VOX 
 
 ART AND HISTORY 
 
 (2a* 
 
 POTTING BUSINESS, 
 
 COMPILED 
 
 FROM THE MOST PRACTICAL SOURCES, 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 ESPECIAL USE OF WORKING POTTERS, 
 
 TIIEIR DEVOTED FRIEND, 
 
 W IliLIAI EVASfS. 
 
 SHELTON: 
 
 PRINTED AT THE EXAMINER OFFICE, MILES’ BANK, 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 Time was, when most of the Handicrafts of this 
 country were secrets, confined to the possession of those, 
 whom Fortune, or Capital had placed in the position of 
 Employers. Few, amongst the working, or operative 
 class, who could boast of a knowledge of the ingredients 
 or processes, by which the most beautiful articles of 
 British Manufacture have been wrought into existence. 
 Indeed, it has been a matter of legal prosecution for any 
 apprentice, or adult mechanic, having discovered some 
 of the secrets of his profession, to divulge the same, in 
 opposition to the expressed wish or sanction of his em¬ 
 ployer. This state of mental darkness is fast passing 
 away; and the secrets of Operative Industry are becom¬ 
 ing as generally known, as a Cheap Press and more 
 liberal institutions can possibly make them. Working 
 men no longer remain the mere physical manipulators of 
 the craftily compounded materials of hidden processes 
 and hoarded up recipes. They feel, that they have the 
 same powers of ratiocination as the most wealthy of 
 their employers; and that they have a right to know 
 the component parts of all that pass through their 
 hands. To this end, the present little volume is laid 
 before the public; but more especially before working 
 potters. As the name implies, it is the Art and History 
 of the Potting Business; and is extracted from that 
 most valuable, but expensive, work—the Popular 
 Cyclopaedia. 
 
 To enter into a detailed statement of the value of 
 this little essay to operative potters, would be out of 
 place here. The fact of its utility is self-evident. 
 Where skilled labour is required in the manufacture 
 
IV. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 of any article, knowledge is absolutely requisite to 
 direct that skill. And of all branches of British manu¬ 
 facture, Potting is the one that requires the most 
 extensive knowledge of physical science, and a highly 
 cultivated taste in what has been termed, the “Fine 
 Arts.” Chemistry, Minerology, or even Geology, 
 come within its province. Optics, too, although barely 
 dreamed of by practical potters, offers a wide field for 
 enquiry. Light, with the refractive and dispersive 
 powers of bodies, should not be neglected by those, who 
 wish to further the advancement of Potting Manufac¬ 
 ture. Colour and its physical causes are explained by 
 optics. The refraction and polarisation of light offer 
 an unexplored field for the most extensive enquiry. Sir 
 David Brewster, by his experiments on the polarisation 
 of light, has come to very important discoveries, as to 
 the chemical composition of bodies. The Diamond, 
 which, at one time, was considered to contain little or 
 no hydrogen, has been found, from its refractive power 
 of light, to contain the most of that gas, with the excep¬ 
 tion of the oil of cassia. All kinds of spars may be 
 chemically analised by the polarisation of light; and if, 
 as is rfbw believed, the advancement of the Art of 
 Potting, as far as body is concerned, mainly depends on 
 the proper use of Felspar, may not the science of 
 Optics materially assist in the discovery of that use ? 
 For my own part, I sincerely think, that it may; and 
 not only assist as to the proper use of Felspar in the 
 body of the ware, but also in every after embellishment. 
 How worthy of consideration is the following extract, 
 on the production of colour by grooved surfaces , taken 
 from Brewster’s Treatise on Optics, in the Cabinet 
 Cyclopaedia, especially to Messrs. Minton and Hollins, 
 now engaged, under the protection of a patent, in the 
 manufacture of that most beautiful personal ornament, 
 the porcelain button ! 
 
 “ The principle of the production of colour by grooved 
 surfaces, and of the communicability of those colours by 
 pressure to various substances, has been happily applied 
 to the arts by John Barton, Esq. By means of a deli- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 V. 
 
 cate engine, operating by a screw of the most accurate 
 workmanship, he has succeeded in cutting grooves upon 
 steel at the distance of from the 2000th to the 10,000tli 
 ot an inch. These lines are cut with the point of a 
 diamond; and such is their perfect parallelism and the 
 uniformity of their distance, that while in mother-of- 
 pearl we see only one prismatic image on each side of 
 the common image of the candle, in the grooved steel 
 surfaces prismatic images are seen, consisting of spectra, 
 as perfect as those produced by the finest prisms. No¬ 
 thing in nature or in art can surpass this brilliant dis¬ 
 play of colours; and Mr. Barton conceived the idea of 
 forming buttons for gentlemen's dress, and articles of 
 female ornament covered with grooves, beautifully 
 arranged in patterns, and shining in the light of 
 candles or lamps with all the hues of the prism. To 
 these he gave the appropriate name of Iris ornaments. 
 In forming the buttons, the patterns were drawn on 
 steel dies, and these, when duly hardened, were used to 
 stamp their impressions upon polished buttons of brass. 
 In day-light the colours on these buttons arc not easily 
 distinguished, unless when the surface reflects the 
 margin of a dark object seen against a light one; but 
 in the light of the sun, and that of gas-flame or can¬ 
 dles, these colours are scarcely if at all surpassed by the 
 brilliant flashes of the diamond. 
 
 “ The grooves thus made upon steel are, of course, all 
 transferable to wax, isinglass, tin, lead, and other sub¬ 
 stances; and by indurating thin transparent films of 
 isinglass between two of these grooved surfaces, covered 
 with lines lying in all directions, we obtain a plate which 
 produces by transmission the most extraordinary display 
 of prismatic spectra that has ever been exhibited.” 
 
 From the foregoing extract it will be seen, that the 
 most beautiful phenomena might be produced by the 
 reflection of light alone, from surfaces of peculiar form. 
 Rainbow teints, imitations of mother-of-pearl, “ the 
 brilliant flashes of the diamond” are thus called into 
 existence; and the causes of such phenomena clearly 
 and scientifically explained. 
 
 A 
 
Vl. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 To attempt, in the circumscribed limits of the intro¬ 
 duction to a small work, anything like a lengthy expo¬ 
 sition of the advantages to be derived from the study 
 of airy branch of physical science, would be profitless. 
 All that can be done in so contracted a sphere, is to call 
 the attention of the student, or the practical man, to 
 sources of information, or objects of study, which might, 
 perhaps, in the bustle of business, or from the more 
 potent desire to follow beaten tracts, have escaped 
 enquiry. To this end, the few observations here made 
 on the science of Optics, and its possible applicability 
 to the Art of Potting, have been endited. If but the 
 attention of one practical mind, stored with the re¬ 
 searches of common chemical investigation, be led into 
 the more novel field of optical enquiry, the object of the 
 writer is secured. Art—high art, is not to be obtained 
 by the confinement of the mind to one branch of science 
 alone. There is an identity of truth, or principle, 
 throughout all physical existence! The links, that 
 make up the circle of one branch of knowledge, have 
 their connection with all other branches; and he, who 
 would confine his observations to one course of study 
 alone, is not unlike the squirrel in a cage,—for ever 
 travelling, but making no progress. 
 
