This kaolin clay, named Macang clay, is actually a kind of clay.
Its properties are not good either. Simply using it to make porcelain will not be of good quality at all.
This kind of porcelain made from Macang soil has a phenomenon called "scratched white" on the bottom, which looks very rough.
Of course, it actually feels very smooth, which brings a heartfelt surprise to those who collect Yuan blue and white flowers.
However, this is because Yuan blue and white are now very expensive. If you look at it purely from an aesthetic perspective, isn't this a big flaw?
It looks rough, but it has nothing to do with beauty.
So, the cute contrast appeared at this time. When you touch it, it is not rough, but even very smooth, which is a surprise.
However, this does not mean that this roughness is not a defect.
But there was no way, the level of craftsmanship in ancient times was just like that. The Yuan blue and white at that time was already the highest expression of their craftsmanship.
There are actually many defects in Yuan blue and white, such as flint red, white but not fine, many pores, black moles, and many fired porcelains will have bulges.
These are all natural phenomena caused by the use of Macang soil.
Without Ma Cang soil, high imitation porcelain cannot be made at all because of these unique defects.
Antique means imitating even the defective features of the time.
If you want a 100% high imitation, it is best to thoroughly study the craftsmanship at that time and then use the raw materials used at that time to achieve a 100% accurate imitation.
Fortunately, modern people are able to analyze the composition ratio of the macang soil in Yuan Qinghua, and Chen Wenzhe also clearly knows the production process of Yuan Qinghua.
He even knew how the ancients processed Macang soil. Perhaps it was in the process of processing Macang soil that the Macang soil in our modern understanding was finally formed.
Because Chen Wenzhe suspects that the so-called Macang soil in our modern cognition is not all naturally formed.
Because many studies have shown that Macang clay is essentially kaolin clay, and its composition is not much different from current kaolin clay.
From the laboratory test alone, no obvious difference can be seen between the two, which is very strange.
If further experiments are conducted, it is found that although there is no obvious difference in the composition of the two, the fetuses produced are different. Can we say that the two are the same thing?
Of course it's not the same thing. It's obvious that Macang soil should be a special treated kaolin clay.
Or simply put, the kaolin found in Macang Mountain is slightly different from other kaolins.
Otherwise, they are all kaolin, and because the kaolin from Macang Mountain has been specially processed, it has become the Macang clay we see now. It is this kind of Macang soil that can be used to bake elements with special clay bodies.
Blue and white.
No matter what the reason is, it makes Macang soil special.
However, there is a difference here.
If Macang soil is a truly pure natural mineral that is extinct and extinct, then there is really no way to restore the complete craftsmanship of Yuan blue and white.
Macang soil is definitely a pure natural mineral material, but what makes it special should be due to the subsequent processing methods.
Therefore, it is unlikely that Yuan Qinghua can be made from natural Ma Cang soil.
The greater possibility is that Macang soil is not special, but its processing technology is special.
This is the result of Chen Wenzhe's recent research. Of course, the reason for this inference is because some interesting information was found inside the Sui Marquis Pearl.
Now Chen Wenzhe believes that Macang soil must be a natural mineral.
But after processing, it should be regarded as something else.
At least it becomes different from ordinary kaolin, so the effect of the final fired porcelain is also different.
For example, other elements are added again, or some unused impurities are removed.
Anyway, the Ma Cang soil must have changed, because Chen Wenzhe was sure that the emergence of Yuan blue and white did not rely on the purely natural Ma Cang soil.
Of course, Chen Wenzhe still needs to conduct experiments on what changes have occurred in Macang soil.
And it is not difficult to make, because he can see the process of making Yuanqinghua by the ancients of the Yuan Dynasty.
In fact, things are not as difficult as people think, because there are traces to follow for the development of things.
The discovery and use of Jingzhen kaolin clay was accidental, but also inevitable.
The history of porcelain firing is very long, but by the Yuan Dynasty, Jingzhen, firstly due to the pressure of the depletion of porcelain clay resources, and secondly, in order to produce whiter porcelain, began to continuously try to use other types of porcelain clay for firing.
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As long as you don't stand still, as long as you want to work hard and make progress, no matter what you do, you will make some progress.
Therefore, during the Yuan Dynasty, Jingzhen's porcelain making technology began to make breakthroughs.
During that period, they finally discovered kaolin, an excellent material for firing white porcelain.
Kaoling is a small mountain village in the northeast of Jingzhen. The kaolin clay mined from Kaoling Village is washed and made into square brick-like clods.
This is called dunzi locally and is transported to the dock at the foot of the mountain and transported to Jingzhen via the river.
Although a new type of porcelain-making material has been discovered, it cannot replace the original porcelain clay.
In fact, kaolin alone cannot be used to make porcelain.
Kaolin is a relatively common resource that has always been available in Europe.
This is also the reason why Europe did not have the ability to produce porcelain before the 18th century.
Its use is that by adding the original porcelain stone material and mixing it, the hardness and whiteness of the porcelain can be greatly improved.
The quality of this mixed new material even exceeds that of the best porcelain stone materials.
The craftsmen in Jingzhen have a vivid metaphor for the mixing of porcelain stone and kaolin. Kaolin is bone and porcelain stone is flesh.
Only when the bones and flesh are uniform can the highest quality white porcelain be produced.
Historically, this kind of mixing was called "binary formula".
Please note that many porcelains before the Yuan Dynasty were fired with low-temperature glaze.
It was the discovery of kaolin clay and the mixing of porcelain stone that led to the current high-temperature glazed porcelain.
There is a big difference between high-temperature glazed porcelain and low-temperature glazed porcelain, and the advantages are even greater.
There is a difference in firing temperature between these two glazes. For ceramics using high-temperature glazes, the firing temperature is above 1200 degrees.
For low-temperature glaze ceramics, the firing temperature is between 700-900 degrees.
Porcelain with high-temperature glaze has richer colors than porcelain with low-temperature glaze.
The color of low-temperature glazed porcelain is relatively dull.
Then there is the feel of ceramics. Porcelain with high-temperature glaze feels smoother, while porcelain with low-temperature glaze is slightly rough.
In other words, porcelain fired with high-temperature glaze is more beautiful.
For example, the jadeization, vitrification, etc. pursued in low-temperature glazes can be easily achieved on high-temperature glazes. This is the biggest difference.
It can be said that the use of kaolin is a leap-forward breakthrough.