CLAY WORKING INDUSTRIES. 103 



steam pipes or hot air fans or other devices. Here the water of the clay- 

 is evaporated from the surface of the mold and the ware shrinks away 

 and loosens in its case. The air currents may be quite strong in these 

 dry closets, as well as the heat quite high, as the most of the evaporation 

 of the moisture is from the porous mold and the surface of clay itself is 

 not exposed. In the drying of hand turned ware on its open shelves, 

 great care has to be used to protect the ware from any draft, but no pre- 

 cautions are necessary on drying in mold. 



When the ware is removed from its mold, it is fettled, or trimmed 

 and smoothed up; this is done on wheels turned by hand generally. The 

 handles are put in at this stage and the surfaces and edges of the ware 

 are finished fit for the kiln. 



The system on which jolly work is done is uniform in nearly all 

 branches of pottery. The jolly man is paid for the finished product of 

 his wheel, and he pays all his assistants, carrier boys and finishers, from 

 his own wages. Sometimes as many as five boys and women are needed 

 to tend the labor of one jolly man. Wages made by good jolly men are 

 frequently very large, far out of proportion to the skill demanded. 



Casting, as its name indicates, is a process by which a piece of ware 

 is made by pouring a slip or paste into a dry porous mold. As the dry 

 mold absorbs the water greedily, the clay is deposited in the surface of 

 the mold. After the operation has gone on long enough to deposit the 

 requisite thickness of clay in the mold, the mold is inverted and the re- 

 maining slip is poured out. The mold is then dried in the hot closets as 

 before and when dry, is taken apart in two or more pieces and the cast- 

 ing remains. 



This process is adapted to the manufacture of high grade wares, 

 vases, filigree work, bottles, etc., which can scarcely be made by the usual 

 processes. 



These three processes are common to all branches of pottery mak- 

 ing and will not receive any further mention in the succeeding parts of 

 this section. The succeeding steps diverge from this point according to 

 the kind of ware which is being made. 



Stoneware, being distinguished from the other pottery processes, by 

 the fact that it is burnt only once and that glaze and body are developed 

 together, is therefore ready to be treated with the glaze at this point, be- 

 fore being taken to the kilns for burning. 



The glazes uniformly employed in stoneware manufacture are 

 natural clays of a highly fusible quality and which give brilliant color 

 and finish to the ware. These natural glazes are called "slip clays." 

 They are found in all parts of the country. Ohio has a number of de- 

 posits. But really good and serviceable slip clays are rare and valuable. 

 In a general way, any very fine grained, impure clay is a slip clay, yet it 

 is only when its qualities have been tried and proved that it is of any 

 value. 