 I am fully aware, that the question with potting 
 manufacturers, is not so much the advancement of the 
 art, as the discovery of cheaper processes and cheaper 
 materials , by which the present quality of manufacture 
 can be wrought. To this end the enquiry of nearly all 
 practical potters is now directed. The flow, for blue, 
 although of recent introduction, has undergone several 
 changes. That, now in use by W. Pidgway, Esq., is 
 considered to be the best. Instead of washing, or 
 placing the flow in the saggers, it is introdu ced in. 
 the glaze; and a great saving of expense is thereby 
 '-Toured'. 
 
 The Flows, inserted in the appendix to this work, 
 have been sold, and re-sold at an exhorbitant price, 
 when first introduced in potting manufacture. Those 
 recipes were sold, on two successive occasions, for £100 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 VII. 
 
 each time, and are now prized by the Messrs. Boyle, 
 Dimmock, and Meigh, as the best in use. 
 
 In the manufacture of blue, likewise, much economy 
 has, of late, been displayed. The process now in active 
 operation, at Birmingham, has greatly cheapened the 
 use of Cobalt. It is also thought, that a still further 
 reduction will speedily take place. Field, in one of his 
 recent works entitled “ Chromatics,” directs the atten¬ 
 tion of colour-makers to what he terms “ blue ochre —■ 
 a mineral, like most other ochres, to be met with in the 
 west of England. For durability of teint, in oil paint¬ 
 ing especially, he states it to be second not even to 
 Ultra-marine, or the blue of the Lapis Lazuli. It is in 
 little use, and consequently in little demand; but might 
 prove of the greatest importance to the practical potter. 
 
 One of the most bold attempts to cheapen the process 
 of potting manufacture, was made, some two years ago, 
 and is even now in course of perfecting by Mr. George 
 Wall, of Manchester. A machine, for the manufa cture 
 of flat-ware, has been invented, and nearly brought to 
 perfection'liy r- ffiaLgentleman. Charles James Mason, 
 Esq., of Fenton, was the first to introduce it in the 
 Staffordshire Potteries, but the spirited opposition of 
 the operatives, together with some defects in the ma¬ 
 chine itself, caused Mr. Mason to abandon it, after some 
 few weeks’ trial. 
 
 This machine is so constructed, as to be made to 
 work either by steam, or hand power. In its first and 
 most rude form, it was capable of producing, by the 
 power of one man and a boy, as much ware, as is now 
 produced by six adult operatives. But there was one 
 great defect in nearly all the ware thus manufactured. 
 Independent of the want of polishing, hair-cracks almost 
 invariably made their appearance in the backs of the 
 ware, after firing. This defect has not, as yet, been 
 overcome; and it is a question of much doubt, whether 
 it ever will be overcome. Some of the most practical 
 men of the trade believe, that no mechanical appliace 
 can ever remedy the evil, here alluded to. The ducti¬ 
 lity of clay requires something more than a fixed im- 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 viii. 
 
 moveable tool to fashion the ware. Human touch and 
 skill are required to avoid the suppression, or the com¬ 
 pression of air, which doubtless produces the hair- 
 cracks in Wall’s machine-made ware;—a defect, which 
 nothing but volition and skilled manipulation can 
 remedy. 
 
 In addition to Wall's machine, there is another now 
 in use in some of the manufactories, in the north of 
 England. Of the working of this, I have no personal 
 knowledge, and, therefore, cannot advance.an opinion. 
 It is principally used in the manufacture of cups and 
 bowls; and, I believe, although of a ruder construction 
 than that of Wall's invention, is nevertheless of a more 
 successful character. 
 
 But success in the cheapening of the process, by 
 which earthenware is manufactured, cannot, in my 
 humble opinion, advance, in the slightest degree, the 
 interest of the manufacturer ; and it is most evident, 
 that it must detract from the interest of the operative. 
 Mechanical appliances in the cotton and woollen busi¬ 
 ness, have, it is well known, brought immense fortunes 
 to many of the capitalists, engaged in those trades; but 
 there is a wide difference between the domestic and 
 social utility of pots, and the domestic and social utility 
 of cotton and woollen goods. In the former, the cheap¬ 
 ening of the selling price of the article cannot produce 
 an increased demand, as the price of earthenware is 
 now so low, and its utility of such an unnecessary cha¬ 
 racter, that all, whose wants require plates, cups, 
 saucers, &c., may purchase those, and other articles of 
 potting, for the most trifling sums. On the other hand, 
 the manufactures of cotton and woollen are absolutely 
 necessary; and, previous to the introduction of machi¬ 
 nery, they were sold at, comparatively speaking, an 
 exhorbitant price. The cheapening of the selling prices 
 of those articles would, from their social utility, governed 
 by fashion, and from their individual and domestic 
 utility, caused by imperative human wants, rapidly in¬ 
 crease their consumption, and thus permit the accumu¬ 
 lation of wealth in the manner and degree, so fully ap- 
 
 * 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 IX. 
 
 parent amongst the cotton lords of this country. This 
 accumulation of wealth can never take place by the 
 introduction of machinery, in the manufacture of china 
 and earthenware. Mechanical appliances may increase, 
 perhaps to an enormous extent, the production of pot¬ 
 ting goods, but they would not increase the consump¬ 
 tion ; the result of which would be, increased competi¬ 
 tion amongst the employers, to the injury of all, and a 
 sorrowful depression in the social and domestic condi¬ 
 tion of the employed. Let it be hoped, that such a 
 calamity will never be sought by potting manufacturers 
 on the one hand; and, at the same time, never tolerated 
 by the operatives, on the other. 
 
 Many have been the differences which have taken 
 place between the employers and the operatives of the 
 potting business, but in these, I may safely aver, that I 
 have never sought, in any ungenerous manner, to foment 
 such differences. On the contrary, throughout the 
 period, in which I have had the honour to assist the 
 potters’ society to obtain a fair price for their labour, I 
 have never, in a solitary instance, sought to stop the 
 works of a single manufacturer by the injurious policy 
 of a common strike , and without first trying every 
 peaceable means to amicably adjust all difference, and 
 to make friends of those, whom every-day intercourse 
 should teach the utility of making their common path 
 through life one of reciprocal friendship, confidence, 
 and esteem. 
 
 The disastrous turnout of 1836-7 should stand as a 
 warning to all future combinations of working potters. 
 That turnout extended over a period of no less than 
 twenty weeks; and every possible suffering was endured 
 by the determined operatives, before they would bend 
 to the more potent power of their combined employers. 
 Ituin descended on the homes of many working potters. 
 The savings of years were scattered in the space of 
 twenty weeks ; and no after exertion could replace the 
 little hoarded means, thus irreparably lost. Indeed, to 
 such an extent did the devotedness of the operatives 
 extend, that every available property-—every household 
 
X. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 god!—the sale of which would bring cash to prolong 
 the strike, was brought to common centres, and imme¬ 
 diately disposed of, for the general good of the cause. 
 
 In addition to the means thus raised, thousands of 
 pounds, sterling, were obtained from other trades, in 
 the form of gifts and loans, the latter of which, to a 
 great extent, have remained unpaid to this day. The 
 trades of Sheffield, generously loaned £2,000; the 
 trades of London £700, with a gift of £800; and other 
 trades in a similar manner, but in smaller sums. It is 
 calculated, that that turnout could not have cost less 
 than Fifty Thousand Pounds ! Alas! what a fright¬ 
 ful sacrifice of money! and to what untold disgrace has 
 it doomed the fair fame of working potters! 
 
