Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-09-05
HOW POTTERY rs MADE.
Methods OF Workmen In New jersey
biishment-Varioua Processes.

INSTRUMENTATION Processes.
The fashioning Of pottery from clay
may, at first glance, seem simple pro-
cess. We have all, as children, made
mud pies. The mud pie urcMn is the
potter in embryo. But when you know
that the clay passes through thirty odd
processes OF landings before the finished
dish is produced, and that it NAV have
received thirty of these landings only to
be utterly ruined at the thirty first, and
the proposition looks somehow different.
The story Of how saucer is made is in
teresting. Imagine, in the first place,
three heaps of stuff that looks like ground
chalk. These are china clay, flint and
feIdspar. They have already gone
through certain processes Of calcining,
grinding, ETC., before they reach the pot
| terry, to fit them to the use for which
they are intended. They are the potter 3
raw material.
These three materials are mixed in GER
tain proportions, the formula for which
is said TO be a secret known only to the
potters. When was told this remem-
Der marveling how it could have re-
manned secret so long when it was
known to 80 many. Still feel bound to
believe it is secret. Water is now
added until the mixture is like thin
cream. The cream or ''slip" is then
| passed through a screening process by
running it over ''lawns" or fine cloths.
The impurities are thus removed. and the
| cream-now containing pure potter 8
ri <,,1u Aoxy-c int Of VII Job
it is pumped into the presses. These are
canvas bags inclesed in shallow trays of
wood. The water by pressure is forced
through the meshes of the canvas, leav-
ing the clay behind. When the water is
all drained off the trays are opened, the
canvas coverings thrown back, and the
clay in ''leaves" or cakes Of the consist
ency and color Of putty, are disclosed.
These are rolled up and deposited in the
| clay vault until the superfluous moisture
has evaporated. 1t is then submitted to
the process of ''wedging'' or beating to
expel the air, which if left in would
cause the goods to blister during the fir
ing process. It is then ready for the
''presser" j. e., the man who shapes the
dishes out Of the clay.
The presser does this with the aid of a
mold of plaster prepared by the mold
maker, the most important and highest
paid of all the pottery employees. These
molds are of every size and shape, &C
cording to the goods to be produced.
The most elaborate are those for sanitary
use, called plumbers goods. The hol-
low ware molds are made in three pieces
the two sides and the bottom. Hol-
low ware comprises ewers, teapots, sugar
bowls, ETC.. as distinguished from flat
ware, or saucers, plates, platters, etc.
The saucer mold looks something like
small apple pie, the upper surface Of
which is modelled with the reverse form
of the inside of the saucer. This mold is
placed on a rapidly revolving iron cup
called digger, " the presser takes lump
of soft clay, flattens it out with blow
or two of a plaster stamp until it looks
like pie crust, picks It up and f1ops it
over the revolving mold, where, with the
aid of curiously shaped profile instru-
ment or tool, he instantly fashions the
clay into the form of a saucer upside
down.
A good workman with boy or two to
help him with the molds will fashion
many hundreds of saucers daily in this
manner The mold with the saucer on
top is then placed on a rack, where, by
means of steam pipes, it is dried. The
saucer Is then taken from the mold. the
edges trimmed off and the surface
sponged smooth. 1t is then placed in the
green ROOM for further drying pro-
cess.
The man who makes cups is called a
''thrower," and he exercises little more
skill and dextsrity than the fatware pres
ser in Throwing" the clay up into the
proper shape. His ''jigger' also is of
different form. After the cup has been
shaped and dried it is turned in lathe
and then sponged, when it is ready to ac-
company the saucer to the green room"
When the saucer is perfectly dry it is
ready for its first or biscuit baking. A
round vessel of coarse pottery, which
looks like an old bandbox and is called
''sagger," is produced. White sand is
placed at the bottom. Then the saucers
are ranged in layers, each layer being
covered with sand. When the sagger il
full strips Of common red clay, called
''wads," are placed round the rim, and
the sagger is ready for the kiln.
The kilns are about 20 feet high and
10 across, being circular in form. Their
size is designated by the number of days
it will take to fill them. The one + saw
was called a 10 day kiln, because it
would take one man 10 days to fill it
with saggers. Eight men were at work
at it, and it was filled in two days and
half The saggers are placed in piles,
called "bungs," 20 feet high. The
''wads" serve to steady the piles and to
keep out foreign substances, smoke and
the like, when the firing begins. On the
top of each ''bung" an inverted sagger
is placed for like reason. When the
kiln is full the opening is bricked up and
the fires lighted. The crockery is sub
jected to a heat of 5000 degs. Fahren-
heit for from 4s to 60 hours. Then the
fires are put out and the kiln allowed to
cool for several days, when it is opened,
care being taken not to let the cool air
chill the contents suddenly for fear Of
cracking them.
The next process is that Of glazing.
The glaze is generally a mixture of
water, flint, spar, paris white, clay, zinc,
lead, boracic acid and soda ash. though
other ingredients are added.
In this mixture, looking like thin cream,
the saucers are dipped, and after drying
a short time they are ready for the
"glost'' kiln. The saggers used for this
firing are glazed inside to prevent the
porous earthenware from absorbing or
sucking" the glaze from the surface Of
the dishes. Care Is also taken to keep