Short Stuff: All About Porcelain | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

[music]. Hey and welcome to Short Stuff. I'm Josh. and there's Chuck and it's just us, but. it's Short Stuff. And Chuck, this is the. last episode of 2025. >> That's right. >> That's it. That's all I had to say about. that. >> All right. Well, let's talk porcelain. because uh porcelain isn't something I. really knew much about either. >> uh until I did this research. And. porcelain, as it turns out, you might. know this, you might not, is a type of.

ceramic. It's a subset of ceramics. >> What. >> uh they are both made of clay and. they're both kilfired, but porcelain. clay uh is has a much higher density and. it's fired longer and at higher. temperatures. Uh and thusly is much more. durable, uh has very high performance. characteristics. And it's, you know, porcelain is that. that super hard mixing bowl that you got. from your grandmother that like you. can't break. Well, you can't break them,

but just super hardy, super dense, non-porous, uh, clay like material. >> Yeah, I guess I haven't had much. experience with porcelain because I. always thought of it as very delicate. and highly breakable, but apparently. that's not true. And once I thought. about it a little bit, I was like, actually, I have lifetime experience. with porcelain in the form of a toilet, but I hadn't really thought about that. >> Yeah, toilets. Yeah, they don't break. >> Try it. You can't do it. [laughter].

So, there's three things that show up in. any kind of porcelain. Um, and it's all. natural. That's one of the big. attractions of porcelain, too. It's. clay, quartz, and feldspar, which is a. kind of um rock that can form from all. sorts of different stuff. Uh, and. there's all sorts of other stuff you can. throw in, but depending on the kind of. um porcelain that you come up with, it's. basically dependent on the materials you. use, the raw materials, and then how. high a temperature and how long you fire. it for in the kiln. Those are the big.

variables that produce different kinds. of porcelain. But probably the most. common material that's used is called. kalin, which is a kind of clay that's. almost white. And this is like the big. money porcelain clay. >> Yeah. And that's usually going to be. like that mixing bowl like table wear is. usually that kaolin. >> Uh very very fine particle size. Um it's. super durable like we were talking about. and and not permeable by any liquid. Just try it again. And you know when. we're talking firing temperatures, uh.

we'll get to a couple of different kinds. of porcelain, but it can go up to 2300°. F, about 1260 C. And it kind of just. depends on the what you're making it. for, like is it a toilet or is it a. mixing bowl or is it fine china? >> And one other thing about porcelain too. that I hadn't realized is that some. kinds of it are translucent. And I was. like, wait, that means kind of. see-through. And I looked up pictures of. it and yes, you can hold porcelain up to. a light in your hand and you can see the.

silhouette of your hand on the other. side of it. Did you know that? >> Yeah, cuz I've worked with porcelain. tile where you can do that. Uh, a lot of. times floor tile can be porcelain. Um, but this all originated in China about. 2,000 years ago during the Tang Dynasty. Uh, but it wasn't like the porcelain we. know. It was basically like, hey, we put. out our fire and they discovered this. really hard, unbroken, solid pieces of. stuff. >> And that was just rudimentary porcelain. Uh, later in the Yuan dynasty, uh, it's.

about 700 800 years later is when they. really developed the porcelain as we. know it. the porcelain that Marco Polo. found and brought back to Europe and. they were just went wild for this stuff. >> They did. Um and the market for. porcelain opened up pretty quickly um. because trade routes were open thanks to. Marco Polo. But the Europeans could not. figure out how their Chinese friends. were making this stuff. So um all of the. porcelain coming into Europe was foreign. made in China. Um, and that's why a lot.

of porcelain table wear is called China. because that was kind of like the um. like champagne is the sparkling wine. China was the porcelain, right? >> Um, and it took them quite a couple. hundred years I think before they. finally cracked the code. And it was an. alchemist who figured out how to make. porcelain by basically reverse. engineering a piece that he had from. China. >> Yeah. a German alchemist uh Johan. Friedrich uh Bruter and he figured it.

out. Uh this was in um I guess the 18th. century and by the latter half of the. 18th century in the 1770s they found. that cow and clay in Cornwall England. and so the Brits were like we can start. making this stuff finally. We've got the. we got the good stuff right here in. Cornwall. >> Is it cowolin like Shaolin? >> I don't know. >> I like how you said it. >> Oh, how'd you say it? Kolin like reg no. >> so yeah so the Brits are like great we.

can put all this together thanks to Ber. and uh Cornwall and start making our own. porcelain. and I'm not quite sure I I get the. impression that China made its porcelain. um one of two ways and the way that they. mostly made their porcelain was through. hard paste and that um the other one is. soft paste and it has to do with the. density of the the raw materials you're. using and then how high a temperature. you fire it at and for how long like I.

was talking about before. These are. basically the two types two main. categories of porcelain. >> Yeah. And I think you're right. I think. the Europeans use that soft paste a. little more. So, it's a little more. prone to chipping. It's a little. grainier. Um just not as hardy overall. Uh and then you got to glaze this stuff. after you um fire it. But the glazing, I. thought, you know, because I didn't know. anything about this stuff, I thought the. glazing might be kind of the final key. to make it impermeable to liquids. >> Me, too. >> Uh but really has nothing to do with it. It's already impermeable. Uh the glazing.

is just decorative. >> Yeah, it's impermeable because it. vitrifies. So like the the glass mater. glass-like materials become glass in it. So it's like kind of glassy. Really good. porcelain is. Um, so I say Chuck, um, we. take a little break and come back and. talk some more about porcelain. What do. you think? >> Let's do it. [music].

