FreeShip- Tin Oxide, Fine Polish, Ceramic Glaze Opacifier - (Prompt rebate on orders with 3 or more FreeShip items!)

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This is Tin Dioxide, more commonly known as Tin Oxide. The formula is SnO2, Stannic Oxide. The natural mineral form is called cassiterite, which is the main ore for the metal tin. Tin is an atomic element and it has many uses. It's been used as an alloy with another metal, copper, since 3000 BC to make the metal bronze (you've heard of The Bronze Age?). 1/8th part tin and 7/8th part copper makes bronze. The metal tin alone was used as a plating on steel cans to make them corrosion proof for food ("Tin Cans"), although that use has been mostly replaced by polymers. It's a safe, harmless metal. It's also used in solders and is alloyed with many other metals that have different properties.
Tin dioxide (aka tin oxide) also has many uses, the two most common are in ceramics and in polishes. Others are glass coatings and gas sensing. In ceramics it's a glaze opacifier and white colorant. It's also used as a white colorant in glass and glass enamels. In order to get a pure form of tin dioxide it is easier to make it from tin, rather than trying to purify cassiterite.
The CAMEO art materials database has a short description of it { http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Stannic_oxide } :
"A white powder that is often incorrectly called tin oxide. Stannic oxide, or tin dioxide, occurs in nature as the mineral cassiterite. It is used as an abrasive, sometimes in mixtures with lead oxide, for polishing glass, marble, silver, and jewelry. Stannic oxide is also used as a mordant for dyeing fabrics and as a weighting agent. Additionally, it is used as an opacifier in glass and glazes to produce a translucent milky color. Tin dioxide reacts with chrome oxides to produce a ruby red color in glass and glazes." Because it is so expensive, it is not used as much in recent times for ceramics, being replaced by zircon, which functions similarly (we carry zircon, it's called by a brand name, Zircopax).

There's a good article on tin dioxide as it's used in ceramic glazes at the ceramics database DigitalFire:
{ https://digitalfire.com/4sight/material/tin_oxide_1642.html }. Here's a full quote:
"Tin oxide is a white or off-white powder produced by oxidizing molten high grade tin metal. It is typically quite pure, some manufacturers have grades up to 99.999% purity.
Tin oxide has long been used to opacify glazes in oxidation (make transparents opaque) at all temperatures. Hand decorated tin glazed earthenware of the 1700/1800s is the most famous use of tin in glazes (delftware-England, faience-France, maiolica-Italy). While many potters are keeping this tradition alive today most now use zircon based opacifiers instead. Thus any discussion about the use of tin oxide as an opacifier ends up comparing it with zircon products:
-Twice as much zircon is required to produce the same level of opacity.
-Like zircon, tin melts at very high temperatures and thus does not go into solution in typical glaze melts.
-Zircon will stiffen the glaze melt more than tin.
-Zircon will likely produce a harder glaze surface.
-Zircon will reduce the thermal expansion of the glaze more than tin.
-The quality of the white color is different (tin tends to be more of a blue white, zircon a yellowish white).
-Tin is very expensive, this is likely the main reason for its much more limited use as an opacifier today.
-Zircon tends to have less of an effect on the development of metal oxide colors (e.g. tin reacts with chrome to make pink).
-If gloss is an issue, silica might have to be reduced to compensate for the silica introduced by a zirconium silicate opacifier being substituted for tin.
-While there are other products that produce varying degrees of opacity, none are as neutral and non-reactive as tin and zircon. Other opacifiers also tend to variegate the glaze.
-Tin does not normally opacify in reduction firings.
Tin is also a player in the development of ceramic colors, for example chrome tin pinks and maroons. Tin with iron in oxidation makes a warmer shade of brown than zirconium does.
Tin oxide is also a variegator. For example, tin can react with titanium and rutile to to completely transform the color and character of a glaze. Although tin is expensive, very little is required to produce stunning effects in many colored glazes.
Some claim that a little tin (not enough to opacify) will add extra smoothness and shine to many glazes.
-Glaze Opacifier - White
As little as 4-7% can produce brilliant white, although it is more typical to use 8-10% for full opacity. However, be aware that even tiny amounts of chrome in the kiln will volatilize and combine with the tin to produce pink shades.
-Glaze Variegation - Tin/Iron Effects
Tin reacts with iron in fluid glazes to produce variegated surfaces. A good example is the Albany Slip 85, Tin 4, Lithium 11 glaze for cone 6."-

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Jun 3, 2024

Thanks so muck for the fast shipping and quality polish. All as promised. John

John

Apr 29, 2024

Thanks to The Awesome Seller for Perfect Transaction and Shipping and I Love The Item Perfectly 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Infinite🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Stars🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for all and Thank You Perfectly for your Awesome Business PERFECTLY!!!!!

William Brukner

Mar 8, 2024

So much love for the company man!

Bryce Arty

Mar 24, 2023

Perfect Shipping and Transaction Thanks William....

William Brukner

Mar 5, 2023

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