1 '4 



CHINA-WARE. 



plank, tmwed blade-wise, the upper end baring a cro*.-han- 

 dle firmly fixed, and the blade diminishing from about 

 eigbt inches by two, to six by one. 'I In- is forcibly shoved 

 long the bottom, then rested on the upper ridge, and by 

 pressing down the handle, the whole mass is agitated iu 

 the water, and so loosened that the pyrites subside. The 

 watery mixture is poured through a hair sieve, upon a sun 

 pan, or sun kiln, several feet square, a foot deep, and the 

 bottom sprinkled with sand. The lluid is poured on at 

 successive times, and evaporates a little ; afterwards it is 

 cut out with a spade, and laid in a damp vault until used. 

 Slip. making, is the process of preparing the clay for the 

 present manufacture of china and earthenware. The slip- 

 house is a long apartment, containing vats or arks for the 

 flint, stone, and other minerals ; and a slip-kiln formed of 

 a long trough, eighteen to thirty feet long, three to five 

 broad, and sixteen inches deep, in which large bnuks, eigh- 

 teen inches long, eight broad, and two to three and a half 

 thick, (as nearer or not to the fire place,) are placed on bricks 

 forming distinct lines beneath; and, for particular bodies, 

 over all is run a coating, two inches thick, of plaster of Pa- 

 ris. The blunging pan is formed of flags placed edge-wise, 

 and the blunger is about seven to nine feet long, shaped as 

 already described. The native clays are mixed in water by 

 the blunger, till the fluid is of a certain density, per ale 

 pint, and resembles thick cream, and then by bowkfuls is 

 poured through a lawn sieve, into a large vat, (often care- 

 fully graduated,) until all the clay is brought into a state 

 of proper comminution, and the mass of a definite weight 

 per ale pint. To this is added the requisite quantity of 

 ground flint in water, also of a certain density per ale 

 pint ; and that a complete intermixture of the whole may 

 be effected, the fluid is pumped out of this vat, upon the 

 slip. kiln, in its course passing through the finest lawn of 

 the series used. By the heat from the flues the whole mass 

 is kept in continued ebullition, until a considerable propor- 

 tion of the water employed as the medium of the compon- 

 ents is evaporated, and the cessation of air bubbles on the 

 surface, aud from the solidity of portions cutout of different 

 parts of the mass on the kiln, the slip-maker considers it 

 sufficiently dry, but not too dry, for properly yielding to 

 the hand of the thrower, or the manipulations of the presser, 

 in giving it the forms of the several articles. It is removed 

 from the kiln into an adjoining apartment, and the process 

 of Slapping the clay succeeds. A strong man, with a spade, 

 not unlike a T inverted, from a heap cuts off a small lump, 

 and with much force casts it on another heap, to cool it 

 by the exposure to the atmosphere, and temper it by de- 

 itroying all air bubbles caused by evaporation on the slip, 

 kiln. It is then carried into a vault untU required by the 

 workmen. Often, however, from want of capital, and of 

 convenience, warm clay is taken by the workmen, after be- 

 ing only a few hours off the kiln, to the injury of the work- 

 men as well as of the masters ; the latter, though aware of 

 this disadvantage, not resolutely opposing its occasional 

 practice. 



'//trowing the ware is the first manipulation. Fitted 

 into one nook or corner of the room, is a box., with a curved 

 front, about four feet square. The thrower's (engine or) 

 wheel consists of a spindle or axis, which turns vertically 

 in a step, and is supported by a collar. On the upper end 

 is firmly fixed the head, a circular disc of wood, which, dur- 

 ing the operation, has horizontal motion. On the spindle, 

 near the bottom, is a pulley, with grooves of varied diame- 

 ters, for easing or increasing the force required for different 

 vessels. In this pulley works a cord, which passes under a 

 snatch-pulley guide to a wheel, three or four yards distant, 

 placed near the wall, aud from four to seven feet in dia- 

 meter, moved by a wince. 



In some manufactories, where steam-engine power is 

 available, cones inverted are placed on parallel shafts, and 

 a belt is adapted to them, which always is adjusted because 

 of their similar but opposed dimensions. One of these 

 (hafts has a pulley on its lower end, from which passes a 

 belt to the thrower's wheel ; and the other is connected by 

 proper gearing, with the moving power. The needed velo- 

 city for the thrower is obtained by the movable belt being 

 "nigher or lower on the driving cone, from a directing lever. 