 Out of the thousands of pounds borrowed, and which 
 were loaned on the faith of the trade, and pledges given 
 for a speedy re-paymeut, only a few paltry hundreds 
 have, as yet, been returned. Sheffield, with all her 
 generosity, is almost forgotten ; and blackened, indeed, 
 has become the trades’ character of operative potters. 
 
 This incubus of a debt has paralized, to some ex¬ 
 tent, the late efforts of the trade. It is a drag which 
 no success in trade’s operations can leave behind;—it 
 is an obstacle, which no sophistry can remove;—it is a 
 blot, of so foul, black, and durable a character, that 
 Time itself will not, cannot, dare not obliterate. Oh ! 
 how heartily do I wish, for the character of my trade, 
 that it never had a being. 
 
 With these obstacles in their path, the present society 
 of working potters commenced their proceedings, in 
 1843. They have never exceeded in numbers, two 
 thousand members. In the first year of their existence, 
 they established a trade’s periodical,—the “ Potter s ’ 
 Examiner and. Workman’s Adv ocate ,”—which has pro¬ 
 gressed up to the present time; and which is now in 
 full and mature existence; they destroyed the “Allow¬ 
 ance System,”—a system, practised by manufacturers; 
 and which exacted from the weekly wages of toiling 
 potters, twopence, threepence, and, in some cases, jftmr- 
 pince in the shilling; and they paid to the Sheffield 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 XI. 
 
 trades £140 of debt-money, without receiving one 
 farthing of assistance from the uncombined portion of 
 their trade, amounting to five-sevenths of the whole of 
 their body, or five thousand men. In the same year, 
 they established an Emigration Society for the removal 
 of Surplus Labour, enrolled the same under act of par¬ 
 liament, and are now in a fair way of bringing the 
 principles of that society into practical operation. 
 Officers are appointed, and the estate selected in the 
 Wisconsin Territory of the United States of North 
 America. That estate will be divided into twenty-acre 
 farms; and immediate steps taken to people the same. 
 
 In the second and third years, the members secured 
 for the whole of their trade, two successive raises in the 
 price of their labour, amounting to, at least, seven-and- 
 a-half per cent, on their weekly earnings. They have 
 also now, in connection with their Emigration Society, 
 a Printing Establishment, one of the best in the Stafford¬ 
 shire Potteries, at which they print their own trades’ 
 organ, and execute the principal business of the benefit 
 societies of the neighbourhood. At that establishment 
 the present little volume has been gotten up. It is an 
 earnest of the cheap literature, which it is the inten¬ 
 tion of the proprietors, ever and anon, to issue for the 
 instruction of their fellow-workmen. It may not be so 
 complete, as the compiler might have desired to have 
 made it, but the lowness of its price precluded the pos¬ 
 sibility of bestowing more labour upon its pages. Profit 
 is not the object of its publication; nevertheless, a 
 security against loss is indispensable; and that security 
 has been obtained. 
 
 It will be seen, that, in addition to the work, advertised, 
 there is an appendix , never published before; the value 
 of which will be seen at a glance. The recipes, although 
 thrown together in the most admirable confusion, will 
 be found to contain a great amount of valuable infor¬ 
 mation. That information must be gleaned by patient 
 perusal, and by experiment. No student of the art 
 can expect to become a practical potter by s im ply 
 collecting recipes, and studying theories. Practical. 
 
Xll. 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 knowledge must be obtained by experiment ; and the 
 theoretical information, here inserted, will supply a 
 ground-work for the most perfect knowledge of, and 
 proficiency in, the Art of Potting. 
 
 With these few observations, I beg to submit the 
 present compilation to the perusal of my fellow-work¬ 
 men in particular, and the public in general. If the 
 little labour, I have here bestowed, may tend in the 
 slightest degree, to forward the interest of my trade, or 
 to advance a knowledge of the art, or in any way, to 
 excite a spirit of enquiry and an emulation for still 
 further improvement, the object of the work will be fully 
 obtained. 
 
 For myself, I have no other motive than a sincere de¬ 
 sire to advance the intelligence and skill of those, 
 amongst whom my life has been cast; to add to their 
 societarian, social, and political power; to assist them 
 to remove, if possible, all difference, that may exist 
 between them and their employers ; to establish a just 
 appreciation of the rights of labour, and a due respect 
 for the interest and safety of capital;—in short to make the 
 intercourse of man, social, political, and commercial, 
 what God and nature intended that it should be,—a 
 brotherly and independent exchange of human thought, 
 human sympathy, and human service ! 
 
 William Evans. 
 
 Shelton, August 3rd, 1846. 
 
HISTORY 
 
 China- Wake the finest and most beautiful of all the 
 kinds of earthenware, and so called from China being 
 the country which first supplied this material to the 
 Dutch and English merchants. It is likewise called 
 Porcelain, as some suppose, from the Portuguese porcel- 
 lana, a cup or vessel; but Dr. Whittaker suggests, that 
 the name may have arisen from the tint of the early 
 specimens brought to Europe, resembling the flower of 
 the Purslain, a light pink. 
 
 China-ware, when broken, presents a granular sur¬ 
 face, with a texture compact, dense, firm, hard, vitreous, 
 and durable; semi-transparent, with a covering of white 
 glass, clear, smooth, unaffected by all acids, excepting 
 the fluoric, and sustaining uninjured a sudden rise of 
 temperature. In the properties of being semi-trans¬ 
 parent and semi-vitrified, but in scarcely any of the pre¬ 
 paratory processes and manipulations, is china-ware 
 distinguished from good earthenware. Various articles 
 for the use of the table and the toilet, are usually formed 
 of china-ware, as also chemical utensils, retorts, alembics, 
 crucibles, dishes, and many other articles indispensable 
 in the laboratory. 
 
 Progress of the Manufacture _The manufacture of 
 
 porcelain by Europeans, did not commence till the be¬ 
 ginning of the eighteenth century, although the know¬ 
 ledge of its value existed prior to the Christian era; for 
 we find that Pompey’s soldiers carried some from Pontus 
 to Rome, B.C. 64. The existence of the manufacture 
 of clay into vessels, in Britain, long prior to that date, is 
 proved by the discovery of eathenware vessels, certainly 
 
2 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 not choice specimens of workmanship or taste, but 
 adapted for purposes of domestic utility; and, if we 
 allow any weight to the circumstance of different exca¬ 
 vations in several pottery towns in Staffordshire, indi¬ 
 cating a long abstraction of their contents for purposes 
 of the manufacture, and also regard the fact that one of 
 those towns has a name which plainly determines the 
 practice of the art— Burslem-Bwlyeardslyme , the plot 
 of ground where is quarried the clay for bowls ; and 
 that the Tygel-wyrthan, the workers of tygs, drinking 
 vessels or cups, (not the makers of tiles, of which very 
 few then were needed) were residents in the district, 
 
 their offspring being still called Telwrights _then we 
 
 must admit that the manufacture was in operation in 
 Staffordshire prior to the Saxons’ gaining supreme power 
 in the kingdom. In tracing the history of the practice 
 of employing clay in the different kinds of ware, it is 
 to be remarked that the early potters regarded merely 
 the appearance of the baked body, or clay material, the 
 proportions of the component, being directed by caprice. 
 The early specimens appear to have been vitrified, to 
 preclude porosity and brittleness; their formation indi¬ 
 cates infancy in the manipidations, and a composition of 
 not more than two materials, varied in quantities as their 
 utility became more known. Many are to be seen in a 
 museum at Burslem, where Mr. Wood has arranged 
 them in accordance with dates, or eras of fifty years 
 each. Previous to the 17th century, there existed little 
 knowdedge of the advantages resulting from combination 
 of clays ; but after that period, some specimens, distin¬ 
 guished for beautiful shape, tasteful ornament, and 
 durability, with the names Thomas Toft, and Thomas 
 Sans, and the date 1650, were made of a compound of 
 brick clay, and the alumine or slate clay of the Burslem 
 coal mines, and this compound was subsequently much 
 employed in an improved ware called scrolled or scrod- 
 led ware. 
 
