188 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
ing is very important. Too much oil, and that is the com- 
mon mistake, will cause the paste to spread and run. Too 
little will make it too dry and grainy to work well. Hav- 
ing it mixed with sufficient oil, add clean turpentine, grind- 
ing it well until all roughness has disappeared, and it is 
smooth and free from grains. With one of the sable 
brushes take up some of the paste, and try a series of 
dots at one side on your glass. If it drops into a perfect 
rounded dot which stays just as you place it, the paste is 
properly mixed. If it spreads at the edges or flattens at 
the top it needs to be stiffened. To do this breathe on 
the paste, mixing with the knife at the same time. The 
moisture from the breath acts upon the turpentine and 
seems to cut the oil. 
Test it again and you will find that it does not spread. 
If it seems inclined to be slightly conical, dip the brush 
in clean turpentine and lightly touch the point. This 
will correct it. Some of the foreign workers add a little 
saliva to the paste when it seems to be contrary. This 
will often work like a charm, especially for fine line work. 
For lines the paste needs to be of a somewhat richer con- 
sistency. For this reason paste that has been mixed the 
day before is excellent. In working, the continual evapo- 
ration of the turpentine leaves a certain percentage of fat 
oil. This in addition to the oil with which the paste is 
originally mixed makes a very rich "body." Thin with 
turpentine, as in mixing fresh paste, and breathe on it 
until it is in good working condition. Test it on the slab, 
and if it makes a fine even line free from irregularities, 
and which does not flatten or spread after it stands a mo- 
ment, it is properly mixed. In taking up paste on the 
brush, scoop it up from the mass, having the brush fairly 
well filled, especially for dots or for modeling flowers and 
ornaments. For fine lines less is taken, dragging the 
paste along as far as the brush will carry it. With a fresh 
supply on the brush go back a little way from the starting 
point, and coax the paste along so that no joining will be 
visible. The line shouM be even and without ridges; not 
fine and narrow in some places and wide and flat in others. 
Much practise is needed before one is able to lay good 
paste lines. If there are slight irregularities as you work, 
clean the brush and slightly moistening it with turpen- 
tine draw it along close to the paste. This will assist in 
keeping the edges clean and sharp. 
After the paste has stood awhile, it should look dry 
and dull. If it is glossy, you have used too much oil. 
There are two complications which may arise from this 
fault. Oily paste will flatten and spread when fired, de- 
stroying all beauty of the decoration. Then again, an 
excess of oil will cause it to chip or "scale" off after it has 
been fired. Be very careful, therefore, in following the 
directions for mixing. 
Paste which is used in very high relief is not practi- 
cal for tableware. Constant use will cause it to chip off. 
On the other hand, paste used in very flatly modelled 
forms wears well, and is really very beautiful. To use 
it in this way, it is mixed much thinner than for either 
dots or lines. It should be thin enough to not show the 
brush marks when placed on the china, and is floated on 
much as one uses enamel. Do not fuss with it, but lay 
in the little forms cleanly and crisply. This is one of the 
occasions where the student must work very directly, 
placing the paste with a sure touch just where it is wanted. 
All sorts of charming little borders may be done in paste 
( ^ ayai *H| 
O G 
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m 
SALT DIPS— CHAS. BABCOCK 
(Treatment page S9a) 
TEA TILE— RUTH H. RUCK 
(Treatment page 204) 
