Babs Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Recently I received this beaker, work of a British potter, as a present. Bought at Harrods of London no less. Part of a range of tableware. Obviously it is sold as a receptacle of liquid. Would you drink from this, how frequently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mregecko Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 Would I drink from it? Probably, whenever I wanted. Is it definitely food safe? No. But I've been exposed to enough bad things in my life that one cup won't kill me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chantay Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I'm sure more experienced potters will comment here shortly, but I'm not sure what the problem is. Assuming it is actually made by the local potter, and not china. There are many food safe red glazes. I use a commercial one. Now, I wouldn't be licking the outside of the vessel. I don't understand your concerns. Now, a friend gave me a mug purchased off ebay. The glaze looks OK and the vessel looks OK. But, their is no identifying marks on the mug. I will not use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Miller Posted January 8, 2014 Report Share Posted January 8, 2014 I had the same feeling the other day. I was at a friends place, we were cooking dumplings. When it came time to make the black-vinegar soy, dipping sauce, out came some very red, commercially made bowls. All I could think is "that was made with CADMIUM." I know there are food safe, encapsulated pigments out there, but I'm not sure I trust them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 There are many food safe red glazes. I use a commercial one. How do you know it is food safe on your wares? best, ................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia UK Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Given the prestige of Harrods, I'd email them and ask directly. They should be able to tell you, or find out. Contact their Customer Service dept or Buyer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kohaku Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Given the prestige of Harrods, I'd email them and ask directly. They should be able to tell you, or find out. Contact their Customer Service dept or Buyer. As John inferred above, this is often a very complex question. The glaze might be labeled 'food safe' and used as such by the potter... but this doesn't mean that the wares are non-leaching at the conditions that the potter fired. There are are number of 'food safe' reds that look like that that contain cadmium, for example. I went through this a month or so ago... and even repeated contacts to the glaze manufacturer don't guarantee a clear answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Or ... You could simply go to the real source and send an email to the potter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Without markings on the bottom indicating not food safe, I would assume it is intended for use and has a liner glaze intending to make it so or the high gloss red is safe. I guess it would be risky behavior from an unknown source but the fact that its from a reputable well known shop and because of the form I think it would be marked if it was not safe. I love that wood grain look and want to figure out how to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Or ... You could simply go to the real source and send an email to the potter. In my experience Chris... a huge portion of the time the potter doesn't know. Few understand the whole business about this stuff. Few have their fired work tested in a routine sampling program (like what is dictated by US FDA laws). This is likely a UK based potter....so US standards/ thoughts on this subject did not apply in the home country anyway. Again , in my experience most potters seem to assume that if the manufacture/supplier says "food safe" ......... they are covered. Just becasue someone is a good or even great visual artist.... that does not necessarily make them a good "technician" in the field. (Few have not gotten their BFA or MFA because they flunked the laze chem courses .) Unfortunately, this crazy art form of ours, when it comes to the functional realm, tends to demand a bit of both. best, ...............john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Without markings on the bottom indicating not food safe, I would assume it is intended for use and has a liner glaze intending to make it so or the high gloss red is safe. I guess it would be risky behavior from an unknown source but the fact that its from a reputable well known shop and because of the form I think it would be marked if it was not safe. I love that wood grain look and want to figure out how to do it. I've bought pieces from a "well known and reputable source" that light up a hardware lead test kit. I KNEW this going in, so it was no surprise to me, because of my ceramic technical background and simply looking at the piece. It has to be lead based to get the effect. I was buying it for aesthetic reasons for a collection,..... not to eat out of. best, ................