Is there a relatively inexpensive way to test crockery to determine if the glaze contains lead?

Question

I found a really nice crockery pitcher. The outside is the normal crock coloration with 2 thin circular blue lines as decoration. I want to use the crock for drinking water, ice tea, etc. There is no potters mark on the bottom but am pretty certain the product is made in the U.S. Both glazes were applied in one coat.

Answer 1

I imagine you want to do the testing non-destructively, so that you still have the pitcher after you do the test. There are 2 instruments that I am aware of which will answer the question: X Ray Fluorescence and Energy Dispersive Analysis. The XRF would be the better method, as it has very adaptable fixturing- some units are even arranged as a handheld gun, so you put the tip of the barrel up to the piece to be analyzed, pull the trigger, and the display shows the elemental analysis in just a few seconds! That’s the kind my company is planning on getting this year, to allow us to quickly analyze the metals we buy. Other instruments have less flexible fixturing, so they may take some finagling.

The EDS is commonly part of a scanning electron microscope, and the catch there is that these devices usually have small chambers, so you may not be able to fit your pottery into the SEM. But if you can either file off a shaving from the bottom, or fit the lid into the SEM, then you’ll get fast, accurate information.

Now we come to “inexpensive”. Each of these devices have almost 0 marginal testing costs- by which I mean there’s no consumables, no chemicals, nothing like that you have to pay for. The trick is finding someone with one of these instruments who’ll be willing to check your crockery. So do you have any friends who work in industry, or a hospital lab, or a university with a metallurgy / chemistry / dentistry department? Ask around; you never know who might know someone who has access to one!

Good luck!

Answer 2

Look in the yellow pages and find a company under "Environmental" or "Lead" that does lead paint inspections. They will have an XRF. Call them and ask, if you take the pitcher by, will they test it for you. Most would be glad to do it.