 The process of covering the ware with a glaze by 
 means of the combustion of common salt, causing the 
 fusion of the silica and iron in the clay, had long existed 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 3 
 
 on the continent; but it commenced in Staffordshire 
 about 1680, in consequence of Mr. Thomas Palmer, of 
 Bagnall, seeing an earthen vessel of his own manufac¬ 
 ture, with the surface accidentally semi-vitrified, by the 
 heat and salt of a boiler for pork pickle. The process, 
 during many years, was practised on all coarse brown 
 ware, and some other kinds, and is continued at Lam¬ 
 beth, Bristol, Church Gresley, and Chesterfield. The 
 common brick clay, and excess of decomposed slate clay, 
 with fine sand intermingled, by Mr. William Miles of 
 Hanley, produced white stoneware; and dusting the 
 pulverized ores of lead and manganese over the surface 
 in the first state, formed the brown stoneware. The 
 combustibility of the lead promoted the fusion of the 
 silica on the surface, and some employed manganese and 
 salt. In Burslem, a different kind of ware was made 
 by mixing the marl, where the coal bussets, or crops 
 out, with the finely pulverized millstone grit of the 
 moorland ridge. This is the crouch ivare , which, when 
 glazed with salt, appears compact, clean, and durable; 
 and, at this day, the thin pieces, by vitrescence rendered 
 semi-transparent, excite surprise that they failed to sug¬ 
 gest the manufacture of porcelain. 
 
 About 1690, the brothers Elers of Nuremberg, from 
 the Chesterton brick clay, and the fine red clay of Brad- 
 well and Brownhills, manufactured red porcelain ; also a 
 black ivare; and it would seem, that this latter, now 
 called Egyptian , was suggested by the appearance of 
 some parts of the red ware, which contained excess of 
 iron, being left of a dark colour when baked. We know 
 not who first introduced the practice of mixing fine 
 grit with Devonshire clay, and when a certain heat, by 
 adding salt for the purpose of glazing the surface, trans¬ 
 formed crouch ware into the best stoneware , having aE 
 the essential qualities of the finest Japanese porcelain, 
 Mr. Astbury, of Shelton, by mimicking the idiot, ob- 
 | tained employment under Messrs. Elers, and made him- 
 [ self acquainted with their peculiar processes. He after¬ 
 wards manufactured white stoneivare from the Shelton 
 j marl and Devonshire clay; he also made white dipped 
 
4 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OR 
 
 ware; and being required to visit London on business, 
 a disease of his horse’s eyes, at Dunstable, being cured 
 by the powder of a calcined flint, he noticed its white 
 appearance, adopted it among the materials used to 
 wash his vessels; but, erelong, he mixed it with the 
 Devonshire clay, to form the first white pottery or chalk 
 body. Ilis son, Thomas Astbury, by mixing the marl 
 of Fenton Calvert, instead of the Shelton marl with 
 Devonshire clay, formed the first cream-coloured stone¬ 
 ware. During the period of Mr. Astbury's improve¬ 
 ment of the earthenware, the apprentice of a druggist in 
 Saxony, having obliged one of those self-deluded persons 
 who sought for the elixir vita, was, in return, made 
 acquainted with some of the processes employed for 
 chemical purposes. The youth deserted his master, to 
 pursue his chimeras, but was brought back, and incar¬ 
 cerated, but supplied with whatever he required ; and 
 here he transmuted rocks into a ware, more valuable to 
 his country than would have been the phantasms he 
 sought— the powder of projection, and the philosopher's 
 stone, —and for which he was ennobled as the Baron de 
 Botscher. This is the Dresden china. This invention 
 caused a great sensation in France and Prussia; and 
 Reaumur, by indefatigable researches into the nature of 
 the oriental and Dresden chiuas, supplied that inform¬ 
 ation which raised the Sevres china to a degree of beauty 
 and elegance, greatly surpassing all that had been pre¬ 
 viously manufactured. 
 
 The elegant shapes of the French china surprised the 
 British manufacturers ; and moulds in brass or very 
 strong clay were made for the purpose of imitation. 
 But the first knowledge of the subject in England was 
 received through the medium of Ralph Daniel, of 
 Cobridge, who left his home and went to Paris, where 
 he was employed quickly as an expert thrower. Here 
 he ascertained that all the moidds used in the French 
 manufactories were of plaster of Paris, and his inform¬ 
 ation caused the practice to be adopted by the English 
 potters. 
 
 Mr. William Littler, about 1750, commenced making 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 5 
 
 a semi-transparent ware, which he called china ; and, 
 in accomplishing his purpose, he expended his patri¬ 
 mony, the Brownhills estate, Burslem. But his produc¬ 
 tions are every way very different from the china which, 
 about the same date, was made at Derby by the ingeni¬ 
 ous Mr. Dewsbury, and which now continues in con¬ 
 siderable demand. At Worcester, also, china of a very 
 superior quality is manufactured, without other aid than 
 the genius and enterprise of the proprietors. Arid, in 
 more recent times, the china made at Coalport, Salop, 
 has obtained much celebrity. 
 
 The combination of different clays with metallic ox¬ 
 ides, iron, manganese, and lead, by lliomas Whieldon 
 of Fenton, and others, produced tortoise-shell ware , and 
 imitations of agate for knife-hafts, and snuff boxes; and 
 here Josiah Wedgewood made his first essays at improv¬ 
 ing the manufacture. But, previously, 
 
 Thomas and John Wedgewood, of Burslem, carried 
 forward the manufacture of white stoneware, salt-glazed, 
 and formed into a great variety of brimmed utensils, to 
 such an extent, as to realise a very large fortune for their 
 descendents; and when they retired from business, they 
 transferred it to the person who had married their niece, 
 Josiah Wedgwood, who afterwards obtained so much 
 celebrity for his improvements in the arts, and of whom 
 an ample biographical notice will be given under the 
 head, Wedgewood, Josiah. Mr. Aaron Wedgewood, 
 father of Thomas and John Wedgewood, and Mr. W. 
 Littler, adopted a mixture of fusible materials for glaz¬ 
 ing their ware, and which they applied by brushes to 
 the surface, or by immersion, while the vessels were in 
 the clay state; and this practice was becoming general, 
 when, most opportunely, Mr. Enoch Booth of Tunstall, 
 about 1750, who was then making ware of a combination 
 of the native clays, carefully washed, and afterwards 
 mixed with those from Devon and Dorset, and some 
 ground flint, availing himself of Reaumur’s glazes (see 
 the old editions of the Handmaid to the Art), and com¬ 
 pletely changed the modus operandi of the manufacture. 
 His ware was baked once, and, after being carefully 
 
6 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 sorted, only all the perfect ware was then immersed 
 carefully in the fluid mixture of the components, and 
 when again baked received, from the tint, the appella¬ 
 tion of cream-colour. This method is now general. 
 Mrs. Warburton, of Hotlane, Burslem, improved the 
 quality of the glaze, and Josiah Wedgewood improved 
 the quality also of the ware, and thus formed what was 
 the basis of his fortune—the very noted queen's ware. 
 
