Alternative Ceramic Supply


Materials
  1. Brick Rubble
  2. Granite Offcuts
  3. Dolerite Offcuts
  4. Broken Bisque
  5. Concrete Rubble
  6. Glass Sludge
  7. Wood Ash
  8. Bone Ash
  9. Marble Offcuts
  10. Oyster Shells


Bulk Buy
Ground Works


Info
Instagram

      3. Dolerite Offcuts

      Test tiles exploring second-life granite in ceramics, fired to midfire (cone 6, left) and stoneware (cone 9, right). Rows show granite at three mesh sizes (super fine, fine, coarse); columns test it in clay bodies (5% and 20%),  the material alone on the surface (applied with CMC), and in glaze (+30%).


      FIRST LIFE  

                  ORIGINUnknown basalt source

                 MEASUREMENTSVarious offcut sizes
      20mm thick slabs

                 COLOURBlack and dark grey
                 TEXTUREFine grained - crystals and mica

                FINISH / FEATURESUnpolished edge is sparkly when broken 

      SECOND LIFE 

                 COLLECTION LOCATION -37.769362468782774, 144.98249648554113

                  DATE OF COLLECTION
      October 2023

                  SUBURBBrunswick East

                  COUNTRYWurundjeri Woi Wurrung

                  LOCAL COUNCILMerri-Bek


      MATERIAL INFORMATION

                 COMPOSITION Basalts are composed primarily of magnesium oxide (MgO) and calcium oxide (CaO). They are very low in silicon (SiO2), usually less than 50 percent. They also contain some iron oxide (FeO) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3). 

      POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS

                 SUBSITUTE FOR
      Trachyte
      Source of iron, silica, magnesium
                 IN CLAY BODY
      Dark brown / black melted grog
      Use for colour and texture additions
                 IN GLAZE      Use powder in glaze as colourant and fluxing agent

      PREPARATION

                 CALCINATION
      Yes, 900-1000C

                 CUSTOM PREPARATION
      Remove any labels and glue. 
                 MINIUMUM REQURIED EQUIPMENT
      Hammer

                 RATING
      (Scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being hardest)
      Pre-calcining = 5
      After calcining = 3-4

                 NOTESCalcine first, otherwise very hard, dense, and loud

      SAFETY &
      HANDLING

                 HAZARDS
      Silica dust
                 SUGGESTED PPE
      Respirator

      SOURCING

                 SEARCHING FOR SUPPLY
      Contact stone quarries and manufacturers, marble and natural stone suppliers, kitchen benchtop businesses and stone landscaping suppliers

                 WHAT TO BRING WITH YOU
      Bucket or container
      Gloves
      Steel capped boots
      PPE specific to construction site 
      (potentially high-vis vest and hard hat)

                 QUESTIONS TO ASK
      Ask any employees for unwanted off cuts (natural stone only)

                 RECYCLABILITY AS-IS
      Construction
      • Insulation and fire-retardant fabric (in form of basalt fibre)
      • Addition (usually fine particles) to composite materials 

      Civil/Infrastructure
      • Road base and fill

      Landscaping/Gardening
      • Build garden beds, walls
      • Pavers

      Craft & Furniture
      • Terrazzo or mosaic
      • Homewares

                 COLLECTION RECOMMENDATIONS
      Be careful not to take engineered stone that contains resin and poses serious health & safety risks. Look for a barcode or product identifier to google search and check.