Evening Star Newspaper, April 13, 1930, Page 130

.NTEREST!NG DETAILS IN MOPDERN CHINA MAKING.— ° f./f’ , : HE MAKING OF POTTERY JODAY FORMS A UNIQUE LINK WITH THE DISTANT PAST. MACHINES NOW DO MOST OF THE WORK FORMERLY DONE BY HAND, -STEAM AND ELEC- TRICITY HAVE DISPLACED MAN POWER ,-BuT THE FUNDAMENTAL OPERATIONS OF TMIS INDUSTRY HAVE NOT CHANGED SINCE TS BEGINNING. e LET LS VISIT ONE OF OUR LARGE,MODERN POT- TERIES AND SEE HOW FINE CHINA S MADE. —° Y088 7075 5 TP P . PoTTER, OR “THROWER), FORMING A PIECE BY HAND: —- 2 7 7 / \ CHUNK OF CLAY 1S THEN PLACED> ON THE 'POTTERS WHEEL". THE POTTER'S SKILLED HANDS QUICKLY TRANSFORM THE WHIRL- ING MASS OF CLAY INTO THE DESIRED SHAPRE . ° - — DIPPING— = THE PIECES ARE TESTED, CLEANED, AND DIPPED IN GLAZE . THEN THEY ARE FIRED> FOR ONE . DAY INTHE KILN TO HARDEN THE GLAZE. (Copyright, 1930, by J. Carroll Mansfield) MAKING PLATES BY MACHINE-—* " MEANS OF TRANSFER PAPERS. 77 A "THROWER" FORMING A VASE FROM THE CLAY AS IT SPINS ON THE ; "POTTERS WHEEL —+ 4 A 1 -~ PRESSING HoLLOW METHOD OF CARRYING ///// il SAGGARS TO THE IKILN, H LIGHTS OF HISTORY - The Romance of Pottery, parrs == STRAINING THE “5LIP" .uzsr THE CLAY GOES INTO THE MILL WHERE IT IS GROUND WITH FLINT, FELDSPAR AND BONE, TOGETHER WITH WATER, AND BECOMES A THICK LIQUID KNOWN TO POTTERS AS "SLIP -« FIED,ANDTHEN PASSED> ON TO THE PRESS WHERE THE WATER. 15 SQUEEZED OUT. THE CLAY MIX- TURE COMES OUT OF THE PRESS IN A FLAT SHEET. FOR A DAY, THE WARE GOES TO THE TURNERS AND> MODELERS WHO PERFECT THE SHAPE OF THE PIECES AND ADP MANDLES TO CUPS, PITCHERS AND COVERED DISHES. —e FIRED INTHE KILN— FOR- PROTECTION EACH PIECE IS EN~ CLOSED IN A "SAGGAR', A SORT OF PAN MADE OF REFRACTORY CLAY. .»;{ Ut . L — BlHE DECORATED CHINA GOES BACK TO THE KILN AND IS BAKED ONCE MORE . GOLP, IF USED> IN THE DECORATION, IS BLACKENED BY THE INTENSE HEAT, AND ON COMIN OUT HAS TO BE BURNISHED. —* WHITE CHINA 1S DECORATED THE DECORATION IS USUALLY PRINTED ON EACH PIECE BY THE MORE COSTLY WARES ARE DECORATED BY HAND, — ° -uE"SUP"ns STRAINED> AND PURI- EXT,THE CLAY |5 THROWN INTO THE PUG MILL WHERE IT 1S KNEADED BY HUGE SPIRAL KNIVES. AS THE CLAY, A DAMP, FIRM MASS, EMERGES THROUGH A CHUTE, IT 1S CUT INTO CHUNK S, — * INTHE FURNACE, WHICH IS THEN FIRED TO A WHITE HEAT. TME POTTERY 1S BAKED FOR ABoUT 90 HOURS.WHEN T EMERGES, IT 1S CALLED "BISCUIT. — ° .HE LUMP OF CLAY HAS NOW BEEN COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED INTO AN EXQUISITE PIECE OF FINE CHINA, AND IS READY FOR. TABLE SERVICE. °