KERAMIC STUDIO 
m 
'A MEDIAEVAL HUNT"— PLATE DESIGN— MRS. J. UNGER. 
imperceptible at the time, they will cause countless little 
white specks when the piece is fired. 
Another cause of spotted lustre is moisture in the kiln, 
which settles on the china when the firing gets under way 
and causes bad spots. This may be done away with by 
leaving the kiln door ajar about a half inch for the first half 
hour. 
This in no way retards the firing and will do more to 
insure good firing of lustres than perhaps any other one 
thing. By leaving the door open in this manner all the 
fumes and moisture are thoroughly carried off. One of the 
best helps to putting on an even coat of lustre is to first 
wipe the surface of the china very lightly with lavender oil. 
In doing this be particular to use but a small quantity of 
lavender, only slightly moistening the silk with it. This 
will leave a thin film of oil on the china which very materi- 
ally assists in keeping the lustre open until the padding is 
finished. This is especially helpful in putting in linings for 
bowls, etc., or in going over a large surface with a solid tint. 
Another emphatic "don't" is, do not use the same brush for 
different lustres, without first washing out all traces of one 
lustre before using it for another. Where one can, it is best 
to keep a brush for each lustre. This saves endless washing 
and cleaning. However it is often the case that brushes 
are limited in number. Where this is so, wash the brush in 
alcohol and then with soap and water, rinsing thoroughlv. 
Press out all the moisture you can on the towel, then dry 
the brush thoroughly by fluffing it against the hand. The 
heat of the hand will assist the drying and has the added 
advantage of not making the brush linty. Be sure it is 
perfectly dry before using as moisture is one of the three 
deadly enemies of lustre, the other two being dust and 
