The production process of porcelain involves all aspects, from clay making, embryo making, embryo sharpening, color application, glaze application, to the final kiln firing.
Step by step, you can actually eliminate the presence of water molecules.
If there are more water molecules in the glaze, there will be more bubbles. If there are fewer water molecules in the glaze, there will be fewer bubbles.
If there is no moisture in the glaze, there may be no air bubbles under the glaze.
Once the mud training is completed, there will be fewer bubbles in the mud and less water evaporation.
Preparing glazes and color materials is another level.
If it is not done well, when it is fired in the kiln, the water molecules in it will destroy the glaze layer, making the fired porcelain impossible to see at all.
Therefore, it still depends on the process. If any process is not done well, it will produce very bad results.
This was an unexpected gain. Chen Wenzhe really didn't expect that through this secret-color porcelain, he could learn some operations to reduce bubbles.
There are few air bubbles in this secret-color porcelain, mainly because the production level has improved, the production process has been improved, and the mineral soil used to make the porcelain has been ground more finely.
This will make the structure between the molecules of the matrix more dense.
If the glaze layer covering the surface of the carcass is also thickened, most of the water molecules contained in the carcass will be fully volatilized during the drying process, and the bubbles will naturally become fewer.
However, there are also some water molecules that are wrapped deep in the mud by the dense carcass and cannot be volatilized by the sun or wind alone.
In the early stage of the firing process, some water molecules were able to break away from the constraints of the porcelain body and successfully escape and volatilized.
However, there are still some water molecules entangled deep in the carcass. After reaching a certain temperature, they are driven away by the gradually rising temperature.
This part of the water molecules will decompose into gas and escape from the carcass.
At this time, the glaze covering the surface of the carcass has completely dissolved into a highly viscous mucus-like inclusion, which is tightly wrapped on the surface of the carcass.
The water molecules that escaped from the carcass and were decomposed into gas were unable to break free from the constraints of the mucus-like inclusions, and eventually became captives of the mucus-like inclusions, suspended between the carcass and the glaze layer.
When the porcelain is fired and cooled, these gaseous water molecules are stored in the shape of round, bright hollow spheres between the carcass and the glaze.
This kind of hollow spherical object that is like a pearl and exists in the glaze is what we call "bubbles" in the glaze.
They have experienced the baptism of high temperatures and exist in the form of colorless spheroids.
Without underglaze color contrast, they will exist as shiny spherical colorless bubbles.
With the underglaze blue and white background, they turn into shiny spherical blue-green bubbles.
Looking at the secret-color porcelain lotus bowl in front of him, Chen Wenzhe showed a hint of joy on his face.
This kind of well-preserved porcelain that has never seen the world is really rare.
Therefore, although it has sufficient signs of aging, the aging, decay, and even death process of the internal bubbles can be displayed in front of Chen Wenzhe.
Although this process is relatively long, with the help of Sui Hou's Pearl, he can fast forward the process, allowing him to see the death process of the bubbles inside.
Yes, these bubbles cannot exist forever, they will also break down and die. This is actually the aging process of porcelain.
Originally, Chen Wenzhe could not see this clearly, but now, he not only saw it clearly, but also understood it thoroughly.
How do bubbles in porcelain glaze die?
Why do bubbles in porcelain glaze die?
This is closely related to the use, spread and preservation state of porcelain after it is fired and molded.
Through careful observation of porcelain bubbles, we can easily find that usually, the bubbles in porcelain glaze are divided into large, medium and small.
The size of the large bubbles is also restricted by the thickness of the glaze layer.
Generally speaking, as a whole, the thicker the glaze layer, the larger the bubbles, and the thinner the glaze layer, the smaller the bubbles.
Those bubbles that die naturally are large bubbles on the top of round bubbles, close to the glaze surface.
Because the porcelain glaze is cracked, the bubbles that die due to being crossed by the crack lines can be large, medium or small.
However, dialectics believes that matter is always in a state of movement and change.
Porcelain fired from minerals is no exception.
This kind of movement and change is affected by both internal factors and external factors.
The molecular structure of the glaze of porcelain that has just been fired is in an active stage.
The energy generated by molecular activity gathers on the glaze surface and emits a very dazzling light.
We call this kind of light "thief's light". We often hear people say that a certain object is too hot. This "fire" refers to this kind of "thief's light".
As time goes by, new equipment becomes old equipment.
The active molecules on the glaze surface of the utensils escape, taking away part of the energy, causing the molecular structure of the glaze surface to change and completing a new combination.
At this time, the active state during the firing of the device changes to a stable state. This is the function of internal factors.
Gentle sunlight, the blowing of a gentle breeze, the grinding of human fingers, etc., gradually wear away the top of the large bubbles close to the glaze surface.
Inside the bubble that was originally in a vacuum state, there was an "air leakage" phenomenon that was difficult to observe with the naked eye.
The air carries dust into the bubbles and is suspended inside the bubbles.
The originally bright bubbles became turbid.
The dazzling "thieves' light" gradually weakened.
Entering the rainy season, the dry air is moistened, and the originally very fine and light dust is also moistened.
The suspended air can no longer bear the weight of the dust, and they fall to the bottom of the bubble and settle.
As a result, the turbid bubbles are "dyed" by living dust into yellow, ocher, gray or dark brown.
This is the result of external force. At this time, the bubble has completed the initial stage of death.
As time goes by, the break at the top of the bubble gradually becomes larger, becomes a line, and then expands into a cross shape, completing the intermediate stage of bubble death.
Later, the small circular hole further turned into a large hole, and finally became a circular pit, completing the entire process of bubble death.
In the process of bubble death, the dazzling light disappears completely, and the glaze becomes warm and soft.
This is what we call "aging" and having "patina".
By observing and analyzing the distribution and changes of these dead bubbles in ancient porcelain, some basic rules of bubble death can be obtained.
The older the glaze is, the denser the distribution of dead bubbles in the glaze;
The older the age, the more "one" or "ten" shaped lines appear when the top of the death bubble bursts;
The death bubbles of ancient porcelain from the Song Dynasty and above have basically burst into a circular pit, with a lot of domestic garbage deposited in the pit.
But this one, because the sealing is so good and the technology is very good, there are not many such cracked circular pits on the glaze surface.
Yes, not much. This just shows the degree of aging without damaging the beauty of the porcelain in a large area.
Otherwise, the surface of the porcelain will become pitted, and the beautiful layer of spring water will be invisible, right?