When one talks about porcelain, the first thing that anyone thinks of is fine vases, dishes and many other decorative items. A porcelain is a non-organic and non-metallic solid which is a member of the ceramic material family. It is derived from old Italian porcelain which meant cowrie shell due to its resemblance to the surface of the shell. Porcelain is made by forming and casting the material then heating it afterwards to a very high temperature for a specific time which is later cooled.
Porcelain originated in china, during china’s song dynasty, royal factories were built to produce porcelain pieces for use in royal places. The technique began to spread widely to other parts of the world. Although they once existed as proto-porcelain from the Shang dynasty. The manufactured porcelain was exported to the Islamic world where its prizes were hiked. Porcelain can be in the form of liquid called slip or solid which is a firmer liquid. The slip is casted to form resulting objects after they are molded. Once the pieces are created, it is cleaned to remove any remaining marks and typically allowed to dry which will help in evaporating some water. After they are dried, they are glazed under a very high temperature to form a very hard material, it is then cleaned again to smoothen its surface and painted the glazed again to seal the paint, this is a complete recipe that will make it a success though there are many recipes.
Among the most familiar porcelain products are tables, dental crowns and electric insulators. Its primary raw materials are clays, feldspar and silica all in small particles. Clay mainly holds its shape when well heated. It is important to maintain the quality of raw material during the manufacturing process. Manufacturers have to increase their recycling efforts in order to conserve the environment, they are made weaker and easier to break.
Porcelain can be divided into three which are the hard paste, soft paste and bone china categorized depending on the composition of paste used. Porcelain are part of a building as they can be used in form of tiles used in all kinds of buildings including homes, health care centers, offices and other structures are using it in their designs both interior and exterior. Porcelains are used as flower vases and even bathroom fittings sinks, toilets and stoves as they maintain a high level of hygiene, they are easy to clean and dirt is easily seen on the surfaces. It only requires a piece of cloth and little water to clean a porcelain tile. They also prevent moisture, scrubbing or rust on surfaces. Porcelains have become part of the lives of the people as they require it to make their lives comfortable and their surroundings look beautiful.
There are many types of porcelain such as the Ming dynasty porcelain vase from vanil empire, the translucent quality of porcelain. Porcelains need proper care and maintenance as they can easily break when mishandled and carried carelessly. They need to be well managed and kept away from factors that can cause damage to them. Though they are expensive but easy to maintain.
