1832.] or Japanned Ware of Ava. 177 



two was best, as adhering most closely to the bamboo basket-work. It 

 was applied with the fingers. 



At the end of three or four more days the rim of the cup was cut 

 still more even, and the cup was fastened to a lathe, called tset-khoun, 

 and the inside was ground perfectly smooth and even in the manner here- 

 after described. A coat of ayo-tha-yo, " bone ashes tha-yo," or tha-yo 

 akhy-au, " fine tha-yo" was then put on with the hand in the inside, and 

 laid smooth with the finger, occasionally dipped in water. At the lathe 

 the left hand is employed on the cup, whilst the machine is turned 

 with the right hand, which moves to and from the workman a long 

 stick tied to a leathern string, that has two turns around the lathe. 

 Forms or chucks of the size required, are fixed to the spindle of the 

 lathe with little pieces of bamboo ; and when the outside of the cup is 

 to be turned, the cup is fitted to these chucks, which enter about an 

 inch and a half within it. But when the inside of the cup is to be 

 turned, a cylinder of coarse basket-work open at both ends, called 

 tsee, is fixed to the chucks, and within this cylinder, the whole of the 

 cup is lodged, and fastened, if necessary, with little slips of bamboo at 

 the sides. To make the coat of coarse thayo perfectly smooth and 

 even, the cup is smeared over with a little water and a kind of red 

 earth, and is then turned against a piece of pumice stone, and occasi- 

 onally moistened with more water. The cup was placed in the sun to 

 become perfectly dry, before the thayo was put on. The large boxes 

 with high tops are fastened to a different kind of lathe, like our centre 

 lathes. The upper end is either inserted into one side of the lathe, or 

 fitted on a pin there ; and to the bottom is fixed a piece of wood, 

 which revolves around another piece fastened to the other side of the 

 lathe. The two sides of the lathe may be made to approach or recede 

 as required, to hold the ware between them. The string is put round 

 the box, and the left hand usually moves the stick, whilst the right holds 

 the pumice stone. Usually, one coat only of thayo is put on the wood 

 work of these boxes ; but they are rubbed smooth and even, three times, 

 with the different kinds of stone ; once after the thayo , once after the 

 first coat of varnish, and the last time, after a second coat of the 

 varnish. The thayo is put on at once over the wood, and there are 

 three coats of varnish before the vermilion is applied. 



At the end of three more days the cup was again fixed to the lathe, 

 and the outside was treated in the same manner as the inside had been 

 before, the coat of coarse thayo on the outside being rubbed smooth 

 and even, and when perfectly dry, a coat of fine thayo put on. The 

 workmen said that it is better to do only one side at a time. 



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