Sunday Washington globe., 1902-06-15
THE MAKING OF POTTERY.
CURIOUS METHODS USED IN
BAcKWOoDS "JUG FACTORIES"

The old-Time Potter's Wheel, of the
Time Of Moses. May Still Be
Found in Some Parts Of the South
ern states-The Firing Process.
Among the arts and crafts known
% man there is probably none older
han the making of pottery Of some
sort. Fragments Of rude pottery are
.ound among the remains of prehis-
.oric man everywhere aud some of
hem appear to have been made by
machinery. other than the hands
alone
The Oldtime potter's wheel. of the
time of Moses, may still be found in
use in some parts of the Southern
States, notably in the middle counties
Of North Carolina.
To any one accustomed to large
manufactures. with special machines
For turning out certain articles rapidly
and cheaply, the handmade methods
of a hundred years ago would be
curious and interesting.
A visit to one of the backwoods "jug
factories" where the primitive pot
ters wheel. run by foot power, is still
in use, would suggest to the modern
mechanic that the wheel Of time had
slipped cog and that that part OF
the world had gone back several cen
turtles. When a boy, the writer was
told that the molasses and vinegar
Jugs were made by plastering a layer
Of clay over a coil Of rope which was
afterward removed by uncOiling and
Withdrawing il through the mouth of
the Jug Such a method would, Of
course, be impracticable,
The jug maker at one Of these rude
factories" is frequently a small farm
er. who deyotes his spare time to the
pottery business. Using the clay from
his own farm. he employs no help, do
ing everything with his own hands,
and cares nothing for strikes, freight
rates or labor agitators. The product
of his wheel is sold for so much per
gallon in his immediate vicinity. or the
country towns where he takes it for
sale in his own wagon.
Under a rude shed the potter sits
astride a rough bench while he re-
wolves the wheel with one foot. To
make the seat more comfortable he
often uses an old saddle to sit upon.
In front of him is a horizontal wheel
or disk of heavy boards, revolving in a
shallow box OF wood Ahe wheel is
carried on the upper end of an up
right shaft with a heavier wheel on
Oh harf rho arrNfTnd
The lower wheel serves only to keep
up a steady motion impaired 10 it by
the movement or sidewise thrust of
his foot on the swinging foot lever.
The foot power is simplicity itself
The foot lever is a stick or rod OF
wood with a pivot or peg at its outer
end, while the end next to the operat
or is suspended to the bench by
piece of rope or chain. A short piece
Of wood connects the crank in the
vertical shaft to the foot lever and
the side-way movement of the lever
keeps the wheel in motion.
Having previously tempered his clay
pit, he divides it into Jumps of the
proper weight for a jug Of a certain
size One of these plastic Jumps Is
placed on the center of the revolving
disk and the potter proceeds to give 1t
form and shape mainly by the manip-
ulation of his hands alone. 1t is in
teresting to watch the soft clay grow
into symmetrical shape under the
simple manipulations Of the potter's
fingers, sometimes assisted by some
simple tool of wood or bone.
The first step in shaping a jug is by
inserting one or two fingers OF one
hand into the center of the revolving
lump, while the other hand is used to
press on the outside. This produces
a hole in the clay, which may be as
wide as necessary. by simply moving
the fingers to one side OF the center.
The clay now assumes the shape Of
thick ring and is made thinner and
drawn upward to form the side walls
of the jug, by simply raising both
hands at the same time, pulling the
clay up between them. At this stage
the article has assumed the form Of
cylinder or wide-mouth Jar, which a
few touches at the brim will complete.
To make the cylinder into a regulation
jug the upper rim is forced or bent
inward with the hands, into the form
Of a dome, while the neck and lip are
shaped with one finger inside the ori-
flee and a stick on the outside.
The revolving mass Of soft material
responds readily to every touch OF the
fingers, bending this way or that, but
the speed Of the wheel must be com
paratively slow; otherwise the cen
trifugal force would throw the walls
outward and spoil the shape. If the
jug is to have a handle, it is nodded
separately with the hands, bent into
shape and the ends pressed into good
contact with the moist jug. At the
bottom. the jug is still stuck fast to
the center Of the wheel, but may be
lifted of after drawing fine wire un-
der II.
After being properly dried our
farmer-potter proceeds to bake his pot
terry inside a long arch of brickwOrk.
This arch has a chimney at one end
and the fuel. which is wood, Is fed
into the other. In the arch, or oven,
at Intervals there are loose bricks