[Clayart] spodmene from schran

[mel jacobson via Clayart]

Bill has been doing some research for a 1x1 sub.
He has found Fusion frit-F493 should do the trick.
Others that have chem backgrounds can double check his find.
We would appreciate it.
digital fire.com/material/fusion+fritf-493

website: www.melpots.com
WWW.clayartarchives.com

[John Post via Clayart]

Hey Mel,

Spodumene can be thought of as 1 part lithium, 1 part alumina and 4 parts silica.

Frit 493 while it contains lithium, the chemistry is not a one to one match.

It has .3 sodium, .1 potassium, .59 lithium, .1 alumina, 1.39 silica and .31 boron.

So yes it is a melter with a high amount of lithium in it.

What it is not is a one on one chemical match for spodumene.

Because Fusion frit 493 contains a significant amount of boron it seems its intended target temperature range is around cone 6.

You can use Frit 493 to get lithium into a recipe, but be aware that it also brings with it boron, sodium and potassium that are not part of the formula for spodumene.

Best
John Post



> On Aug 16, 2025, at 1:37 PM, mel jacobson via Clayart <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com> wrote:
>
> Bill has been doing some research for a 1x1 sub.

[William Schran via Clayart]

Thanks for the information John
Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 16, 2025, at 6:04 PM, John Post via Clayart <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com> wrote:
>
> Hey Mel,

[Paul Randall via Clayart]

Hi Mel,
US Pigments has Spodumene, $80.00 for 10lb plus shipping. My experience is that that is the cheapest you will get, even with shipping added which they don’t flat rate but apply the actual cost. Good people to work with.

The reason Spodumene is so expensive now is electric cars, as it is a component of those batteries.

I buy small amounts over time. It's not cheaper but it helps cash flow.
Paul

Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>
________________________________
From: Clayart <clayart...@lists.clayartforum.com> on behalf of William Schran via Clayart <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2025 6:16:35 PM
To: cla...@lists.clayartforum.com <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
Cc: William Schran <wsc...@twc.com>; cla...@lists.clayartforum.com <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
Subject: Re: [Clayart] spodmene from schran

>> website: www.melpots.com<http://www.melpots.com>
>> WWW.clayartarchives.com
>>

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[ronroy--- via Clayart]

It turns out there is a glut of lithium (spodumene) on the market now.
Many of the mine that were bought up by car makers have had to close
down or lower production.

The unfortunate part is - all our suppliers bought high priced spod
and are now stuck with it.

It's a shame because it is such a useful oxide - very much like sodium
and potassium but with an expansion rate about 7 times less.

The price will come down but when?

RR

Quoting Paul Randall via Clayart <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>:

> Hi Mel,
> US Pigments has Spodumene, $80.00 for 10lb plus shipping. My
> experience is that that is the cheapest you will get, even with

> shipping added which they don?t flat rate but apply the actual cost.

> Good people to work with.
>
> The reason Spodumene is so expensive now is electric cars, as it is
> a component of those batteries.
>
> I buy small amounts over time. It's not cheaper but it helps cash flow.
> Paul
>
> Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef>
> ________________________________
> From: Clayart <clayart...@lists.clayartforum.com> on behalf of
> William Schran via Clayart <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
> Sent: Saturday, August 16, 2025 6:16:35 PM
> To: cla...@lists.clayartforum.com <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
> Cc: William Schran <wsc...@twc.com>; cla...@lists.clayartforum.com
> <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
> Subject: Re: [Clayart] spodmene from schran
>
> Thanks for the information John
> Sent from my iPhone
>

>> On Aug 16, 2025, at 6:04?PM, John Post via Clayart
>> <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com> wrote:
>>
>> ?Hey Mel,

>>
>> Spodumene can be thought of as 1 part lithium, 1 part alumina and 4
>> parts silica.
>>
>> Frit 493 while it contains lithium, the chemistry is not a one to one match.
>>
>> It has .3 sodium, .1 potassium, .59 lithium, .1 alumina, 1.39
>> silica and .31 boron.
>>
>> So yes it is a melter with a high amount of lithium in it.
>>
>> What it is not is a one on one chemical match for spodumene.
>>
>> Because Fusion frit 493 contains a significant amount of boron it
>> seems its intended target temperature range is around cone 6.
>>
>> You can use Frit 493 to get lithium into a recipe, but be aware
>> that it also brings with it boron, sodium and potassium that are
>> not part of the formula for spodumene.
>>
>> Best
>> John Post
>>
>>
>>

>>> On Aug 16, 2025, at 1:37?PM, mel jacobson via Clayart
>>> <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> ?Bill has been doing some research for a 1x1 sub.

>>> He has found Fusion frit-F493 should do the trick.
>>> Others that have chem backgrounds can double check his find.
>>> We would appreciate it.
>>> digital fire.com/material/fusion+fritf-493
>>>
>>> website: www.melpots.com<http://www.melpots.com>
>>> WWW.clayartarchives.com
>>>
>
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Ron Roy
ron...@ca.inter.net
Web page ronroy.net