The Red Cloud chief., 1896-06-12
m y CHINA SHOP,
How the work ~ nono In vCvce,tcr,
England.

How the Work ~ Done In WCvco,tcr,
England.
Close beside Worcester cathedral arc
the ugly workshops and tall chimnoNs
OF the Royal porcelain works. When
We watch the throwCr molding on his
magic wheel the plastic clay We are
filled with wonder at his skill and ask
ourselves whence came the clay which
takes so readily any form the potter
Wills. says an English paper. The
flint powders found upon the plains
Of Brittany in France. fcldspar from
Cornwall and Sweden, bones from
America, besides other things. all pay
tribute. These unlikely constituents
are calcincd and then ground exceed
ingly fine in mills. The grinding takes
from twelve hours to six days. VI is
n sight worth seeing. those powerful
mills racing round the deep trough
(madc out of stone from Dcrbyshiro)
weighted with heavy blocks, churning
each material, for each Is ground separ-
atcly. into a thick white cream. when
finished the liquids are strained through
fine hair sicvcs and all particles OF iron
withdrawn by means of magnets. The
different ingredients are then mixed to-
gcthcr in proper proportions II
kncadcd into the required consistency
and then the clay is ready for the
thrOwcr. The art of holding clay has
become much more exact since the en-
ploymcnt of plaster of paris molds. AZ
ter the throwor. with the help Of his
wheel. has roughly shaped the clay
into what is termed the lining II Is
taken Oft the wheel and put into a
plaster of paris cast, which In turn Is
placed upon the whirlinE wheel. and the
lining" is then deity nodded to the
exact shape. As plaster of paris alb
serbs moisture quickly the lining is
soon firm enough to be handled. II Is
then turned like ordinary wood or
metal and has handles, which have
been nodded IN plaster of paris, fixed
by The same clay. Tho porcelain is
then ready TO he baked. For this II Is
packed in %nrcproof baking dishes call
ed 'scgrars' and supported on every
side by powdered Calcincd flint. These
sCcgars are mGdc to fit exactly one
upon the other. although they arc Of
Nll'ltUl NlI'S anu N'IllS, anu lh'N W
arranged In columns side by side in the
oven. This oven Is then brickcd up and
eight fires are lighted and kept burning
for forty -Cight hours. night and day.
Most Of the china is glazed, an opera
ton requiring care and skin. The ar
ticlCs are bathcd in the liquid Glazc-a
notwithstanding bruth-and a greater
part of the supcrnuUus glaze shaken off.
But 1t Is impossible TO free them per-
fcctly, besides the fingers leave marks
which have to he removed after the
glaze has been dried in Il hot room.
Women and girls are employed for
this work. The ivory glaze Is a delicate
salmon pink before it is baked, the
! white Il dark drab. After it is glazed
, the pottery, for the second time, is
y packed in scEEars and baked. After
n this the colorod china Ia painted and
baked again. The gold Is also baked in.
{ Few people know that gilt on CAina
" Is the purcst gold that can be bought.
II is ground with mercury and turpen-
u tine into a black-looking paint and ap-
1t piled with a fine camel's hair pencil
Boys are trained for this work from II
u years of age, H. being nearly impossible
II for Older people to acquire the accuracy
1t of eye and hand necessary. Ii Is q
great draw back To the production OF
artistic pottery that the coloring |.
totally different in the paint to tn,
= result after burning. For %insancc. gold
= paint Is black before and dull gold
afterwards; the brightness Is produced
= by polishing it with an agate. Other
l. colors are obtained from metallic OK.
U idcs; iron gives red, cobalt, blue, etc.