Laguna Borate
A standard material in Glazecalc's library: its oxide analysis, unity contribution and hazards.
What it is
- Kind
- Boron sources
- Status
- Discontinued 2012
- Formula
- B₂O₃ 27.5%, Na₂O 4%, CaO 18.9%, MgO 2.3%, K₂O 1.4%, Fe₂O₃ 0.1%, TiO₂ 0.1%, Al₂O₃ 8.1%, SiO₂ 18.7%, LOI 19%
- Also called
- SG 574 (Laguna code)
- Made by
- Laguna Clay Company (City of Industry, California)
- Sold in
- US
- Similar materials
- Gillespie Borate
- Replaces
- Gerstley Borate
- Source
- Georgies Ceramic & Clay Co., 'Frit Analysis & Oxide Effects' reference chart (PDF dated 2023-08-21) (2023-08)
Legacy blended Gerstley Borate substitute sold by Laguna in the 2000s; keep only for old recipes. It needed 6-8 parts bentonite or hectorite per 100 to match Gerstley Borate's suspension; Gillespie Borate is the current replacement.
Laguna withdrew it in 2012: its safety sheet was replaced that May by a note that, with plentiful Gerstley Borate again, Laguna Borate was no longer available.
Oxide analysis and unity formula
Glazecalc has the analysis of Laguna Borate as weight percent of the raw material. The unity contribution is the moles of each oxide in the amount of Laguna Borate that holds 1.0 mole of flux, which is how Glazecalc adds it into a recipe's unity formula.
| Oxide | Weight % | Unity contribution |
|---|---|---|
| B₂O₃ | 27.5 | 0.834 |
| Na₂O | 4 | 0.136 |
| CaO | 18.9 | 0.712 |
| MgO | 2.3 | 0.121 |
| K₂O | 1.4 | 0.031 |
| Fe₂O₃ | 0.1 | 0.001 |
| TiO₂ | 0.1 | 0.003 |
| Al₂O₃ | 8.1 | 0.168 |
| SiO₂ | 18.7 | 0.657 |
- Equivalent weight
- 211.19
- Fired weight
- 171.07
- Loss on ignition
- 19%
The equivalent weight is the grams of Laguna Borate that hold 1.0 mole of flux. The fired weight is what is left of that after firing.
Hazards and safety
Hazards: Borate: do not ingest; high-dose animal studies of inorganic borates show reproductive/developmental effects (U.S. Borax Gerstley Borate MSDS, Apr 2013). Avoid breathing dust. Laguna's MSDS lists crystalline silica and calcium carbonate.
Use it in a recipe
Add Laguna Borate to a recipe in the Glazecalc calculator to see what it does to a glaze's unity formula.