Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1884-09-27
PORCELAIN WORKS.
Manufacture Of Porcelain at tks
Royal Works, Dresden.
TWeniy.Five thousand Degrees
Heat in the FuPnace-l;lazt cling
and Decorating.
POTTERY Gazette. |

!
These works are at Meissen, near Dresden
/ The chia for ornamental pressing is moi
used III II clay state but as a liquid, slip-like
thick cream. This is poured into the orifcs
Of the mould left for the purpose, and then
allowed to stand for short time; when suf
| ficient slip has adhered to the mould, the re-
mainder is poured back into the casting jug
| The slip having remained in the mould for
some minutes, becomes sufficiently solid "a
enable the workman TO handle it. He next
proceeds TO arrange all the pieces on a slab Of
plaster before him. He then trims the super.
fiuous clay from each, and applies some liquid
slip to the parts, and SO makes perfect joint,
each part being fitted to its proper place, un'
I'll the whole figure is built up as it was 10
fore it was moulded; as each joint is made
the supeffluous slip is removed with cameIs
hair pencil
The object is next propped with various
strips of clay having exactly the same shrink.
age and is then ready for tho oven The
siirinkage, or contraction to which we have
ailuied is one If the most important changes
as well Us one Of the greatest difficulties en-
countered in the art Of pottery. The change
will be more Or less, according to the mate
rails rsej and the process employed in max
ing. The coDtractions are sufficiently we'll
known 10 the nodeler, and he makes allow.
snce in the model accordingly, the design be-
ing fashioned So much larger than is actually
required tie shrinkage from the original
model to the finished object being sometimes
equal 70 20 ier cent.
The manufactured objects being now ready
for baking are taken to the placing house OF
the biscuit oven, where may be seen some
hundreds Of seggars of all shapes and sizes
These seggars. which are made Of fire clay
and are very strong. are the cases in which
the ware is to be burned. Common brown
wares, when the fire is comparatively easy,
may be burned without any protection, as
the fire or the smoke cannot injure them; but
for porcelain or white earthenware these
cases are necessary. The seggars are made
Of various shapes to suit the different wares
The seggars when full are piled one over the
other most carefully in the oven, SO as to
allow the pressure to be equalized as much
US possible, this is absolutely necessary, as
when the oven is heated to white heat (cal-
culated as equal to about y, 900 degrees
Fali) the least irre2ularity Of bearing might
cause pile to topple on one side, and posi-
bly, affect the firing of the whole oven, causing
n great amount of loss.
The form of oven seems to have been much
the same in all ages viz, that Of a cone or a
large beehive. A china oven is generally
about fourteen feet in diameter inside. 1t il
built OF firebricks, and is incased several
times round with bands of iron to prevent too
great expansion from the heat inside There
are generally eight iireplaces around the
oven in different directions 4 china oven
takes about forty hours to fire; it is then left
too cool for about forty eight hourS. I'm or
der 10 test the burning. the fireman draws
small test cups through HOES in different
parts OF the oven made for the purpose
These tests show, both BY contraction and
the various degrees Of translucency the
progress Of the fire
The porcelain having been burnt is now in
the state called biscuit; it is translucent and
perfectly vitreons Having had the flint
rubbed off the surface and been carefully
examined, it is sent 10 the dipping room
The dipping room is supplied with large tubs
of various glazes, suitable TO the different
kinds of ware. The glaze is really kind of
glass, which is chemically prepared Of borax.
lead, flint, etc, that when burned will ad-
here TO the porcelain, and will not craze or
cracxle on the surface. This glaze is ground
very fine being on the mill for about ten
days until it assumes the consistency of
cream
From the dipping room the ware is brought
into the drying stove, where the glaze is
dried on the ware. It is then taken by
women into the trimming-rUom, where any
superfiuous glaze is taken Of, and defective
places are made good From this room it is
taken to the glost-oven placing house The
glost-oven is OF the same construction as the
biscuit 1t takes sixteen hours to fire, and
the tests are made in the same manner as in
the biscuit-oven. The average heat is equal
to about II 900 degrees Fahrenheit In about
thirty-six hours the oven will be sufficiently
cool for the ware to be removed II Is then
sent into the white warehouse where il is
sorted and given out to the painters and
gilders, TO be decorated according to the
orders ON the books
Visitors generally look forward with pleas
ure to the mysteries Of the decorating de-
partment. 1t Is interesting to watch the
painters some ON landscapes, Others ON birds.
or flowers Or butterflies. All are Interested
in their work, which to the uninitiated NAV
appear at first sight to he very unpromisine.
the colcrs being dull and the drawing unfin-
lsbed. After the first "wash i'm has been
burned, and the painter has worked upon it
for the second fire, the forms and finish. both
in style and color. begin TO appear. Tho
colors used are all made from metallic oxides;
thus copper gives green and black, cobalt.
blue; gold, purple iron, red: etc