FreeShip- Western Bentonite, Plasticizer - (Prompt rebate on orders with 3 or more FreeShip items!)

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https://www.etsy.com/shop/NorthernWestStuff?ref=hdr_shop_menu&search_query=bentonite

This is Western bentonite, which is a less expensive somewhat darker, sodium bentonite (compared to Volclay HPM-20, which we also carry). Bentonite is a special type of clay. In ceramics it's used as a suspending agent, viscosity increasing agent, binder, plasticizer, and emulsion stabilizer. There are several different types of it which exhibit slightly different properties. It usually is quite dark colored (especially when wet). The fact that it's relatively inexpensive makes it attractive material for many applications. It's useful in both clay bodies and in glazes. It can be used in water (or oil) based paints and liquid polymers for rheology modification (thickening).

In ceramic arts it's a very important raw material. The ceramics database, DigitalFire, has a very long list of its properties { https://digitalfire.com/4sight/material/bentonite_106.html } :
"Bentonites are classified according to several types (e.g. calcium, sodium, potassium) but in the ceramic industry sodium bentonite is the material of commerce (this is the same material used by the drilling industry). Sodium bentonites have incredibly small particle sizes (and thus surface areas). Combine this with the active particle surface chemistry (which makes them hold onto water) and it the most plastic and impermeable common clay material used in ceramics....
--Fine particle size: Bentonite is colloidal (particles are so small the action of water molecules is enough to keep them in suspension). It is typically 10 times finer than ball clay. It can have a surface area of almost 1000 square meters per gram (50 times that of kaolin, 5000 times that of silica flour)...
--Plasticity: bentonites exhibit extremely high plasticity (and associated high shrinkage). In pottery and porcelain clay bodies additions of only 2% can produce marked improvements in workability and dry strength without much effect on fired color...{bentonite is considered a "dirty" material [a dark color]}...
--Drying performance: Bentonite makes bodies more plastic and dry harder but this comes at a cost, they shrink more during drying and thus potentially crack more....
--Permeability: Sodiuim bentonites are impermeable to water. To demonstrate this fill a tall glass cylinder with bentonite to near the top and then carefully pour water on top. The water will penetrate down into the clay only a few millimeters and no matter how long you leave it it will not penetrate further....
--Swelling: Sodium bentonites expand (as much as 15 times) when added to water. This characteristic is valuable in thickening liquids and slurries and is another contributing factor to maintaining suspensions....
--Thixotropy: This is a tendency of a suspension to gel after sitting for a time and then re-liquify when it is agitated. Clay bodies also exhibit this behavior, stiffening on aging but then re-softening when worked. Thixotropy is valuable in clay slurries for this reason, they gel when not being used and thus do not settle out....
--Binder: Bentonite binds particles together in ceramic bodies to make them stronger in the green or dry state...
--White firing bentonites: There are a number of white firing and highly refined (and highly expensive) bentonites produced for the ceramic industry (and others). However they can have less plasticity....
--Sorptive properties: Granules of this material can be heat-treated to nullify gelling properties but greatly improve liquid absorption, creating hard micro-sponges (e.g. for cat litter and other absorptive products of many types)...."

Concrete modification is another area that's been researched. It's used as a tool in concrete construction where it can be a flowable hydraulic material used for in balancing forms into which concrete is poured.
It has many other uses, and many revolve around its ability to both absorb water very easily and to swell greatly when it does absorb water. It's used extensively in oil well drilling for several of it's unique properties. In the sand casting process (metal casting in foundries) it's used as a binding agent, especially in the so called "green" sand casting variation. It's considered one of the "healing" clays (because of its absorption properties). It's a common ingredient in detox and cleansing products for the same reasons. Bentonite is chemically inert, so products are not chemically altered by its addition. Bentonite doesn't support organic growth (example: mold) over time. It makes a good carrier for personal care products like hand cream and cosmetics.

The Wiki article on bentonite is good and gives much more detail on the different types of bentonite:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentonite
"Sodium bentonite expands when wet, absorbing as much as several times its dry mass in water. Because of its excellent colloidal properties, it is often used in drilling mud for oil and gas wells and boreholes for geotechnical and environmental investigations. The property of swelling also makes sodium bentonite useful as a sealant, since it provides a self-sealing, low permeability barrier. It is used to line the base of landfills, for example....Bentonite is used in drilling fluids to lubricate and cool the cutting tools, to remove cuttings, and to help prevent blowouts. Much of bentonite's usefulness in the drilling and geotechnical engineering industry comes from its unique rheological properties. Relatively small quantities of bentonite suspended in water form a viscous, shear-thinning material. Most often, bentonite suspensions are also thixotropic...Bentonite has been widely used as a foundry-sand bond in iron and steel foundries. Sodium bentonite is most commonly used for large castings that use dry molds, while calcium bentonite is more commonly used for smaller castings that use "green" or wet molds. Bentonite is also used as a binding agent in the manufacture of iron ore (taconite) pellets as used in the steelmaking industry. Bentonite, in small percentages, is used as an ingredient in commercially designed clay bodies and ceramic glazes. Bentonite clay is also used in pyrotechnics to make end plugs and rocket engine nozzles...Bentonites are used for decolorizing various mineral, vegetable, and animal oils. They are also used for clarifying wine, liquor, cider, beer, and vinegar. Bentonite has the property of adsorbing relatively large amounts of protein molecules from aqueous solutions. Consequently, bentonite is uniquely useful in the process of winemaking, where it is used to remove excessive amounts of protein from white wines...Bentonite is used in a variety of pet care items such as cat litter to absorb the odor and surround the feces. It is also used to absorb oils and grease."-

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Sep 27, 2022

EXCELLENT AND FAST SHIPPING! THANKS

Maria Soledad

Apr 8, 2020

Gail Myers