I put a penny in the kiln- but what in the world happened?

[MariaPolky 1]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to address this topic, but I'll go for it.

 

 

I had a class assignment to make any kind of experiment to learn more about material science, so I decided to test if pennies, nickels, and dimes could be used as a colorant when submerged in a glaze, and taken to cone 10. This definitely didn't work, as the nickels and dimes melted, and actually burned through the clay test trays :/ but the pennies did something so strange that I really cannot begin to understand...

 

The first is a penny alone in a clay tray, taken to cone 10

 

The second is a penny submerged in a clear glaze and taken to cone 10

 

All my penny tests grew these hard, textured, cord-things. It was definitely a shock.

I'm wondering if the reason for this is that the Zinc being the majority of the penny (I used post 1983 pennies) turned to calx because it melts at such a lower temperature, and since the copper is surrounding the zinc, maybe the zinc was pushing it's way out of the core and squeezed out, hardening along the way??

 

Does anyone have any ideas? I'm open to any thoughts, I'm completely confused by these little aliens!!

[Matt Oz 67]

I don't know, but it's awesome.

[trina 21]

Cool. T

[Chris Campbell 1,224]

Now I have to try that! Way cool.

[Marcia Selsor 1,767]

Wow! looks like War of the Worlds. cool!

Marcia

[Guest JBaymore]

WOW! Very interesting. Have to think on THAT one.

 

best,

 

..............john

[Diane Puckett 41]

What were you hoping to see?

 

Per the US Mint, since 1982 pennies have been made of copper-coated zinc. I had no idea, though, with the value of copper, I should have known.

 

Composition: Copper-Plated Zinc: 2.5% Cu, Balance Zn

Weight: 2.500 g

Diameter: 0.750 in., 19.05 mm

Thickness: 1.55 mm

Edge: Plain

 

http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/circulatingCoins/?action=CircPenny

[neilestrick 3,211]

looks like a prank to me. that first pic looks like two different metals and strangely like an electrical connection.

 

braided wire maybe?

 

 

Ditto. Looks like something was put in there.

[Guest JBaymore]

looks like a prank to me. that first pic looks like two different metals and strangely like an electrical connection.

 

braided wire maybe?

 

 

Ditto. Looks like something was put in there.

 

 

Mistaken identity on the particular test bowls??????

 

Someone screwing around with the original person's tests as a joke?

[neilestrick 3,211]

looks like a prank to me. that first pic looks like two different metals and strangely like an electrical connection.

 

braided wire maybe?

 

 

Ditto. Looks like something was put in there.

 

 

Mistaken identity on the particular test bowls??????

 

Someone screwing around with the original person's tests as a joke?

 

Could also be accidental. Don't want to be a pessimist, but I have a hard time believing that structure grew out of a coin. Something's fishy here.

[Idaho Potter 64]

No way a penny could make that much material--not enough to start with. The stuff coming out of the glazed bowl looks like mild rebar (the thinner stuff you can form with your hands) coated with glaze. Something fishy going on.

[Matt Oz 67]

But its not April yet

[MariaPolky 1]

Weirdly, and I promise, this is not a prank.

The cone 04 was a pile of white fluff and the cone 6 was a softer long thing.

The only way to get the hard long thing is if you take it to cone 10. Also this was oxidation, the reduction was not nearly as cool.

If you have a kiln and a test tray you should try this and let me know if you had a similar experience

 

I had my critique today, but I'm still pretty confused. A grad student said that when he was in undergrad somebody put a lot of pennies on her sculpture and they all made these wire things, like a fountain. I'm definitely going to keep trying this

 

So this was my testing

 

 

Another penny in a clear glaze. The cord broke so it's pictured just resting

 

 

Close up of what happened with just a penny (this cord broke too, so it just reasting next to it's ... I guess root?)

 

 

and finally this was the penny in reduction

[justanassembler 24]

Weirdly, and I promise, this is not a prank.

The cone 04 was a pile of white fluff and the cone 6 was a softer long thing.

The only way to get the hard long thing is if you take it to cone 10. Also this was oxidation, the reduction was not nearly as cool.