 Mr. J. Wedgewood first introduced into the compo¬ 
 nents of one kind of earthenware, jasper , the sulphate 
 of barytes, or cauk-stone, and this ware remains un¬ 
 rivalled in its fabric, particularly for chemical utensils. 
 'This is his only addition to the materials of the manu¬ 
 facture. His employment of the most intelligent work¬ 
 men was consequent on his connnencing the imitation 
 in his jasper, of the medallions, cameos, &c. of the best 
 artists. 
 
 There is much probability that inspection of the spe¬ 
 cimens in the museum of the Royal Society, of the pe- 
 tunt-se and ka-o-lin of the Chinese potters, which Dr. 
 Sherard had supplied, suggested to Mr. Cookworthy of 
 Plymouth, the examination of the granen of Cornwall. 
 He first announced to English potters, that the felspar 
 (melting spar, which, in the white granite of Cornwall, 
 is combined with quartz and mica), supplies the most 
 essential component of the oriental china; then obtained 
 a patent for its use in the manufacture, which right he 
 transferred to Mr. Champion of Bristol, who, failing in 
 his attempts to manufacture china in that city, disposed 
 of his interest in the patent, to some persons in Stafford¬ 
 shire, ever since known under the appellation of The 
 New Hall Company. 
 
 We know not the name of the person who first intro¬ 
 duced into the clay for china, a certain quantity of the 
 earth of bones to aid the semi-transparency, and named 
 bone china ; and also, of him who first employed ground 
 granen , (under the name of composition , supplied by the 
 New Hall Company), in that of the best earthenware, 
 from its whiteness called chalky body. The ornament¬ 
 ing of ware by blue painting was next added to pre- 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 7 
 
 vious improvements. Mr. Cookworthy had previously 
 attempted a shining blue glaze; and, afterwards, he in¬ 
 structed Roger Kinnaston to prepare blue, from either 
 zaffres or cobalt ore ; and the business is now of great 
 importance and value. This was accompanied by the 
 process of using gold, which will bear the burnisher, 
 first brought to perfection by Mr. Hancock, of EtiW’ia. 
 (yet alive, 1834); and who, subsequently, invented the 
 lustre; which was improved”to imitate' 'silver, by John 
 Gardner, Stoke ; and gold^. by William Hennys, Burs- 
 "Tem. And black printing was successfully practised by 
 Sadler and Grier, Liverpool; W. Smith, and T. Rad¬ 
 ford, Hanlev. John Turner, Lane End, produced stone 
 china; and John Lucock (still alive) introduced blue 
 printing , under glaze. 
 
 At Lane End, in 1795, Mr. Cheatham produced the 
 pearl ware, named from being in white ware what the 
 jasper is in coloured. In 1800, Mr. Turner, of the same 
 town, produced the patent stoneware; afterwards imi¬ 
 tated by Mason’s patent ironstone china. Mr. Winter, 
 of Tunstall, made a boast of producing the only true 
 porcelain of the potteries (certainly a soft kind). Mr. 
 Josiah Spode produced bone china of considerable excel¬ 
 lence from 1800 till 1820,. when he commenced an im¬ 
 provement' eiilitled to special notice. Mr. Ryan, F.S.A., 
 discovered, in a deserted lead mine, felspar in the two 
 states which the Chinese call pe-tunt-se and ka-o-lin, or 
 rock and clay. After an offer of the spar to Messrs. 
 Rose, of Coalport, (who denounced it as useless, though 
 they have used it since), Mr. Ryan got it tried by Mr. 
 Spode, Stoke, and this person’s satisfaction with the 
 result was so great, that he purchased a supply which is 
 still used in his manufactory. In the present state of 
 matters there is every possibility of carrying the manu¬ 
 facture to a degree of excellence which will gratify the 
 expectations of the most sanguine friends of science. 
 The resources of the manufacturer have been greatly 
 augmented by scientific research in recent times. The 
 analysis of minerals by the chemist shews that the earth 
 teems with treasures calculated for the advancement of 
 
8 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 the art., and that her bounties will ever amply remune¬ 
 rate the labours of the patient inquirer. Of these, every 
 one who aspires to the character of a scientific potter 
 should avail himself, not knowing what fortunate com¬ 
 bination of materials he may yet discoA T er, or what im¬ 
 provement he may make in the art. It was by atten¬ 
 tion to the relative qualities of different substances that 
 the early manufacturers succeeded in raising the art to 
 its present state of excellence, and by a continuance of 
 similar attention it may advance still nearer to perfec¬ 
 tion. 
 
 The following is a description of the materials and 
 processes of the manufacture of china and earthenware, 
 in the present improved state of 
 
 THE ART:— 
 
 Properties and Materials of different China and 
 
 Earthenware _The remark of Vauquelin, that “ good 
 
 pottery differs from inferior, much less in the number of 
 its components, than in their being combined in proper 
 proportions,” applies with equal force to the soft and 
 the hard china wares. Their basis is a mineral which 
 bakes very white, and which, either alone, or when in 
 combination with other components, from undergoing 
 incipient vitrescence, becomes semi-transparent. The 
 basis of earthenware is clay and flint in determined pro¬ 
 portions. The recipes subsequently introduced, will 
 exhibit an accurate view of the different components. 
 As the hardness, infusibility, and unalterability require 
 the presence of flint, so only will firmness and ready 
 baking, as well as adequate plasticity for easy working, 
 be obtained by the presence of clay ; for excess of either 
 is injurious. 
 
 The Japan china is considered superior to all other 
 of oriental manufacture, in its close and compact granu¬ 
 lar texture, its sonorosity when struck with a hard body, 
 its hardness like flint in giving sparks with steel, its 
 infusibility by baking, its smooth and shining appear¬ 
 ance, and its capability of being used to boil liquids, and 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 9 
 
 bearing higher temperature without any injury. Its 
 components are, per cent., fifty pe-tunt-se, and fifty ka- 
 o-lin. Only in very recent times has the fact been 
 ascertained, that these were the chief components, but 
 not the only ingredients. 
 
 The pe-tunt-se has its appellation from being an im¬ 
 palpable powder formed into square cakes. Fragments 
 of a kind of rocky mineral, of which the greenish is the 
 best, (now proved to be felspar , with a small portion of 
 protosulphate of iron,) are forcibly agitated in vessels of 
 water until the particles abraded render the fluid frothy; 
 the foam is skimmed off, and put into another vessel; 
 and this process is repeated with the mass till it ceases 
 to supply froth. The skimmings are left to subside, and 
 when the water is quite transparent, it is drawn off 
 carefully, the powder is slowly dried, and then formed 
 into cakes, in size and thickness much like floor-tiles. 
 Reaumur found it fusible at a moderate heat, without 
 addition, and readily vitrifiable. 
 