At a strong bench or table, near the throwing wheel, is a 

 bailer, (usually a young woman,) with a large lump of the 

 clay before her. This manipulation of balling is performed 

 thus : with a brass wire a piece of clay is cut off the lump, 

 and with all possible force by the person slapped down 

 again on the mass ; this laborious work she repeats, by cut- 

 ting in different directions, until the intersected part pre- 

 sents a smooth homogeneous surface, without any appear- 

 ances of air bubbles ; because, were one of these left thereby 

 its expansion, during baking, would spoil the article. S|B 

 then nuts off a small lump, with thin brass wire, and weighs 

 it, when the body is valuable and the vessels must be of a 

 definite size; next she squeezes it well together, and forms 

 it into a ball, which she hands to the thrower as he requires 

 a supply. The thrower sits on a low seat in the corner of 

 the box frame, with his feet on the sides of the disc or 

 wheel 'head, and his arms resting on his knees, keeping 

 steady his hands while they modify the clay into any re- 

 quired form. On the side of the frame he fixes in a lump 

 of day a peg, or stick, at that disUnce from the centre 



which indicates the height and expansion of the vessel* be 

 must throw. Taking a ball of clay, on the wheel being in 

 motion, he casts it very forcibly on the disc or head, and to 

 expel any air bubbles, forms it into a conical pillar twice 

 or thrice ; then inserting his hand, or finger and thumb, 

 with the other hand on the outside, he gives it the rude 

 figure of the vessel ; and, with a wage or pattern (formed 

 of earthenware, and well glazed) he smoothly finishes the 

 inside, and then, with a brass wire, cuts it loose from the 

 head. The bailer then hands him another ball, and dexter- 

 ously lifts the vesnel off the disc, and places it on a board, 

 011 which it remains (occasionally turned upside down,) un- 

 til it is sufficiently dry to bear, without injury, the mani- 

 pulations of turning and handling. 



Turning the ware. The turner's lathe resembles that 

 employed by mechanics, only the spindle is longer, and 

 some of them have a collar, movable by a catch, for the 

 particular manipulation called engine turning. On the end 

 of the spindle, outside the head-stock, is a screw, for the 

 several chucks required by vessels of different sizes. A 

 pulley with three grooves of varied sizes is also on the spin- 

 dle, on which is the cord passed round the wheel, which in 

 fixed on a crank shaft Connected with this crank is a 

 treadle; and beside the frame which holds the spindle, 

 stands the treader, usually a >oung woman, who, by a mo- 

 tion of one foot, keeps up the velocity required, and can 

 perform some manipulations requisite, without the attention 

 of the turner being distracted from the vessel before him. 

 Near the treader is a board, on which are vessels to be 

 turned, which she severally hands to the turner as be re- 

 quires a supply. Standing in front of his chuck, be fixes 

 his vessel on it by a slight pressure with his tool, as the 

 spindle has retrograde motion ; then the proper motion be- 

 ing communicated, with a tool of soft iron, properly shar- 

 pened by filing, he takes off the superfluous quantity, and 

 then the treader catches hold of the cord, and gives the 

 spindle retrograde motion, during which the turner lays a 

 broad tool on the vessel, and gives a certain polish to the 

 outside ; after which he applies a sharp tool to cut it loose, 

 and then he places it on the board before him, for the han- 

 dier if requisite, or to dry for being baked biscuit. 



Mocha, tortoiseshell, and dipped wares. These are the 

 common drinking cups, bowls, and jugs, which have parts 

 of the outer surface brown, green, or yellow, with orna- 

 mental rings around them, formed by the turner in the 

 following manner : having rendered smooth and in shape 

 the outside of the vessel, he immerses it in a proper mix- 

 ture, or applies the fluid by a sponge, and places it to dry 

 as he proceeds with others. Afterwards it is fitted on the 

 chuck, and the parts which are to appear white under 

 glaze, are tooled out ; while others of various colours are 

 formed by a mixture applied through a quill, from a glo- 

 bular vessel, into which air is blown to force the fluid out. 

 With a sponge, there is colour applied to form one kind ; 

 aud on others, a drop is let fall, of a saturated infusion of 

 tobacco in stale urine and turpentine, and it ramifies into 

 the resemblance of trees, shrubs, &c. 



The following are the components of Dips and Smears : 



1. Brown, for jug necks, Take and mix well twenty parts, 

 severally, of blue clay, yellow brick clay, Bradwell-wood 

 clay, calcined ochre, and oxide of nickel, grind, and pass 

 through a 12's lawn. 



2. Calcine iron scales (from the smithy,) pick, pulverize, 

 and pass through a sieve, hair, or coarse lawn; and mix one 

 pound in one quart of earthenware slip (No. 4.). 



3. Mix two ounces of fine zaffres in a quart of yellow 

 brick clay slips. 



Slate Dip. Make earthenware turnings into a thick slip, 

 cream like, with water ; then to seventy-eight parts of the 

 slip, add twenty two of fine zaffres. 



Green. In two quarts of unflinted earthenware slip, mix 

 one pound of ground zaffres ; evaporate, calcine, pulverize, 

 and sift; then, in a quart of flinted slip, mix twelve ounces 

 of the calx. 



Dark Green. la one quart of stone- ware slip, mix three 

 ounces of zaffres. 



Olive Green. Mix black marl into slip, twenty-four 

 ounces to ale pint ; into three pints of slip mix four ounces 

 of zaffres. 



Olive Sponge Dip. Mix one ounce of zaffre into a quart 

 of yellow brick clay slip. 



Blue. 1. Mix half an ounce of pure cobalt calx into three 

 pints of stoneware slip. 



2. Ball clay, twenty-eight ; Cornish stone, fifty : plaster, 

 twenty ; blue calx, 2 



3. Ball clay, twenty-three; Cornish stone, twenty-seven ; 

 flint, twenty-seven ; china clay, fifteen. 



Grey. I. Best slip, seventy- five ; flint, fifteen ; emery, 

 sixteen ; manganese, four. 



2. Best turnings, ninety-four ; saffre, six ; in rain water 

 only. 



Orange. Brown dip, fifty; black marl slip, fifty. 



Cane. Orange dip, fifty; best slip, fifty. 



Red. Brick clay slip, sixty ; Bradwell wood slip, forty. 



By the manipulation of the jigger, great numbers of sms.ll 

 articles are quickly formed, also plates of various sizes. A 

 spindle is fixed in a step, and its disc is above the table or 

 bench ; while, from a pulley below, a belt passes to another 



