KERAMIC STUDIO 
235 
ANSWERS TO INQUIRIES 
Mrs. W. E. Francis — F. W. Gesswein Co., 39 John street, New York, can 
furnish you with tools for metal work. 
E. W. E. — Use Devoe's oil stains, and for a good green, use walnut stain 
first for dark effects; when dry, use antiqiie oak, and lastly malachite green. 
After standing for several hours the wood should be well rubbed, so as to take 
olf all superfluous stain. Make a mixtiu'e of wax and turpentine and apply 
while warm; let this stand a few hours, then rub well with soft rags. 
A. K. T, — Fourteen carat gold is very hard to work. Eighteen carat is 
very much easier and the color is ,so nmch better also. 
TREATMENT FOR PINK ROSES (Supplement) 
Khoda Holmes Nicholls 
THIS stuch^ of Roses can be used for the decoration of china 
as well as for a sttidj^ for water color painting. The 
roses are painted in flat modelling to make them more adapt- 
able for decoration. In copying them, it is important to keep 
the masses simple, light against dark and dark against light, 
the flowers forming the light masses and the leaves the dark. 
The roses are broken with deeper tones and the lea^'es with 
light to divide the masses without disturbing the balance. 
The study is painted on 90 poiuid paper (Whatman). The 
colors used are: Hooker's Green No. 2, Aligarin Crimson, 
Raw Sienna and Indigo for the leaves; Rose Madder, Ver- 
milion, Cobalt Blue and Indian Yellow for the roses. For the 
stems use a little Emerald Green and Lemon Yellow with 
Hooker's Green No. 2. The background is painted with 
Indigo, Brown Madder and Raw Sienna. 
INTERESTING POTTERY RELICS DISCOVERED 
EXCAVATIONS in the plain of Graufesenque, near Milan, 
in the south of France, have recently brought to light the 
remains of a Roman potteiy of large extent and one which 
from the marks on ancient vases, etc., in numeroiis mvxseums, 
must have supplied the whole of Roman Gaul with ceramic 
ware. In addition to a variety of interesting relics, saj-s the 
Revue Archeologique, the factory books were also found, 
these consisting of glazed clay tiles on which the necessarj^ 
entries were made with some pointed instrument. Seven of 
these tablets have been discovered, in size from 7x4^ to 
7x9 inches, and containing entries in three columns bj" an lui- 
skilled hand. The first column gives the names of the work- 
men, the second the class of goods produced and the third the 
number of each delivered. 
One of these names is that of Momo, who seems to have 
been a very skillful hand, since ware bearing his stamp has 
been discovered in Pompeii. The works seem to have flour- 
ished between the years 50 and 70 A. D., and to have done 
biisiness on a large scale, no less than 9,000 pieces of one kind 
having been made hy Momo, whilst other workmen turned out 
between 300 and 1,400 pieces each. The names of the ware 
arc given, a circumstance which will facilitate the proper 
naming of manj' Roman articles already in museums. — From 
China, Glass and Pottery Review. 
rf If 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
K. A. — Try alcohol to thin your oil of lavender if too heavy. Hard or 
unfluxed gold can be used only over fired color or raised paste. Brushes 
and palette knife should always be cleaned in changing from one kind of gold 
to another. It will lie a diflicult problem to modify a "fierce jonq^iil j^ellow 
ground with a blood red design." We would suggest outlining the design 
in black and covering the yellow ground with fine dots of white enamel. No, 
flowers cannot he painted with the sugar and M^ater mixture, it is only use- 
ful for black outlines in powder color. We cannot go into the manufacture 
of colors in our magazine, better look up the subject at a library. 
S. J. — Silver alwaj's tarnishes more or less, but can always be cleaned 
like other silver. The dull colors of which you speak are mat colors and are 
dusted on the same as powder color, a second coat can be put on if necessary. 
You wiU find directions for dusting in many back numbers of Keramic 
Studio Answers to Correspondents. We do not know of a. good colored 
study of cherries but hope to publish one soon. 
C. W. — The color studies given with the Keramic Studio can be exe- 
cuted in any make of colors, usually the treatment given with the study 
advises the make of color the artist used, but it is alwaj's possible to sub- 
stitute other makes. We have still a few copies of the Lacroix color chart 
which we give to any subscriber who writes enclosing two cents postage. 
Ivacroix Riiby is the best of that make for dark red roses. Certainly other 
makes of color can be used with Lacroix; Rose Pompadour of Lacroix is 
often used for pink roses. 
M. — It is not necessary to fire in the exact time given in directions for 
the kiln. The draft conditions in every place are different, while each indi- 
vidual kiln will have its own peculiarities Never use enough oil to overflow 
or to cause heavy smoke from the chimney, there is no advantage in a rapid 
fire. You will have to try the dampers and see which arrangement will give 
the steadiest flame and the strongest roaring sound, a good strong "roar" 
should always be heard with a good draft. A damper in the pipe is of use 
only to make a slower cooling off, which is better for the kiln. The damper 
is turned only when the oil is burned out. Smoke from the chimney always 
indicates that you are using more oil than the combustion will consume, shut 
off your flow of oil a little. The heat comes only from the oil consumed 
which makes no smoke, any more oil not only is useless for heat purposes, 
but clogs the kiln and chimney with soot. MujRRes always separate so that 
the cracks have to be refilled frequently, this will not affect the firing. 
A, E. — Yellow lustre over orange lustre will prevent it from rubbing off. 
Lustres cannot be used in enamels. Many good dark purples are sold in 
powder color — Royal Purple, Panzy Purple, etc., — write to the artists who 
sell colors. 
KILNS-FREDERICK H. RHEAD 