 The Jca-o-lin, is so called, from being in a state by 
 nature, almost ready for the manufacturer. It is found 
 in beds, and is obviously felspar, reduced by atmosperic 
 action into the state of clay. It is, by abrasion, similar 
 to the pe-tunt-se, formed into foam, allowed to subside, 
 and then cut into squares. In combination with the 
 other, they promote the consolidation of the two. 
 Reaumur was unable to fuse it by any heat he could 
 employ. 
 
 The pe-tunt-se and ka-o-lin are next mixed with an 
 equal proportion of aluminous earth; and this is indis¬ 
 pensable, as well to render the clay plastic for the work ¬ 
 ing, as to make it ductile and tenacious to bear the 
 manipulations of turning and handling, or moulding. 
 These are mixed well together, and then tin-own into a 
 large pit, in which they are, by treading, more inti¬ 
 mately commixed; and from this pit, portions are taken 
 when wanted, and rolled in various ways, to disperse 
 all air bubbles, and render the clay homogeneous. Only 
 when these processes have been properly conducted, will 
 the clay afford a ware which will bear, without injury 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OR 
 
 by warping, cracking, or fusion, the further processes of 
 ornamenting and baking. 
 
 The splendour and whiteness of china depend mainly 
 on the glaze; which is stated to be formed of the whitest 
 rock which supplies pe-tunt-se, treated similarly to the 
 others. To 100 pounds’ weight of this white powder, 
 is added one pound of the powder of che-kao, a saline 
 fritt, much like gypsum, or alum; also 100 pounds of 
 lime and ashes, with another pound of the salt; these 
 are formed into fluids haying like specific gravity; and 
 then ten of the former is mixed with one of the latter. 
 With the Chinese potters, the preparation of the clay is 
 constantly in operation; and usually remains in the pits 
 from ten to twenty years prior to being used. The 
 longer it has remained there, the more is its value; and 
 instances are not unfrequent, of one potter manufactur¬ 
 ing his ware from clay first prepared by his grand¬ 
 father. 
 
 The hoa-che china, a very expensive kind, which has 
 its name from its glutinous appearance, in addition to 
 the pe-tunt-se, ka-o-lin, and alumine, has steatites , (soap¬ 
 stone, doubtless from its saponaceous quality,) washed 
 from its impurities, oxide of iron, &c., then pulverized, 
 abraded in water, and treated similarly to the others ; 
 and, in consequence of this component, although its 
 grain is very fine, and its delicacy and beauty extreme, 
 when among the component parts of the glaze,—pre¬ 
 senting opportunity for superior decoration by orna¬ 
 ment,—the ware is brittle, deficient in weight, and only 
 by great attention properly baked. 
 
 The best Persian china , of Shiraz, is equal to that of 
 Canton in every property, and superior in some parti¬ 
 culars ; it is, consequently, substituted for that frequently 
 by the Dutch merchants, and requires some judgment 
 to be distinguished as not Indian merchandise. That 
 its material is felspar is obvious from its fracture pre¬ 
 senting a fineness of grain, and a semi-transparency 
 similar to the Chinese ; and also, because it will bear to 
 be used as moulds for casts, and as vessels in which 
 fluids may be boiled, or minerals pulverized. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 11 
 
 The Dresden or Saxon china has some qualities which 
 render it decidedly superior to the oriental. Its frac¬ 
 ture certainly does not exhibit a granular texture, but 
 a compact, shining, uniform mass, resembling white 
 enamel, proving that it is compounded of one kind of 
 materials, which by fusion will cause its density, smooth¬ 
 ness, and superior lustre; and another infusible, whence 
 result its beautiful white appearance, firmness, and 
 solidity. These, in combination, regularly contract to¬ 
 gether, and form china more firm and compact than 
 those of China and Japan, yet equally hard to give 
 sparks with steel, sonorous when struck with wood or 
 the hand, and not fusible by any heat employed in 
 baking. 
 
 At Naples and Florence, beautiful china is made, ap¬ 
 proaching in excellence that of Japan and Canton. 
 While at Berlin, Frankendal, Vienna, and other places 
 in Germany, china is made of the same materials as are 
 used for the Dresden; but, by varying either, or both 
 proportions, as well as processes, they differ from each 
 other, and also from that of Dresden. 
 
 The invention of French china manufacture is due to 
 Reaumur; and establishments are formed at Paris, 
 Villeroy, and Orleans. That of Sevres has a grain nei¬ 
 ther so close nor so fine as that of Japan; but much 
 like lump sugar; and excelling all the others of French 
 fabrication in its white shining lustre, its fine glaze, 
 elegance of shape, beautifully coloured grounds, and 
 magnificent gildings. Reaumur's porcelain is manufac¬ 
 tured of pulverized common glass and fluxes, or of vitre- 
 scent stones and saline fluxes. 
 
 The requisite minerals for the components of the best 
 hard China, are sparingly supplied by nature, and, there¬ 
 fore, secures an additional value to the ware; while 
 those which are employed in the several kinds of ear¬ 
 thenware, are not uncommon in most countries. Silica 
 and alumine, whether mechanically or naturally com¬ 
 bined, do not vitrify together, although they are more 
 readily and frequently combined than by any of the 
 other earths: it is supposed, that, in these combinations. 
 
12 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 silica exercises the properties of an acid, and aluinine 
 those of a neutralizer, though not strictly an alkali. 
 Silica, when pure, is transparent, and, when calcined, 
 loses much of its adhesive property; and, even in its 
 pulverized state, communicates to the ware hardness, 
 firmness, and unalteration by baking. Alumine is 
 opaque, and retentive of water at extremely high heats, 
 4717° Fahrenheit, of which fuses silver. When silica 
 and alumine are properly combined in water, their 
 reciprocal tendencies cause strong adhesion, so that, 
 when hardened merely by evaporation into a paste, they 
 resist decomposition by the atmosphere; and, when they 
 have been subjected to the heat requisite to dissipate the 
 water of the mass, in which 46 per cent, of the weight 
 is lost, there remains a body durable, firm, and un¬ 
 affected by change of temperature. The silica requisite 
 is obtained by using the flints from the Sussex coast, 
 and near Antrim, Ireland. The best for the purpose 
 have a blackish appearance. They are first calcined in 
 a small kiln, in form similar to those large ones used for 
 limestone; next they are broken in pieces while hot, 
 and cast into water in the pan, in which, by mechanical 
 power, they are abraded together, till the mass has the 
 consistence of cream, with a density of 32 oz. per ale 
 pint. When again dried at 4688° Fahrenheit, 27 per 
 cent, is lost. The alumine is supplied from four kinds 
 of clay,—two from Biddeford, and the other two from 
 the Isle of Purbeck, that is, pipe clay; the fracture is 
 earthy, to the feel they are greasy, adhering to the 
 tongue; baking into a white substance, more tenacious 
 and plastic, and, though not easily fused, more fusible 
 than porcelain clay. The names of blue , brown , black , 
 and cracking , are applied according to their properties. 
 The blue has more force, with a certain quantity of flint, 
 than any of the others; and, while contracting little, 
 form together a white durable ware. The brown con¬ 
 tracts rather more than the blue, yet supplies a very 
 white ware when in biscuit; but the sulphuric acid it 
 contains causes great attention to the compounds of the 
 lead glaze, else crazing will ensue. The black has car- 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 13 
 