If you have a kiln and a test tray you should try this and let me know if you had a similar experience

 

I had my critique today, but I'm still pretty confused. A grad student said that when he was in undergrad somebody put a lot of pennies on her sculpture and they all made these wire things, like a fountain. I'm definitely going to keep trying this

 

So this was my testing

 

 

Another penny in a clear glaze. The cord broke so it's pictured just resting

 

 

Close up of what happened with just a penny (this cord broke too, so it just reasting next to it's ... I guess root?)

 

 

and finally this was the penny in reduction

 

 

I believe it has to do with the zinc in the pennies, which can also melt through corderite kiln shelves--I saw this and more happen to a beginning ceramics student in undergrad--I also got to watch the faculty reaction upon seeing a penny melted well into 1" thick kiln shelves.

[Round2potter 3]

To anybody who thinks this is REAL.

 

IT IS!

 

i heard that a newish penny would do this and sent one through an 04 glaze fire with almost the exact same result!

 

I did not however put a glaze in it.

 

And Maria,

 

Try splittling the now fired penny into layers!

 

I dropped mine and it split yielding a really shinny and glittery spiral pattern thing. Super cool!!!

 

- Burt

[OffCenter 84]

Damn! Isn't it weird that so many of us who have been potting for centuries didn't know about this! I think of all the weird things I have put in firings from moth balls (not their actual balls, but the chemical pesticide) to deer livers and I never tried a penny! Can't wait to put one in my next firing. Wish I could afford to put a nickel and a dime in, too.

 

Jim

[Diane Puckett 41]

I wonder what one of those trillion dollar titanium coins would do.

[Guest JBaymore]

Damn! Isn't it weird that so many of us who have been potting for centuries didn't know about this! I think of all the weird things I have put in firings from moth balls (not their actual balls, but the chemical pesticide) to deer livers and I never tried a penny! Can't wait to put one in my next firing. Wish I could afford to put a nickel and a dime in, too.

 

Jim

 

 

 

 

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[mregecko 21]

For what it's worth, good to note that Zinc's boiling point is only ~1650F, and Zinc vapors are mega bad for you... So only do this if your kiln is well ventilated.

[bigDave 4]

 

The only way to get the hard long thing is if you take it to cone 10.

-MariaPolky

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing like magic

 

I making a t shirt with your quote above, hope you dont mind

[OffCenter 84]

 

The only way to get the hard long thing is if you take it to cone 10.

-MariaPolky

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing like magic

 

I making a t shirt with your quote above, hope you dont mind

 

 

Put me down for one, Big Dave.

 

Jim

[MariaPolky 1]

Damn! Isn't it weird that so many of us who have been potting for centuries didn't know about this! I think of all the weird things I have put in firings from moth balls (not their actual balls, but the chemical pesticide) to deer livers and I never tried a penny! Can't wait to put one in my next firing. Wish I could afford to put a nickel and a dime in, too.

 

Jim

 

 

Since nickels and dimes are mostly copper, they become molten and burn through their clay test trays, so keep the laundry money!

Pennies are really the only coins I've found that have amazing results, without burning through anything.

(also WHAT happened with deer livers??)

[MariaPolky 1]

For what it's worth, good to note that Zinc's boiling point is only ~1650F, and Zinc vapors are mega bad for you... So only do this if your kiln is well ventilated.

 

 

Thanks, that's good to know

[MariaPolky 1]

 

The only way to get the hard long thing is if you take it to cone 10.

-MariaPolky

 

 

 

 

 

Amazing like magic

 

I making a t shirt with your quote above, hope you dont mind

 

 

 

haha, that's great

[OffCenter 84]

Damn! Isn't it weird that so many of us who have been potting for centuries didn't know about this! I think of all the weird things I have put in firings from moth balls (not their actual balls, but the chemical pesticide) to deer livers and I never tried a penny! Can't wait to put one in my next firing. Wish I could afford to put a nickel and a dime in, too.

 

Jim

 

 

Since nickels and dimes are mostly copper, they become molten and burn through their clay test trays, so keep the laundry money!

Pennies are really the only coins I've found that have amazing results, without burning through anything.

(also WHAT happened with deer livers??)

 

 

That was 40 years ago so I don't remember but it must not have been anything impressive or I would still remember it.

 

Jim