120 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
71 
WILD ROSE MOTIF— HENRIETTA B. PAIST 
(Treatment page 116) 
First Prize Class C, Wild Flower Design Competition. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS 
Mts. C. D. — Will you please tell me the most nccunilc way of getting straigh 
lines and eve?i spacings from top to botlom of a vase which is narrower at the 
hotlomf 
Also jrhich are the most satisfactory colors {Fry's) to use for Ground Laying. 
I havr ji'yi rrn-ii'rd from the firing a vase of which tme section ivas ground laid 
with Ffi/'s Ailcr Blue for 1 si fire and winch was salisfaclory when fired and 
which I did not retouch for 2d fire, hut which came from the 2d firing rough and 
"crackled". Is it because it was not padded enough for the 1 si fire? 
To divide a vase which is larger at the top than the bottom take a ]>lale 
divider (which can be found at any art dealers) , divide the top in as many 
sections as you wish, then hold the vase directly in front of you and draw a 
straight line down from any of the divisions. One of the new flexible rulers 
is a great help in this. Then divide the bottom of the vase from this Une and 
place tlie flexible rale between the corresponding marks at the top and 
bottom of vase and draw the line between. 
Any of the ground laying colors are satisfactory — the trouble was prob- 
ably in the wa.y it was applied or in the firing. It is hard to say without 
seeing the piece but the trouble is probably due to the color being applied 
too heavily, the oil was either apphed too heavily or it was not padded long 
enough or possibly you did not allow it to dry long enough before applying the 
color. 
Mrs. B. J. — Shoidd Antique Bronze Gold be padded slightly In obtain a 
smooth effect.' Ail I hare erer seen has .shown bru^h 7narks. Can a good bronze 
effect be obtaimd hi/ u.snuj iiiijhiied gold over fired -mat bronze green and should 
Ike gold be padded in iln'.s ra.sc' 
I want to put a, design in gold over a bronze background. May nnjhixed. 
gold be used over Antique Bronze Gold and come out bright? 
Antique Bronze Gold cannot be padded. The cause of the brush marks 
showing is cither tliat it was not painted on evenly or it wtis over-fired; if it 
was api)lied on Bclleok (tic lat tor is very likely the reason, it is not verj- easily 
over-fired on china, it should be apphed in two thin washes. 
The unfluxed gold over bronze would change the color of the gold 
and would not be satisfactory. Possibly the unfluxed gold would come out 
bright over the bronze with two applications. It is best to make a test on 
a broken piece of china when in doubt. 
C. H. — In so many of the treatments dusting is called for when Fry's Special 
Tinling Oil i.s u.scd, .should il he padded'? And especially in, small spaces. 
How is llir /loirdi red pa. -:1c for raised gold mixedf 
The Special Tinting <->il need not be padded in small places if it is applied 
very thin and even, but it is necessary to pad it in large spaces. 
Powdered paste is niixe<i with a drop of Fat Oil of Turpentine, not enough 
to hold the paste together but just to darken the color very slightly, breathe 
on it quite a while until it seems moist and rub it thoroughly with a horn 
knife and then add Lavender Compound as a medium, do not rub it hard 
after adding the Lavender. 
killdh, Irll 
ml ds nd.hu 
■lid Slim, 1 1 III,. ■ 
,rh,if., 
nt,i! 
In. 
mil ni]iiiri:s a hard, 
n, <l d IT' rijiriirie in 
■I <i>ic plnrr iind then 
K. V. C— Would ijo 
niediim or light fin: lo pn 
the Kiln crcepl way buck 
again it does not rub. 
We do not know what you mean by platiinmi. Do you mean tlie lustre 
(silver lustre) or white gold? If you mean white gold, it certainly needs a 
hard fire. As a rule, any color which rubs off is not fired hard enough. Your 
firings are probably uneven. If you cannot judge accurately of the point of 
filing from the color in the kiln, use cones. Cones 019 and 018 will give 
light firings. Cones 017 and 016, medium. Cone 015, hard. 
A. R. E. — Why is it in using M. Mason's Hard Black {with groundiug oil) 
il fires with a glaze when I supposed it woidd produce a dull effect? 
The Mason's Hard Black was fired too hot which causes it to have a 
glaze. It should have a medium fire. 
Margaret — 7s there a Canadian firm handling Belleek and Salsuma ware? 
Can I prepare white enamel for Satsuma Belleek and Favorite or is it bel- 
ter to buy from Mr. Phillips whose enameU dte reliable f 
Why is Flux .sometimes added? 
Have the colored enamels an adva.nlage over (he while lirileU with La Croix 
colors f 
We do not know of a Canadian firm handling Satsuma and Belleek ware, 
but there ought to be firms having them. Try Williams Art Importing 
Co., Toronto. 
You can either prepare your own enamels or use a ready prepared ena- 
mel for the Satsuma, Belleek and Favorite. 
Flux is added to make the enamel fire at a lower heat, the more flux is 
added the less heat is required. 
The advantage in using colored enamel, is that they are ready for use 
and save the trouble of mi.ving and you are always siu-e of your color. 
(.Continued on page 130) 
