KERAMIC STUDIO 
71 
darker by adding black. With experience you Avill get interesting results. 
Candlestick — The bayberry dips are about eight inches long, tapering 
from about one inch diameter at the bottom to about three-eights of an inch 
at the burning end. The color is a peculiar green, nearer olive than anything 
else. You can buy them from the Jarvie Shop, 608 W. Congress Street, 
t'hicago. 111. The price is a dollar and seventy-five cents a dozen, or fifteen 
cents each ; carriage charges extra. 
Mrs. J. R.— A fusing alkali might do to flux the platinum, but alkaline 
carbonates do not act on it. Platinum would need extremely high heat to 
fuse. Tt could be poli.shed wth vert/ fine pumice and water, or whiting. 
BOWL AND PLATE EXECUTED IN GREY BLUE— EMILY F. PEACOCK 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
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day of the month preceding issue 
red before the 10th 
Mrs. A. G. A. — You will find in another answer the directions for mixing 
powder and tube colors for painting. For tinting, after having mixed powder 
color to the consistency of stiff tube color with the medium, add abovit an 
equal amomit of fat oil, thin with oil of lavander to the desired shade. 
A. G. C. — I do not know of any flux for gold excepting that given in 
recipe for making gold. One part pulverized borax, to twelve parts nitrate 
of bismuth. Copper is never used in the proper preparation of gold, the 
least trace of it would spoil the beautiful color the gold should be. 
R. J. — Some greens are liable to turn brownish in spots, notably, Coalport 
and other greens of that shade, especially on Belleek. We can suggest nothing 
except to dust black over it. That fault is almost irremediable, although we 
have occasionally heard of it coming out all right in a second fire. We have 
known of several boxes of gold of the make you mention which dried so hard 
it could not be used, the oils used in its manufacture are inferior. We would 
suggest dissolving it off the glass with alcohol, then pour off the liquid when 
settled and when dry, mix freshly with a very Httle fat oil and thin with 
turpentine. An iron kiln should be kept well white-washed -with tlie ordinary 
slaked lime, it prevents the iron affecting the color. 
L. C. K. — If pink, rose, carmine or any one of the gold colors is imderfired, 
it will come out unglazed and a brick red color and rub off, especially if put on 
too thick, on a piece where some of the pink glazes and some does not, the un- 
glazed spots are more heavily painted than the others. Gold colors need a 
good average fire — some other colors, such as greens, may glaze in the same or 
a ligliter fire. Tlie pink in your case was either underfired or too heavily 
painted. 
M. B. — For painting with powder colors, we mix mth the medium 
usually sold wth the colors and thin with turpentine. A good medium is 
made of 6 drops oil of copaiba to one of oil of cloves. For tube colors we 
thin with spirits of turpentine or oil of lavander. For tinting we use fat oil 
of turpentine and oil of lavander — you will find this method explained several 
times in back numbers of Keramic Studio answers to correspondents. The 
directions for mixing enamels, raised paste and gold are given also a number 
of times, and as you have been a subscriber three years you -ndll find much 
valuable instruction in looking over your old file. The reason your white 
enamel ran into your green background was either because you used a soft 
enamel when you should use a hard white enamel, such as Aufsetzweis, or j'ou 
did not put on enough enamel to resist the color, or your color was so deep 
as to absorb the enamel. 
L. S. C. — The so-called "Royal Worcester" tint is a creamj- matt finish, 
which was much used at one time in the Royal Worcester factory; it can be 
procured from any dealer in colors for ceramic decoration imder tlie name of 
matt ivory or Royal Worcester tint. 
Mrs. M. F. — Light sky blue is the palest tint of blue made. There are a 
number of dark blues. The depth of color, however, depends a good deal on 
how it is put on. Any blue will make a light tint by thinning with oil of 
lavander or spirits of turpentine, or your regular tinting mixture; and every 
dark blue will have to be put on twice or dusted heavily to show its richest 
depth of color. Aztec blue is a rich deep blue; Royal blue and Banding blue 
with Black, also make a dark color. Gold will come out fairly good over fired 
color if the latter is not too heavily put on, but is always richest on the white 
china. 
If you use your monogram in the center of your plates, they sliould also 
be in center of saucers, but we would prefer a monogram on the rim, as it 
receives less wear and always shows, while the center of plate or cup is soiled 
almost immediately when in use. 
