I am looking for a way to know if glazes from pottery leach chemical compound in water.
Those are usually metal ions: cobalt, manganese, chrome, etc.
The procedure would be to place hot water in the vessel with possibly an acid to help dissolve the compound faster.
Is there a tool that can give me a reliable reading of the elements and amount dissolved in the solution?
The tool need to be very sensitive (in the ppm range)
What are the tools they use to do water analysis, especially of toxic metals?
Edit: I am interested to know the instrument needed, maybe also the protocols if someone has knowledge about it, not if it’s hard or expensive or for ’certified individuals’.
At the moment most artisanal pottery is never tested, and I think that most ceramic importation are not tested either and although most people have moved away from the worst offenders lead, barium, uranium there is still many recipes floating around with high level of chrome, cobalt, manganese, etc.
Furthermore, each recipe is different in the composition and firing so if someone use 2% of cobalt carbonate and get a good result, another glaze with the same amount might get a very different result.
Some potters just look the other way or don’t know. Some put a lemon slice on the pottery or use the dishwasher and look if there is visible difference on the surface of the glaze. I never heard of anyone actually doing a real test.
Thanks
