^5 Porcelain Fired To ^06

[NawaeClay]

I currently have a ^5 Porcelain clay that I am using to make small handbuilt sculptures and what not that aren't really meant to do anything other than sit on a shelf or be used as small aquarium decor. I bisque it all to ^06 and then plan to use low-midfire glazes (Mayco Stroke N Coat) on them and glaze around the same ^06-^04 range.

 

Now my question is, MUST I ever fire this clay to its labeled ^5 rating or is that just basically how high it CAN go?

 

Also, if I DID plan to only ever fire it to ^06, would it be safe to submerge these sculptures underwater for aquarium decor or would they fall apart like they would if they were still greenware?

 

Kinda a dumb question(s), but I wasnt sure if I HAD to fire it to ^5 to keep it from falling apart underwater...I already know they won't be as sturdy if I kept them at ^06, but as shelf or tank decor I didn't think it'd matter, but I honestly don't know.

 

Thank y'all in advance,

M.Wooster

[Min]

The clay won't disintegrate like greenware in the aquarium if it's been bisqued.  I don't know what could leach out of the glazes that might be harmful to fish. 

[Marcia Selsor]

I think the clay would be punky and would get surface erosion after a while. Fire to ^5 if possible. The underfed clay will be absorbing water despite the coat of glaze on it.The glaze could have spalling...come off because of moisture behind the surface.

Marcia

[glazenerd]

Bites tongue, and just hits the like button above.

[Min]

Think I was being too subtle. No, I wouldn't do this, I would even be hesitant to use clay and glazes fired to maturity in an aquarium unless you know there is nothing that will leach out of the glaze that is toxic to fish. Bisque won't fall apart like greenware, but it's the glazes I have concerns with.

[Mark C.]

Use the right clay and glaze no matter what the use. Mature clay is what you need-clay is cheap just get the right clay.

If you like your fish -you should not experiment with their lives.

[NawaeClay]

I was thinking about the water absorbing and eroding the actual clay last night as I inspected some older decor I had from the 80s. It seemed to have "pitting" in the areas it hadn't been glazed (the bottom). Then again, it's over 30 years old, was most likely fired to maturity as it was a mass produced sculpture and had been in and out of tanks, cleaned, scrubbed, bleached, etc. The glaze having issues adhering or holding up on immature clay under water and pressure was honestly what worried me the most. I'll just hold off on it for now when it comes to the aquatic decor and focus on tinkering with my "shelf clutter" until I have the time to really experiment. 🤣

 

Anywho, Thanks much for basically confirming my suspicion and saving me the time and money I don't really have right now 😔

 

 

 

***Disclaimer: Glazed ceramic decor isn't at all a new idea; it's been used and sold for decades as well as resin, PVC and even spraypaints like Krylon fusion are safe for even reef aquariums. I've even used Krylon spraypainted pvc light diffusers to propagate various hard and soft corals for years with no adverse effect. So finding something "safe" isn't at all that difficult if you know what to look for. If its safe for human/pet consumption and food use, it *shouldn't* have an adverse reaction to the aquarium biology and parameters. I don't intend on using anything with lead or that isnt safe to use on a "pet bowl". That is one hobby I fortunately know 100% more about than this.