78 Kansas Academy of Science. 



per cent, of white imported clay. For the white cover enamels tin 

 oxid is also put in at this time. The enamel is ground until it will 

 pass through a hundred-mesh sieve, by large round flint stones 

 which are put in with the mixture. The enamel, on being taken 

 from the mill, has about the consistency of rich cream. This is 

 loaded into tanks, where it is allowed to age a week or so. 



From the mill-room the enamel is taken to the dipping-room, 

 where it is put into tanks that are like large dish-pans. These are 

 sunk into tables, and at each tank a "dipping girl" works. The 

 dipping girl takes the stamped-out steel vessel, which has been 

 thoroughly cleaned, and plunges it into the enamel. When taken 

 out the wet enamel forms a thin film all over it. By a gentle 

 swinging motion the excess of enamel is thrown off, and the vessel 

 is placed bottom down on three metal points projecting from a 

 board. Three or four vessels are put on a board and then car- 

 ried to the drying-room, a room which is between the dipping- and 

 furnace-rooms. 



The furnace-room contains a long bank of muffle- furnaces, each 

 one of which has a muffle about twelve feet by six. In these the 

 ware is put after drying. The temperature in these furnaces is 

 about 1100° C, and here the little powdered particles of enamel are 

 fused together in a solid glass covering over the Vessel. About five 

 minutes' time is required for each load put into the furnace. Five 

 men and boys attended each furnace — the head burner and two 

 assistants, two carrier boys, and a beading boy. The beading boy 

 takes up a little black enamel (an enamel made as above described) 

 on his finger and puts it around the top of the vessel before it is 

 burned. This makes the black bead around the top of the vessel. 



Each coat is burned separately. For instance, we have a tea- 

 kettle that is to be a three coat — white inside, turquois-blue mottle 

 outside. The vessel is first dipped in the ground coat enamel, the 

 excess of enamel is shaken off, it is put on a three-pointed rack, and 

 dried in the drying-room. After drying the enamel stands in little 

 grains all over the surface of the ware, adhering to the metal on ac- 

 count of the raw clay ground in with it. At this stage every care 

 must be taken, for a scraping even of the finger nail would take off 

 Bome of the powdered particles of the enamel. Tliis kettle is then 

 put into the muffle of the furnace, and the heat fuses all the little 

 particles together and we have a tight-holding vitreous coating ail 

 over the surface of the vessel. This coating is nearly black, due to 

 the oxids of cobalt, nickel and copper which it contains, and shines 



