I have a set of 3 hand thrown red clay bowls made in 1983 that all chipped badly within a month of each other just now. Do ceramic vessels 'expire' or go bad somehow after a while? I used the bowls every day for 20 years and certainly got my use out of them, but I was puzzled that they all decided to fall apart at once.
Kate
Could a dishwasher be a connection? Does your household more-or-less use three bowls each time you use a bowl? I have no idea if the use of dishwasher detergents or thermal changes from water too hot for the hand would make a difference ... but ....
On the other hand, maybe it's only now you see all three bowls are damaged that it is noteworthy (not in the sense of your post, but in the sense of 'human cognition'), but one and then a second actually got damaged some while apart? It's one of those 'strange coincidences' that actually aren't so strange ......
when you bought them, did they ask you if you wanted the extended warrantee?
Nope, same dishwasher for years.
Not sure what that meant.
Big large chips. Big chunk out of the side of one bowl. Not easy to miss. They all happened in the dishwasher. The cobalt dipped glaze looked fine. The bowls were well made, professional looking - better than most I've seen. Purchased from the maker's booth at a Pear Fair. I still have the serving bowl that matches. The garlic keeper bit the dust long ago.
wierd.
I meant if each of the three bowls had gone through the same number of dishwasher cycles and were therefore subject to the same total cycles of 'mistreatment' in that hostile environment, that might be the cause* of the more-or-less simultaneous failure. If so, a credit to the original potter for producing such consistent wares!
Hi Kate, similar thing happened to me, only not after 20 years of use. The set in question was earthenware, and to cut a long story short, the moisture got behind the glaze ( glaze slightly porous,hairline cracks or whatever..) and they started breaking in the microwave (water in the body got to hot to fast with no escape...) that's the theory anyway (open to debate). But to answer the original question... ceramic shouldn't expire... however, between clay body, glaze and usage there might be incompatible combinations....
Although not pottery, we had 3 out of 5, 25 year-old wine glasses crack within 3 hours of each other. Go figure.
I don't think I can help except to say I have had similar problems with some bowls I made myself. These were stoneware, fired to cone 10, glaze was Anne's Cream with the rims dipped in tenmoku. Beautiful bowls. Came apart in the microwave after several years of use (3 or 4).
Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.
Ask the community — no account required