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Not doubting you at all, I guess I am surprised. This is a form that would typically be used to drink from and as such should be food safe (with a liner glaze if necessary) or marked accordingly. I guess I am guilty of believing that most professional potteries and potters would adhere to this. I will say though that I would be hesitant to assume folks aren't being professional. It has been my experience that most people take their small businesses seriously and will make the effort to do things right. Decent people care about public safety and liability and those that are not decent care about liability. If any potter is selling to the general public a form that is generally used to eat or drink from without making sure it is food safe or clearly marked that it is not is just asking for a lawsuit at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyndham Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 BTW edited for brevity the beaker looks like an encapsulated color for the photo, but who knows but the potter. If it is of concern, put it in a curio cabinet and enjoy it's beauty and your friends friendship for thinking well about you. Wyndham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted January 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 BTW edited for brevity the beaker looks like an encapsulated color for the photo, but who knows but the potter. If it is of concern, put it in a curio cabinet and enjoy it's beauty and your friends friendship for thinking well about you. Wyndham Encapsulated colour not sure I know what you mean? Reputable source, well Harrod's would sell a few cosmetics containing titanium dioxide and worse, all for beauty. I will have the occasional drink from this, however I do not like the feel of the outer surface, too rough for my delicate mouth, which usually has my feet in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJR Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 Encapsulated means fired into the glass. Reds are so much more stable these days. But I wouldn't drink out of it. Sorry. TJR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayjay Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 But I wouldn't drink out of it. Sorry. As a matter of interest (and not particularly directed at TJR) what beverages would I have to drink from this and how often and for how long for some harm to befall me if this was not "food safe" because of Cadmium. I don't really like the shape anyway, so it might get some novelty use initially, but I'd soon go back to one of my favourite mugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted January 9, 2014 Report Share Posted January 9, 2014 As a matter of interest (and not particularly directed at TJR) what beverages would I have to drink from this and how often and for how long for some harm to befall me if this was not "food safe" because of Cadmium. http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074515.htm Only by testing IF there is release will you know. THIS is the whole point of the discussion. This piece might be FINE. But...... we don't KNOW that. I'll bet it is likely that the potter that made it does not know that either. best, ....................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrellVanDrooly Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 If you're worried about the bright red glaze, don't be. Even if it does leach cadmium or lead, or any other heavy metal it's not going to be enough to do you any damage. (according to my personal knowledge and experience, I'm not telling you that it's a good idea to go out and drink from lead painted cups every day) I use bright reds, and know that they are perfectly food safe, however I do have all my glazes tested, and whoever made that cup may not have. Best, DVD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 Feeble, Thanks for the reference on the UK laws on this. I figured there likely were some.... but as a US ceramics educator, my focus is on US standards. So this is help for forum members from the UK to know. best, ....................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 I'm one of the guilty ones here, in that I have not had pieces tested. However, I do do a few things that at least give me a feeling for what is going on with my glazes. Whenever I have pieces come out of the kiln, one goes into the dishwasher, and one gets vinegar poured in it. These are left there for about a month, and then I compare the surfaces to a piece that has not been treated in such a manner. There have been pieces in the past that did not hold up well to this testing. Crazy thing is, usually a refiring corrected the problem. Now I have a tendency of firing more like ^6.25 than right to the 90 degree I considered to be cone 6. I know that this is not the same as a lab test, but it is being somewhat responsible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted January 10, 2014 Report Share Posted January 10, 2014 Pres, One of the important things to understand is that if there are not any particularly toxic things IN the glaze recipe/formula to start with, then release of anything is not of any real concern. It may be an issue be from an "archival standards" point of view (changes in the artistic visual qualities of the piece over time), but from a liability and health and legal standpoint........ not an issue. So for example of a glaze is composed of a clay, a feldspar, flint, and something like whiting........ no reason to test. Nothing toxic there. Something like any added iron has to leach at sucg a huge level to be of a helath concern that that is not really an issue either. And so on. There is a REASON that the US FDA has specific laws on cadmium and lead....... they exhibit significant toxicity in small doses. best, .......................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted January 11, 2014 Report Share Posted January 11, 2014 John, As I have stated often before, there are things I do not allow in the studio-Barium specifically. There are other things that I don't like having there, but don't seem to have much choice: Cobalt, Manganese, Chromium, and some others. I know enough to watch what is in my glazes as far as colorants, and know that in most cases a red red glaze is not safe for food. Even though my understanding of glaze chemistry is limited and I really don't like to do the math, I do understand most of the materials and their place in a proper glaze. I have learned much more about these things through the posts here on the forum over the years, and especially from the intelligent well worded and thought out post of yourself. Thanks. Preston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.