The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-02
IN A CHINA SHOP.
How the Work Is Done in Worcester,
England.

Close beside Worcester cathedral are
the ugly workshops and tall ohimneys of
the Royal porcelain works. When we
watch the thrower 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 a
correspondent of the Boston Transcript.
The flint powders found upon the plains
OF Brittany In France, feldspar from
Cornwall and Sweden, bones from Amer
len, besides other things, all pay tribute.
These unlikely constituents are calcined
and then ground exceedingly fine in mills.
The grinding takes from twelve hours
to SIX days. 1t is a sight worth seeing,
those powerful mills racing round the
deep trough (made out of stone from
Derbyshire) weighted with heavy blocks,
ohurning each material, for each is
ground separately, into thick white
| cream. When finished, the liquids are
strained through fine hair Stoves, and all
particles of iron withdrawn by means of
magnets The different Ingredients In
proper proportisns are kneaded into
| the required consistency, and then the
! clay is ready for the thrower.
| The art of molding clay has become
much more exact since the employment
| of plaster of Paris molds. After the
thrower, with the help of his wheel,
has roughly shaped the clay into what
is termed the ''lining'' IL Is taken off the
wheel and put into a plaster of Paris
cast, which in turn, is placed upon the
whirling Wheel and the ''lining' is then
deftly nodded TO the exact shape. AS
plaster of Paris absorbs moisture quickly
| the lining is hs0on firm enough to be
handled. It ID then ''turned" ike ordi-
nary wood or metal, and has handles,
which have been nodded in plaster Of
paris, fixed by the same clay. 1t was al
ways puzzle to our minds how the
| handles were induce not only to stick on
to the jugs and cups, but to bear the
| weights of the same cups and jugs when
full OF liquid. The porcelain is then
ready to be baked. For this it is packed
in tire-proof baking dishes called 'sseg-
CARS" and supported on eyerys sido by
| powdered calcined flint. These seggarg
are made to fit exactly one upon the
other, although they are of different sizes
and depths, and they are arranged in
columns side by side in the oven. This
oven is then bricked up and eight fires
are lighted and kept burning for forty
| 6lSub uOUFS, ulSHU aUu Uay. Inc oven
takes four days to cool and then the con-
tents are unpaoked and are ready for a
var ETY. of processes.
| Most of the china is glazed, an opera
| tion requiring care and skill. The arti-
Giles are bathed in the liquid glaze--a
muddy looking broth-and the greater
part of the superfuons glaze shaken OF.
But it is impossible to free them perfect
ly besides, the fingers leave marks which
has to be removed after the glaze has been
dried in hot room. Women and girls
are employed for this work. The ivory
glaze is delicate salmon pink before 1t
is baked, the white q dark drab. After
it is glazed the pottery, for second
time, is packed in seggars and baked.
After this the colored china is painted
and baked again. The gold is also baked
in. Few people know that the gilt on
china is the purest gold that can be
| bought. Tt is ground with mercury and
turpentine into black-looking paint and
applied with fire camel'a-hair pencil
Boys are trained for this work from
IA years of age, it being nearly impos
sible for older people to acquire the &C.
Curaoy of eye and hand necessary. 1t is
q great drawback to the production of
artistic pottery that the ooloring is to-
tally different In the paint to the result
after burning. For instance gold paint
is black before and dull gold afterward;
the brightness is produced by polishing
| it with an agate. Other colors are OBJ
tanned from metallic oxides; iron gives
red, black, blue, etc.