Method of making fired bodies

A method for producing a fired body, the method comprising:

• a) compounding components comprising
• i) powder materials,
• ii) binder,
• iii) aqueous solvent for the binder,
• iv) surfactant,
• v) non-solvent with respect to at least the binder, the solvent, and the powder materials, wherein the non-solvent is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbons, fluorine compounds, fatty acids having greater than 22 carbon atoms in their chains, fatty alcohols having greater than 22 carbon atoms in their chains, natural esters having 14 or more carbon atoms in their chains, synthetic esters, and combinations of these, and
• vi) an organosilicon compound, wherein the organosilicon compound comprises one or more siloxanes, wherein the organosilicon compound results in reduced cracking in the subsequently formed fired body,
• wherein the non-solvent is lower in viscosity than the binder combined with the solvent,
• and wherein the amount of solvent is less than the amount that would be used absent the non-solvent,
• b) mixing and plasticizing said components to form a plasticized mixture;
• c) shaping the plasticized mixture to form a green body;
• and
• d) firing the green body to produce a fired body.