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Bone Ash by Calcining Bones
Bone ash is the white material left when bones are calcined: mainly calcium phosphate, generally given as Ca5(OH)(PO4)3, about 56% calcium oxide and 42% phosphorus pentoxide by analysis. It melts only at about 1670 °C. Its porous, high-melting structure makes it the classic cupel for separating silver and gold from lead, and it forms about half of the body of bone china.
Beginner
Workshop process
Instructions
1
1
Clean the bones
Clean the bones
Remove any meat from the bones, then degrease them.
Materials for this step:
Cattle Bones1 as requiredTools needed:
Knife2
2
Calcine
Calcine
Calcine the bones in a kiln. For bone china they are calcined to around 1000 °C (up to about 1100 °C), which removes all organic matter and leaves the bone sterilised and white; traditional bone ash was calcined lower, at around 800 °C. Most bones keep their cellular structure through calcination. Handle the hot bones with tongs and heat-resistant gloves, and let them cool before grinding.
Tools needed:
Kiln
Tongs
Heat-Resistant Gloves3
3
Grind
Grind
Grind the calcined bone with water to a fine particle size, then partially dewater it.
Materials for this step:
Water1 as requiredTools needed:
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