>> [music]. >> Chuck, I'd like to share something that. I learned in our dolls episode that I. didn't have a chance to fit in, but now. I do because it seems like all of our. episodes are now interlocking for some. reason. But unglazed porcelain is called. bisque. Bisque. >> Okay, >> that was it. >> Like b i s q e. Exactly. Like uh tomato,

shrimp, >> lobster. >> Lobster. That's the money one. Sure. >> Although a lot of the times that stuff's. langustino, you know. >> I didn't know that. >> Yeah. I mean, if you go to like a really. high price seafood restaurant, it'll be. real lobster. But that lango is a pretty. good sub. >> Is that a rock lobster? Langustina. >> No, it's I think it's just like a little. tiny uh. a little tiny guy. >> Tastes like cheese. It I mean it looks. like lobster meat, but it's the they're. little, you know, it's like a shrimp.

size. >> Oh, okay. Okay. Yeah, I've seen those. before. >> I've never seen a langina, though, now. that you mentioned it. I've never looked. that up. >> I think I'd like to see what the. creature looks like. >> Yeah, I'd like to see that, too. I've. only seen it dead. I think that's what. grabs everyone's faces in Beetlejuice. during the Calypso scene. >> All right. Uh well, I mentioned earlier. before the break about porcelain tile. Uh it's very hardy tile for a flooring. uh or the wall. But if you're cutting. porcelain tile, uh you're probably going. to need a tile saw. We talked about wet.

saws before. Um they're wet because they. you're moving at such high speeds and. drawing so much heat that the water. cools off that blade. Uh and there's a. couple of ways you can actually form. that tile. if it's uh up to like 4T x 4T. uh you basically have a a special mold, but anything bigger than that and you're. compacting it like just pressing layers. and layers of ceramic powder until you. get your desired uh size. >> Yeah. With a big old machine, right?

>> Yes. >> So, um there's a few reasons that people. prize porcelain. For one, it can be. really, really valuable as we'll see. But also, like I said, it's a all. natural material. Like a lot of the. glazed um colors that they use in. glazing are like cobalt, iron oxide, copper. >> Mhm. >> Um the raw materials are things like. clay and feldspar. It's really easy to. clean, as you know, with a toilet. Uh. very resistant to mold and bacterial.

growth, as you know, with a toilet. Uh. it's water resistant, you know, like a. toilet is. It's good for foot traffic. like a toilet. >> Um, and it doesn't emit harmful. substances. >> like a toilet. >> It can also be recycled, but that is a. real niche um I guess method or. technique. Like you can't just throw. porcelain into your single stream. recycling can. Yeah. You have to go seek. out somebody who recycles it. But the. very fact that it's recyclable gives it.

kind of promise for the future as we get. better and better at creating a circular. economy. >> That's right. Uh you mentioned how. valuable it can be. The the world. auction record for Chinese porcelain uh. was set about uh I don't know in 2014. when the uh Mayang chicken cup was sold. for $36 million. Uh and you know why is anything valuable. is because there's not many of them. It. was was crafted uh between 1465 and 87.

when porcelain was just peaking at its. quality, but they were producing the. lowest amount. So, it's just super rare. Uh so that's why it fetched 36 million. >> Yes. And that also points something out. about porcelain, too, is if you take. good care of it, it's so durable, it can. last thousands of years. So, or at least. a thousand years, as far as we know. And. there's like people are into porcelain. like collecting table wear or vases or. things like that. Um and so there's like. a whole world out there available to you.

to get into bone bone porcelain, hard. paste, soft paste. Uh well, basically. those kind. And uh if this thing floated. your boat at all, I think good luck with. your new hobby. >> Yeah, for sure. I mean, you you said. bone porcelain. If you've ever heard. bone china, uh that was something the. English uh did and that's actual bone. And they I think when they were sort of. first searching out how to make this. stuff, they before they cracked the. code, they would use like eggshell and. stuff like that to no avail. >> Uh and finally they landed on actual.

human bone ground down obviously a very. strong thing. Uh bone ash would be um. not from humans apparently from farm. animals and it would really strengthen. that stuff. And uh bone china you don't. have to fire as high. You can fire at. lower temps. It's just not as strong. There is no way that in the history of. Bone China, no psycho has made it with. human bones. >> Yeah, that's a good point. >> Uh, >> are you enjoying your coffee? [laughter]. >> Exactly. Oh, man. Chuck made me giggle.

That means short stuff is out. >> Hey, wait a minute. Can we uh say. goodbye for the year? >> Oh, wait. Yeah. Uh, yes. Thank you, Chuck. Um, I say we do that, too. >> Goodbye. No. Uh, we in all seriousness, we want to thank everyone for another. great year. Uh somehow here in year 17, we're enjoying things as as much or more. than we ever have, which is hard to. believe and pretty wonderful for us. And. you know, big thanks to uh Dave and and. Ben and Jerry, of course, and uh and our.

everyone who contributes as writers, you. know, Julia and uh Anna and uh. >> Livia and Livia and Dave and Kyle. I. think that's everybody right now, right? >> It is. >> Yeah. Let's We can thank the Grabster. for the old days even. >> There you go. He comes up and selects. sometimes too, doesn't he? >> Yeah, for sure. So, um I just want to. say thanks for everyone for for keeping. us employed in and what's for me the. greatest job in the world. Means a lot. [music]. >> Agreed. I second Chuck and uh yeah, thank you everybody. Thanks for another.

great year and we'll see you next year. for another great year. >> And now with Short Stuff Out, >> yeah, short stuff is out. >> Stuff You Should Know is a production of. iHeart Radio. For more podcasts, iHeart. Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple. Podcasts, [music] or wherever you listen. to your favorite shows.