taar268.jpg 472w" sizes="(max-width: 472px) 100vw, 472px">

On the territory of the Russian Empire, faience began to be produced in the 19th century. Several earthenware factories were launched. IN modern Russia There are up to a dozen such enterprises. Largest producers porcelain and earthenware in the world are located in Great Britain, Germany, France and Japan. The principle of earthenware production remained the same, taking into account the changes caused by technical progress. Earthenware products are most often prepared by pouring a semi-liquid mass of raw materials into disassembled molds.

Custom and artistic products are molded by hand. Dried in special chambers, they undergo cleaning and straightening procedures. After this, they are placed in closed fireproof molds and fired. Firing takes place in two stages. First it is done to form a shard. Then a layer of glaze is applied to the product, which melts during firing. After cooling, a glassy surface sintered with the shard is obtained. Earthenware, which is intended for plumbing and electrical needs, is fired once.

What is the difference

1. Porcelain differs from earthenware primarily in its composition, which ensures its glass-like appearance. It contains less plastic clay and more quartz and feldspar. 85% of the composition of faience is clay.
2. Porcelain has a much higher firing temperature.
3. Porcelain is resistant to liquids. Unglazed earthenware can absorb water.
4. The mechanical strength of porcelain is significantly higher than that of earthenware.
5. Porcelain shines through in the light; light does not pass through earthenware.
6. When you tap the porcelain, a clear ringing sound is heard. In faience it is deaf.
7. Porcelain retains its qualities for centuries. Over time, cracks form on the surface of earthenware.
8. If you take two porcelain and earthenware products of the same shape and wall thickness, then the porcelain one will be lighter.
9. The unglazed parts of porcelain dishes are white, while those of earthenware can be beige.
10. Porcelain products are usually white and can be painted. The same objects of other colors are most likely earthenware.

Porcelain is also differentiated depending on the composition of the porcelain mass. soft And solid. Soft porcelain is different from hard not by hardness, but by the fact that when firing soft porcelain, more liquid phase is formed than when firing hard porcelain, and therefore there is a higher risk of deformation of the workpiece during firing.

The term “porcelain” in English-language literature is often applied to technical ceramics: zircon, alumina, lithium, bornocalcium and other porcelain, which reflects the high density of the corresponding special ceramic material.

• Soft porcelain

  Porcelain painting

  Porcelain is painted in two ways: underglaze painting and overglaze painting.

  In underglaze painting of porcelain, paints are applied to unglazed porcelain. The porcelain piece is then covered with a transparent glaze and fired at high temperature up to 1350 degrees.

  The palette of colors for overglaze painting is richer; overglaze painting is applied over glazed linen (the professional term for unpainted white porcelain) and then fired in muffle furnace at temperatures from 780 to 850 degrees.

  During firing, the paint fuses into the glaze, leaving behind a thin layer of glaze. After a good firing, paints shine (except for special matte paints used only for decorative purposes), do not have any roughness and in the future better resist the mechanical and chemical effects of acidic food products and alcohol.

  Among the paints for painting porcelain, the group of paints prepared using noble metals stands out. The most common paints using gold , platinum And silver paint (or Argentina).

  Gold paints with a lower percentage of gold content (10-12%) are fired at a temperature of 720 to 760 degrees (bone china is fired at a lower temperature than solid - “real” porcelain). These paints are more decorative, and products decorated with them cannot be subjected to mechanical stress (wash with abrasive agents and in the dishwasher.)

  Gold and silver chandeliers, polishing polish and powdered gold and silver (50-90 percent) are fired at a higher temperature along with paints. Polishing polish and powdered gold after firing have a matte appearance and are marked with an agate pencil (the pattern is applied approximately like a simple pencil on paper, only you cannot make a mistake with shading the pattern, since this cannot be corrected in any way. The master in this case must be very highly qualified) Combination matte and shiny after gold zitting creates an additional decorative effect on porcelain. Chandeliers and gold powder paints are more durable on porcelain than 10-12% gloss. However, in the entire history of the creation of porcelain and its technologies, nothing better and cheaper than decorating porcelain with gloss has been invented.

  Professional overglaze painting is carried out using gum turpentine and turpentine oil. The paints are pre-soaked on the palette for a day or more. After work, they are thoroughly rubbed with the addition of turpentine oil. Turpentine in jars should be dry, slightly greasy (turpentine gradually changes from one state to another). The oil should also be more fluid and thicker. To work, take a piece of soaked paint, add oil and turpentine - and dilute the mixture to the consistency of thick sour cream. For brush stroke painting, the paint is diluted a little thicker, for pen painting - a little thinner.

  It is important that the paint does not bleed from under the pen or brush. Underglaze paint is diluted with water, sugar with the addition of a small amount of glycerin.

  Story

  Porcelain was first produced in 620 China. The method of its manufacture was kept secret for a long time and only in 1708 Saxon experimenters Chirngauz And Böttger managed to obtain European porcelain ( Meissen).

  Attempts to discover the secret of Oriental porcelain continued for almost two centuries in Italy, France and England. However, the result was materials that vaguely resembled porcelain and were closer to glass.

  Johann Friedrich Böttger (1682-1719) began to conduct experiments in the creation of porcelain, which in 1707/1708 led to the creation of “rothes Porcelain” (red porcelain) - fine ceramics, jasper porcelain.

  However, real porcelain had yet to be discovered. Chemistry as a science in its modern understanding did not yet exist. Neither in China nor Japan, nor in Europe could the raw materials for the production of ceramics be determined from the point of view of chemical composition. The same applied to the technology used. The process of porcelain production is carefully documented in the travel accounts of missionaries and merchants, but the processes used could not be inferred from these reports. For example, the notes of a priest are known: Jesuit François Xavier d'Entrecole (English) Russian, containing the secret technology of producing Chinese porcelain, made by him in 1712, but which became known to the general public only in 1735.

  Understanding the basic principle underlying the porcelain production process, namely the need to fire the mixture various types soils - those that are easily fused and those that are more difficult to fusion - arose as a result of long systematic experiments based on experience and knowledge of geological, metallurgical and “alchemical-chemical” relationships. It is believed that the experiments to create white porcelain were carried out simultaneously with the experiments to create "rothes Porcelain", since just two years later, in 1709 or 1710, white porcelain was already more or less ready for production.