Mike, Aside from the cosmetic thing I think it much preferrable that we get the silver bonding somehow with the earthenware, then the lifetime concerns only the strength of the ceramic, and not the silver flushing out. (BTW, Roger, Frank, Quitcove, Everybody, Regarding more recent messages than this one, I'm consulting several scientifically inclined colleagues regarding the in depth chemistry, and will at some point get back to you, hopefully soon.)
Currently we fire with gas, though village potters will likely use wood as fuel. There is also the possibility that a light reduction atmosphere would promote the bond without all the carbon deposit, but to establish that is happening requires lots of testing. Choking off the air may accomplish sufficient, light reduction, but in the past, to establish the reaction is more or less complete we have thrown sawdust into the kiln, i.e. heavy reduction. I will also be looking for answers from potters, but many of those knowledgeable in firing have no clue about silver. Reid Mike Devour said: Honestly, I'd bet the silver would work whether or not it kept the initial (alleged) colloidal particle charge, Reid. Even drying the colloid probably dumps the silver back to the ground state..... ....You are attempting to use a lower firing to "set" the silver in place by baking to above the metal's melting point. The kiln is a simple one run on locally available fuel? A reducing is made by choking the air supply, which produces soot, of course. Your main problem is a cosmetic one, so you might consider a cosmetic solution. Find a way to darken the clay so the sooting would not be so obvious? Or find a way to prevent the sooting... Have you asked this question on any pottery lists? -- The silver-list is a moderated forum for discussion of colloidal silver. To join or quit silver-list or silver-digest send an e-mail message to: [email protected] -or- [email protected] with the word subscribe or unsubscribe in the SUBJECT line. To post, address your message to: [email protected] Silver-list archive: http://escribe.com/health/thesilverlist/index.html List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
