142 
KERAMIC STUDIO 
the peep hole of the door, I use it only as a guide to give me 
some idea of the intensity of the heat. When the kiln shows 
enough red to render visible all the pieces of glass, showing 
the gold and a good sparkle of the glass, stop firing. Often 
you can see whether there is a glaze on the colors, this however 
is not always possible; if you do not see this glaze but feel that 
the glass has good brilliancy and the gold lines show well, 
better turn off the fire even if you should have to retire, until 
you have gained experience, than to run the risk of melting 
your glass. 
The second the firing is over there is necessity to cool 
your kiln quickly and yet there is great danger of cracking 
the glass, by throwing your door entirely open. I fan it open 
several times quickly (as I often have done when I think china 
has had a little too much fire) then let it remain closed a few 
seconds, then fan it several times again, by this time you can 
fan it more slowly. I have an electric light right at my kiln 
door and can see in whether my colors are glazed to suit me, 
if not I close the door and turn on the oil or gas until I am 
satisfied the colors are properly glazed. Experience will soon 
teach you exactly how your kiln should look when your colors 
are properly developed. 
All of the ebony glass, as well as the crystal pieces with 
flight of blue birds on the right in this illustration are from the 
Cambridge Glass Co. of Cambridge, Ohio, there is but one 
piece in this illustration from the United States Glass Co. from 
Tiffin, Ohio or Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, that is the stemmed 
Amethyst ice cup in the center; there were more of theirs in 
my last illustration, but either of these factories' glass will 
stand repeated fires right along with imported glass. 
DOROTHEA WARREN O'HARA 
132 East 119th Street, New York City 
Page Editor 
Shape of the Bowl and the Pattern on the Bowl designed by Mrs. O 'Hara 
BOWL IN ENAMELS 
T> ACKGROUND, brilliant Black Enamel No. S-237. Body, 
■*-* feet and tail of bird, Rhodian Red Enamel No. S-213, 
except the light parts, which are Dark Yellow Enamel No. 
S-212. The light part of wing is also Dark Yellow Enamel 
No. S-212. The small dark spot in center of wing is Rhodian 
Red Enamel. The wide line that outlines the wing from body 
of bird, is Dull Violet Enamel No. S-217. The stems are Dull 
Violet Enamel. The stems go down into first band at bottom 
of bowl. The second band is Dark Yellow Enamel and the 
bottom band is Blue Green Enamel No. S-233. Grapes are 
Dark Yellow Enamel. Light parts of the leaves, Green Enamel 
No. 1 No. S-229, dark parts, Blue Green Enamel. The inside 
or lining of bowl, is Rhodian Red Enamel. 
Divide your bowl into five sections, as the design repeats 
five times. Ink your dividing lines. The design should be 
carefully placed in each of the five sections, and outlined in 
pale India ink, as there is no fired in outline. These bowls 
rarely ever come the same size, I have known them to vary 
more than an inch across the top and some are 'much higher 
than others, therefore the placing of the pattern or design on 
the bowl is very important and requires careful attention. 
Your Enamel should be ground very thoroughly, and ap- 
plied thinly for the first fire, the object being to get a perfect 
drawing of the pattern and to have all edgessmooth and straight. 
The black enamel background goes in the first fire, and 
also if you are a careful worker, the red lining. It always 
takes two applications of enamel for a black enamel background 
and two for a lining of any kind of enamel. The Rhodian Red 
Enamel lining should be floated in thinly for the first fire and 
for the second, using a small brush (China Liner No. 3). If 
the lining is floated in heavy, it has a dull wooden appearance, 
instead of the soft orange, wh^ch resembles so closely the lovely 
old Chinese enamel. It requires three fires to make the bowl 
perfect. 
In firing, remember the bowl must have a good size air 
chamber under it. I always set these bowls on a grate, with 
three small pieces of platten under the bowl, arranged triangu- 
larly, so as to prevent the bottom band of enamel from sticking 
to the grate. 
This extra precaution about firing may, to some, seem 
superfluous, but is suggested by the fact that a very short time 
past, a teacher who has been firing a kiln for years, brought 
to my studio, a cracker jar with pieces of enamel, and even 
the Belleek taken out all around the bottom. There are also 
many enquiries from teachers asking how to fire these bowls. 
