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Albany Slip

High iron silty low melting clay

Chemistry %

CaO5.81
MgO2.71
K2O3.20
Na2O0.80
TiO20.40
Al2O314.63
SiO257.82
Fe2O35.21
 

Volatiles %

LOI9.41
MLPT - Melting Point (MP) 1170C
SVWT - Sieve Analysis Wet on 60 mesh: 0 on 120 mesh: 1.0% on 200 mesh: 5%

Albany was a low plastic silty clay that was mined in Albany, New York for many decades. It melts to a glossy chocolate brown glaze at cone 8-10. It was a very popular glaze ingredient for dark colors and tenmoku and iron crystal effects. In the early 20th century it was used extensively on heavy utilitiarian stoneware across North America and even on electrical insulators. Glazes could be formulated very easily using this material as a starting point since it was already balanced and had good slurry properties. Potters especially adopted this material and it appears in thousands of recipes used across North America.

There are a number of substitutes for Albany and anyone with ceramic chemistry calculation software can easily speculate on a mix of materials that matches the chemistry on paper. However keep in mind that judging the similarity to Albany is a complex issue of mineralogy, physical properties and chemistry and it depends on the reliability of the information at hand on what Albany actually was.

Richard Willis

A clay-rich earth, named for its mining location near Albany, New York, USA.  Albany is a glacial clay, popular as a mid-fire hydrous alumino-silicate earth rich in alkalies and irons. Perhaps more popular as a slip for engobes or casting (owing to its relatively low-shrinkage character) than for wheel-throwing or hand-building, it is popularly added in small proportions to enhance most any glaze's or clay's viscosity. Similar products are mined around the world, and some claiming to be "substitutes" include the "Alberta" and "Jasper" slips.

Out Bound Links

In Bound Links


Pictures
Lithium, albany glaze at cone 5 using original albany slip


Flow tester comparing the melt fluidity of Albany Slip vs. Alberta Slip


Albany Slip DFAC dried disk showing the soluble salts and characteristic cracking pattern and cut edge of a low plasticity clay.


XML for Import into INSIGHT

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<material name="Albany Slip" descrip="High iron silty low melting clay" searchkey="New York Slip, Albany Clay" loi="0.00" casnumber="70694-09-6">
<oxides>
<oxide symbol="CaO" name="Calcium Oxide, Calcia" status="" percent="5.810" tolerance=""/>
<oxide symbol="MgO" name="Magnesium Oxide, Magnesia" status="" percent="2.710" tolerance=""/>
<oxide symbol="K2O" name="Potassium Oxide" status="" percent="3.200" tolerance=""/>
<oxide symbol="Na2O" name="Sodium Oxide, Soda" status="" percent="0.800" tolerance=""/>
<oxide symbol="TiO2" name="Titanium Dioxide, Titania" status="" percent="0.400" tolerance=""/>
<oxide symbol="Al2O3" name="Aluminum Oxide, Alumina" status="" percent="14.630" tolerance=""/>
<oxide symbol="SiO2" name="Silicon Dioxide, Silica" status="" percent="57.820" tolerance=""/>
<oxide symbol="Fe2O3" name="Iron Oxide, Ferric Oxide" status="" percent="5.210" tolerance=""/>
</oxides>
<volatiles>
<volatile symbol="LOI" name="Loss on Ignition" percent="9.410" tolerance=""/>
</volatiles>
</material>


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