Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-01-19
HOW PORCELAIN IS MADE.
Japan ExceIs in Tt and 81 Month IL
Good Wages.

Probably no country in the world
possesses such resources for the man
ufacture of fine porcelain and earthen
wares as Japan. says a correspondent
of the Pittsburg Dispatch There are
nearly three hundred localities in the
empire where clay is found suitable
for the manufacture of porcelain with
out being treated to the addition of
foreign matter. The constituent ele-
mentS of porcelain are chiefly silica,
alumina and water.
The clays used by the japanese pot
tiers are treated by being thoroughly
pounded under water in Founders
which are generally worked by hand.
After the earthly matter has settled at
the bottom of the vessel the water is
poured off and the residuum is dried
and stored away in the form of flat
cakes upon boards, or as an impalpa-
bic powder in boxes. The shaping is
done for the most part upon the pot
ter's wheel the introduction of which
is attributed by the Japanese to the
Buddhist priest Gio-gi Boatsh, born
go, died 749, A. d.
The potter's wheel in vogue among
the japanese is exceedingly simple in
its construction, and consists of .
round piece of hard wood well bat
tened on the under side to prevent
warping, and working upon a pivot
set in a porcelain eye. The motion is
communicated to the wheel in most
cases by the hand of the potter HIM
self. When other than round shapes
are required crude molds are some.
times used.
After the clay has been shaped upon
the wheel it is dried for a couple of
days. 1t is then smoothed with a sharp
knife and converted into "bisque" by
brief preliminary baking. lis then
either painted and fired, or glazed and
fired, if it is designed to be painted on
the glaze. The ovens are generally
constructed upon hillside, one above
the other, with the draft from the low
est to the highest, and an arrange
ment for firing each kiln separately.
The consequence of this arrangement
is that the upper kilns are the hottest,
and the ware which requires the most
intense heat is accordingly placed in
these. These connecting kilns possess
the merits of economizing fuel, but
are not always well constructed, and
there is often want of uniformity in
the heat.
The japanese display great skill in
the painting of their porcelain and
earthen wares. The blue color of the
common ware is due to the use of CO.
bait. The ware is painted on the
bisque before firing The more hand
some and costlier wares are painted
on the glaze and are subjected in some
cases to repeated frings. The oxides
employed in coloring are those of cop
per, cobalt, iron, anthony, manga
nese and gold, which are mixed with
silicate of lead and potash and baked
at low temperature, though the OK
ides are also applied in some cases in
fuxed and baked at a temperature
which fuxes them and produces the
desired color. French and German
colors are beginning to be largely
used.
| was at some pains to ascertain the
prices paid for labor in the cloissone
and porcelain factories. The work is
done by the piece, and good turner
in pottery establishment or enamel
er receives from 80 to 70 cents per
diem. The best painters earn from
70 cents to 81. 80 per diem. The wages
are graded downward from these max
imum figures to those paid boys and
girls employed in the simpler opera
tons, who earn from 10 to Is cents a
day. As l have remarked in a pre-
yious letter, when speaking of the
wages paid farm laborers in Japan,
we of the west, with our exaggerated
ideas of the worth of labor and with
the low purchasing power Of our coin,
are apt to form false estimates when
merely contemplating the scale of
prices paid here. But the truth is that
Japanese tastes are simple and wants
few, and while from Is cents to 81 per
diem would be accounted starvation
wages in America, they, in reality,
represent very just and liberal com
pensation in Japan.
| can not better illustrate what ]
mean than by relating an incident
which occurred in Tioko the other
day. A friend of mine was met and
accosted by q Swede, who insisted
upon talking with him. what are
you doing here?" said my friend. 81
am working for japanese who is in
the iron business" what are you
getting?" -Four dollars a month"
-Four dollars month! Why, man,
that will not keep soul and body to-
gether." 90, yes, but it will. have
a jolly good clearinghouse, and get
ali the meat and fish and bread want,
and only pay So month.