 bonaceous particles admixtured, which, by baking, lose 
 their acid, and are not regarded as injurious. And the 
 cracking produces a fine white ware; but, from its excess 
 of alumine, so much contracts by baking, that it only 
 can be safely used in combination with a certain propor¬ 
 tion of blue clay. As very accurate experiments deter¬ 
 mine that a vessel formed of any of the native clays 
 alone, will contract, from evaporation, till sufficiently 
 dry for baking, at least one-tenth in dimension, there 
 cannot be further reason desired, to prove that plus of 
 alumine, which readily is bibulous, prevents a vessel 
 being durable and firm. The grauen, or Cornish gra- 
 nate, a natural mixture of quartz, mica, and felspar, is 
 used in large quantities. It is ground similarly to flint; 
 and when dried on small kilns similarly to the plaster of 
 Paris, is often called composition. The quartz prevents 
 too great contraction of the ware dining baking; and 
 the felspar, having 16 per cent, of potass, renders the 
 mixture more readily vitrescent by baking, and so pro¬ 
 motes the compactness of the ware. The mica has 4 
 per cent, fluate of lime; and although this is but a very 
 small quantity, its potency as a flux promotes vitre- 
 scence, and its acid intimately combines with the silica, 
 until a rise of temperature, and the presence of water, 
 produce a re-tendency to action. This is a latent cause 
 of crazing. The china clay of Cornwall, first introduced 
 by Mr. Cookworthy, is the extremely white and impal¬ 
 pable powder, by running water washed off the broken 
 pieces of the blocks of decomposed white granite, col¬ 
 lected in catch pools, from which it is at certain times 
 taken, dried, and forwarded to the potters. The wash¬ 
 ing separates the quartz and mica, and also much of 
 the potass, which causes the clay to be infusible. But 
 all the clay in this state is not alike in quality: some 
 has more potass in the felspar, and is moderately fusible 
 at a white heat; while others remain refractory in any 
 heat of the potter’s oven. In 1834, Mr. Ryan intro¬ 
 duced a native clay for china, which possesses all the 
 essential qualities of the Japan ka-o-lin. Most of the 
 English china contains the earthy residue of hones. 
 
14 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 boiled, to extract all gelatinous ingredients, next cal¬ 
 cined, and then ground similarly to flints. This com¬ 
 ponent, by increasing the porosity, aids the semi¬ 
 transparency, and supplies additional whiteness, by the 
 phosphoric acid correcting any iron in the other compo¬ 
 nents. This is the latent cause of china seldom bearing 
 a sudden rise of temperature, or sudden change. Mag¬ 
 nesian clay , in its indurated state, as soap rock or teatite, 
 and also in its plastic form, from their decomposition, 
 has been occasionally used to improve the whiteness of 
 the body or ware. It has a cream colour, strong earthy 
 odour, minutely foliated texture, slight greasy lustre, 
 takes a polish from the nail, stains the fingers, is very 
 friable, smooth, unctuous, and plastic to the touch, and, 
 on the tongue, dissolves into a pulp free from any gritty 
 particles. Only when adequate aid results from alka¬ 
 line components, can this be used, because its pulveru¬ 
 lent nature renders it deleterious in the clay. There 
 are also used considerable quantities of slate clay and 
 shale clay , used for different purposes hereafter explain¬ 
 ed. The colour of the slate clay is from ash grey to 
 ochre yellow; it is foliated texture, is unctuous and 
 smooth to the touch; scarcely gritty between the teeth. 
 The kind found in thick strata is darker coloured and 
 less plastic than that from thin strata. And that ob¬ 
 tained from peat mosses is rather white ash coloured. 
 The shale clay is varied from greyish blue to bluish 
 black, with foliated texture, smooth unctuous feel, bears 
 to be polished by the nail, small gritty particles, very 
 tenacious and ductile i and, taken from the basseting of 
 the coal strata, to be used for saggars, and other pur¬ 
 poses. This marl , as it is called in the Potteries, is the 
 upper casing, or roofing , of the coal strata ; while ano¬ 
 ther kind, called clunch clay, is the flooring of the 
 strata. The brick and tile clay has a colour from yellow 
 to dark red, blue, and green; and, while very plastic, 
 adhering to the tongue, soft and greasy to the feel, and 
 a fine earthy fracture, supplies a common material for 
 coarse pottery, and as a component for black, brown, 
 and lustre wares. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 15 
 
 Composition of China and Earthenware _Modern 
 
 chemistry has thrown much light on this subject, not 
 only in enabling us to analyze more perfectly the bodies 
 which constitute these wares, but also in determining 
 the exact proportions in which they combine; and we 
 shall introduce a series of recipes, the result of the com¬ 
 bined researches of the chemist and practical potter. 
 The accuracy of these recipes, which are given in cen¬ 
 tesimal proportions, may be implicitly relied upon. 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 Bone. 
 
 40 
 
 50 
 
 40 
 
 37 
 
 20 
 
 45 
 
 42 
 
 64 
 
 40 
 
 46 
 
 28 
 
 25 
 
 35 
 
 29 
 
 37 
 
 34 
 
 China Clay... . 
 
 35 
 
 35 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 48 
 
 23 
 
 30 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 7 
 
 16 
 
 25 
 
 8 
 
 31 
 
 32 
 
 Cornish Stone. 
 
 23 
 
 8 
 
 40 
 
 13 
 
 24 
 
 22 
 
 27 
 
 16 
 
 24 
 
 28 
 
 40 
 
 25 
 
 40 
 
 40 
 
 25 
 
 23 
 
 Flint. 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 
 25 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 5 
 
 9 
 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 Blue Clay.... 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 6 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 
 18 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 To each 100 lbs. add 1 oz. of best cobalt blue, ground. 
 
 The above are only mixed together, to constitute the 
 day. 
 
 Other china bodies have much of their substance 
 fritted. This process is adopted to chimically combine 
 all the principal components together, by subjecting 
 them, during some hours, to a gradually-raised tempe¬ 
 rature; and which, dissipating the aqueous, gaseous, 
 carbonaceous, and other volatile ingredients, effects their 
 complete fusion, and renders more readily obtainable 
 all the properties of the several minerals in the com¬ 
 pound. Wherefore, the fusible components must be in 
 definite proportion to the others ; and, unless this pro¬ 
 cess w r as employed, there is a possibility of the high 
 heats of the baking volatilizing the alkali before com¬ 
 plete fusion ensues. The fritt is ground (similarly to 
 flint) into impalpable powder, in which state it is mixed 
 with the other components that do not require to be 
 fritted, in such proportions that there may continue a 
 state of tenacity to bear the manipulations of throwing, 
 moulding, or pressing. 
 
 The four annexed recipes are in common use by the 
 persons whose names are affixed to them: 
 
16 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 (1) Fritt. —Cornish stone, fifty; bone asb > grind and mix 
 
 for body, —fritt, seventy-five ; dry flint, five ; blue clay, twenty.— 
 ,/. Mare. 
 
