Chemical and Physical Papers. 79 



with a glass-like luster. The vessel is cooled the ordinary tempera- 

 ture of the furnace-room. 



The vessel is again brought to the dipping-room, and here it is 

 dipped into an enamel — this time a white enamel. This goes 

 through the same process as before, except that the beading boy 

 puts a black bead around the upper rim. On account of the dark 

 color of the first coat showing through, this second coat, after it is 

 burned, has a gray appearance, and is called the "gray coat." The 

 vessel is again sent to the dipping-room, and here it is dipped into 

 white enamel, the excess shaken ofF, and the blue-green enamel is 

 sprayed on the outside. 



This spraying process was at one time done by dipping a wire 

 brush into the wet blue-green enamel and the "dipper-girl" shaking 

 it over the surface of the vessel, causing the blue enamel to fall in 

 little speckles all over the white enamel. Lately spraying ma- 

 chines have been put in, which work on the principle of an atomi- 

 zer. A tank full of the colored enamel stands over the table and 

 the enamel is forced out through a nozzle in a spray by compressed 

 air. The flowing of the enamel is controlled by the foot of the 

 dipper-girl as she holds the vessel to be sprayed in the enamel spray. 

 The vessel is now dried and the coating fused in the muffle-fur- 

 nace, the result being turqoise-blue spots on a white background. 

 After a handle and lid are put on in the assembling department the 

 vessel is sent to the assorting room. Here all ware is divided into 

 three lots — first, second and job lots. Some of the second and job 

 lots are fit for redipping. They may have some little spots where 

 the original vessel was not properly cleaned and where, on account 

 of this rust or dirt, the enamel did not stick. These spots are filed 

 or are held under a sand-blast until the surface is perfectly clean, 

 and the vessel is dipped with another coat. 



There are schemes for saving money in all manufacturing plants, 

 and in the enameling business a large part of the profit comes 

 from the residues. For instance, every bit of enamel is scraped 

 from the tanks and tables; all sweepings from floors are saved, and 

 all the waste water from the various departments is first carried 

 into catch-basins, and every few days these are cleaned and the 

 residue which has settled to the bottom is taken out. The residues 

 from all these sources are again melted with the proper amount of 

 fluxing material and coloring matter, and this dark-colored enamel 

 is used for coating the cheaper ware. 



Among other things to be considered in the enameling business 

 is the kind of steel used to make the vessels that are to be enam- 



