ceramic bowls 'expiring'

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

"Kate " wrote in message
...
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

when you bought them, did they ask you if you wanted the extended warrantee?

On Fri, 14 May 2004 17:19:24 +0100, "no spam here, thanks"
wrote:

On 13 May 2004 23:08:07 -0500, (Kate ) wrote:

but I was
puzzled that they all decided to fall apart at once.

Could a dishwasher be a connection?

Nope, same dishwasher for years.

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 ....

Not sure what that meant.


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 ......

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.

On Fri, 14 May 2004 09:45:35 -0700, "Charles Spitzer"
wrote:


"Kate " wrote in message
...
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

when you bought them, did they ask you if you wanted the extended warrantee?

Darn - no.

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....

"Kate " wrote in message
...
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

Although not pottery, we had 3 out of 5, 25 year-old wine glasses crack
within 3 hours of each other. Go figure.

"Kate " wrote in message
...
On Fri, 14 May 2004 17:19:24 +0100, "no spam here, thanks"
wrote:

On 13 May 2004 23:08:07 -0500, (Kate ) wrote:

but I was
puzzled that they all decided to fall apart at once.

Could a dishwasher be a connection?

Nope, same dishwasher for years.

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 ....

Not sure what that meant.


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 ......

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 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).