INGENUITY AND LUXURY 



firm to be worked, and yet not so dry that it will come 

 away as dust instead of in the form of shavings. He 

 must, in a word, be a skillled workman, capable of 

 turning out perfect work with the ordinary flat tool, 

 but using special tools for expediency. With these tools 

 and by means of the various adjustments of his lathe, 

 he is able to produce not only circular forms, but also 

 oval ones, as well as wavy lines, and rows of figures, 

 in a matter of seconds, which would require much more 

 time to produce in any other way. 



Since the ware made on the thrower's wheel and 

 turned in the lathe must be circular, or something ap- 

 proaching it, it is obvious that for the manufacture of 

 rectangular pieces some other method is necessary. 

 There are several such methods, two of the more im- 

 portant being known technically as "pressing" and 

 "casting." In both these processes it is necessary 

 to use molds of plaster, made in such a manner that 

 the clay may be pressed or run into them, to take the 

 form of the mold. For this purpose the mold for any 

 particular piece may have to be made in several parts, 

 held in place in some manner while the pressing or 

 casting is being done, and removed separately when the 

 piece is finished. This would not be necessary for 

 a piece which is wider at the top than at the bottom, 

 but for one that is much "undercut," as in the case 

 of a pitcher, for example, a mold of at least two parts 

 is necessary, and usually there are three. Two of 

 these of equal size and shape form the sides of the ves- 

 sel, while the third is used for the bottom. 



The first operation of the presser in making such a 



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