Thank you, Mark, for that attempt, but the companies you listed have
nothing to do with vitreous enamels. And, yes, I do know that the
Aoki enamels haven’t been manufactured for many years, but, if they
have been stored properly, then they would still be viable.
So, once again, I am asking the Orchidian community to help me find
someone who has a stash of Aoki 105-B, Red for Silver that she/he
has decided to divest of and/or is willing to sell some. I would
need only a few ounces, though more would be lovely, too.
I’m asking this here as I believe our community is so large that
there must be someone out there who knows someone who knows someone
who knows someone (you get the idea) who has this enamel color and
is willing to give up some of it. So, if you can, spread the word,
mention my inquiry, and, who knows, I might actually find some of it
(I did actually hear the other day of someone who has 2 pounds of
it, but is reluctant (read that as “unwilling”) to sell any of it. 2
pounds!!! That would last me well into the next life! Oh well…
As an aside… no Aoki, but I have literally pounds of leaded
Thompson enamels in a variety of colors. I’m keeping the Princeton
Orange and some of the reds and blues. well some of it. I have a lot
of specific reds, only a few ounces of Princeton Orange and keeping
it for sure. would rehome some of the rest if someone needs a
specific color. No. don’t have the radioactive yellow one. forget
the number I’d have to dig it out and catalog to all of it to
list specific colors. ain’t gonna do that. I’m not specifically
"hot" to sell it. just getting older and someone will throw it out
when I go to that great bench in the sky ya know.
Brent, the yellow you refer to as the “radioactive one,” is
Forsythia. It is compounded with Spent Uranium. I have some, but was
concerned about using it, so number of years ago I contacted Thompson
Enamel. Bill Helwig, assured me that it is totally harmless and safe
to work with.
However, being ultra cautious I never use it for any jewelry or items
that come in contact with the human body but use it only for my large
wall enamels. Gorgeous color.
depleted uranium is U with much of the radioactive isotopes removed
to make fuel, bombs etc. It’s the waste product of the nuclear fuel
industry. Used to make munitions. Not especially nice stuff but not
especially radioactive.
spent uranium might be completely different.
I don’t know the official name for it, but after the fuel is used in
a reactor it is sometimes processed for plutonium. The waste product
from this process is mostly uranium but also all the other post
uranic isotopes - i. e. it’s highly radioactive waste - wouldn’t want
that in your depleted uranium feedstock!!!
I suspect no one would ever want to deliberately use the waste
product from fuel rod reprocessing in an enamel!
OK. all that aside - once it is a glass it’s about as chemically
inert as you could wish for, short of synrock. It’s not a high
concentration of the metal oxide either - few % IIUC…
Folk, there is uranium in many substances and minerals. I did my
masters research using mica found in a pegmatite. In order to
calculate the age of the specimen, I used the uranium fission damage
to the crystal. Thus, mica has uranium in it. What is of concern is
high concentrations of radioactive isotopes. In my radiochemistry
class, i identified a radioactive silver isotope in my sample as the
final exam. Enjoy your gems, rocks and minerals.
Try Googling “depleted uranium in Iraq” for the description of the
horrible legacy (elevated levels of birth defects, cancer) left there
by U. S. weapons in which we used depleted uranium.
Just a guess, but since the yellows from urnanium are from uranium
oxides, not the metals in their metallic form, and since oxides or
other salts is how uranium is normally found, I’d be willing to bet
that the enamels using those are compounded from the naturally
occuring uranium oxides, not from any form that’s gone through
processing to concentrate the small percentage of highly radioactive
isotopes, for fuel or weapons. Why use that more dangerous form when
the naturally occuring forms are likely safer and cheaper. The usual
natural ore is, after all, called “yellowcake”…
I’d have to dig it out and catalog to all of it to