 (2) Fritt. —Cornish stone, forty ; bone ash, forty; cullett, 
 twenty : grind and mix for body, —fritt, eighty ; blue clay, twenty. 
 Bake very highly.—/. Clowes. 
 
 (3) Fritt. —Cornish stone, twenty-two; flint, twenty-eight; cul¬ 
 lett, twenty eight; ’white lead, twelve ; salt, three ; borax, six ; 
 blue calx, one: grind and mix for body, —fritt, forty ; china clay, 
 forty-eight; blue clay, twelve.— J. Pennington. 
 
 (4) Fritt. —Cornish stone, forty; bone, twenty-nine; cullett, 
 twenty-two ; borax, nine: grind and mix for body, —fritt, forty- 
 eight ; china clay, thirty-eight; blue clay, fourteen.— W. Marsh. 
 
 The constitution of these bodies intimates a more 
 dense and compact texture than the preceding ; and the 
 attempt itself is a most useful lesson in chemistry, when 
 properly and steadily pursued. 
 
 The china now most esteemed for all the properties of 
 the Japanese , and superior beauty of colour , has felspar 
 among its components , in the proportions below : 
 
 Felspar. 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 24 
 
 10 
 
 22 
 
 China Clay. 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 26 
 
 20 
 
 30 
 
 Bone. 
 
 60 
 
 45 
 
 40 
 
 50 
 
 35 
 
 55 
 
 50 
 
 60 
 
 48 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Stain with blue calx, as previously directed. 
 
 When such an extent of bone earth is present, as some 
 of the recipes exhibit, there need, not be any surprise 
 that even very excellent felspar porcelain (to appear¬ 
 ance,) frequently fails on sudden rise of temperature. 
 
 Some china of this kind , very superior in quality , is 
 made by part of the components being prepared in fritt. 
 The two recipes annexed , exhibit the components and their 
 proportions: 
 
 (1) Fritt. —Felspar, (greenish,) seventy-five ; borate of soda, 
 twenty; muriate of ammonia, five. Body, —Fritt, fifty ; china 
 clay, fifty ; or, fritt fifty; china clay, thirty ; bone, twenty. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 17 
 
 (2) Fritt .—Felspar (greenish), sixty; borax, twenty-five; nitre, 
 five; sal-ammoniac, ten. Body.— Fritt, forty-five; china clay, 
 forty; bone, fifteen; or, fritt, thirty-five; china clay, thirty; bone, 
 thirty. 
 
 A particular kind , called stone cliina, is compounded , 
 (mostly for jugs and toilet services J of the folloiving 
 components : 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 Cornish Stone. 
 
 48 
 
 48 
 
 50 
 
 40 
 
 37 
 
 38 
 
 36 
 
 56 
 
 
 V 
 
 30 
 
 33 
 
 30 
 
 28 
 
 30 
 
 32 
 
 30 
 
 Blue Clay. 
 
 18 
 
 14 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 22 
 
 10 
 
 Flint. 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 7 
 
 15 
 
 15 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 The ironstone china is formed by introducing ground 
 clay from the smelting furnace, in the proportion of 
 twenty-eight for seventy-two of No. 3 or 8, carefully 
 blunging the fluids together. 
 
 Dry Bodies _That class of wares which undergo in¬ 
 
 cipient vitrescence, without any glaze on their surface. 
 Of this species, the red and the cottage brown are com¬ 
 pounded as below; the materials being well levigated, 
 finely lawned, and carefully fired. 
 
 Red. 
 
 Brown. 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 Bradwell Wood Clay.. . 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 40 
 
 25 
 
 40 
 
 60 
 
 80 
 
 50 
 
 48 
 
 60 
 
 Yellow Brick Clay. 
 
 50 
 
 5 
 
 55 
 
 10 
 
 60 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 
 33 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 Blue or Black Clay. . . . 
 
 
 50 
 
 
 40 
 
 
 22 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 10 
 
 
 25 
 
 20 
 
 5 
 
 25 
 
 
 8 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 Ochre or Manganese . . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 17 
 
 16 
 
 10 
 
 Many flower pots and lustre jugs are formed of 3 and 
 4 red; and 4, 5, brown. Another kind of red is seen 
 in the porous body, used for coolers of water, butter, and 
 wine, and called alcarazas in Spain. These articles are 
 baked in a very slow part of the oven; and, after being 
 immersed in water till saturated, on any substance being 
 
18 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 placed therein, the cold caused by evaporation reduces 
 the temperature of that substance to a most palatable 
 state. The components stated as forming those used in 
 Spain, are sixty parts of compact marl, (Jamieson II. 
 194,) and thirty-six and a half of decomposed common 
 hornblende. But in Staffordshire , the following are the 
 
 components: 
 
 
 Fatcn. 
 
 Indurated Marl (Filcher’s) .. . 
 
 88 
 
 84 
 
 84 
 
 86 
 
 88 
 
 86 
 
 Brown or Blue Clay. 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 
 Flint. 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 The marl must be well weathered, (several months 
 exposed to the action of the atmosphere,) and the fluid 
 mixture passed through a fourteen lawn; after which 
 the other components are added. The articles are baked 
 in the top of the oven when baking glaze. 
 
 The several shades o/'drab are thus compounded: 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 Indurated Marl. 
 
 23 
 
 22 
 
 43 
 
 44 
 
 45 
 
 26 
 
 Cornish Stone. 
 
 45 
 
 40 
 
 45 ' 
 
 45 
 
 42 
 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 6 
 
 . . . 
 
 
 20 
 
 Blue Clay. 
 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 
 40 
 
 Bone Earth or Flint. 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 f. 12 
 
 Manganese or Nickel. 
 
 n 1 
 
 m 2 
 
 
 ml 
 
 n 1 
 
 
 The cane (much similar to baked pastry) supplies 
 many articles, from moulds likewise employed for jaspei 
 and pearl. The components are : 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 
 88 
 
 44 
 
 56 
 
 60 
 
 64 
 
 64 
 
 60 
 
 76 
 
 Cornish Stone. 
 
 12 
 
 32 
 
 22 
 
 24 
 
 20 
 
 18 
 
 18 
 
 12 
 
 Brown or Blue Clay.. 
 
 
 24 
 
 22 
 
 16 
 
 16 
 
 18 
 
 22 
 
 12 
 
 The Egyptian , best black , or vitrified basalts , is formed 
 of these components: 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 19 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 Blue Clay. 
 
 46 
 
 53 
 
 50 
 
 37 
 
 40 
 
 40 
 
 48 
 
 44 
 
 stone 
 
 China Clay. 
 
 2 
 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 
 6 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 Calcined Ochre. 
 
 44 
 
 33 
 
 36 
 
 50 
 
 40 
 
 35 
 
 24 
 
 44 
 
 Manganese. 
 
 18 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 Black Marl. 
 
 
 12 
 
 8 
 
 
 15 
 
 14 
 
 12 
 
 
 The pearl is formed of these components, and is baked 
 in the first ring of the biscuit oven, carefully raised and 
 cooled :— 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 Cornish Stone . 
 
 60 
 
 52 
 
 54 
 
 54 
 
 60 
 
 
 50 
 
 46 
 
 60 
 
 66 
 
 54 
 
 China Clav. 
 
 22 
 
 38 
 
 36 
 
 24 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 10 
 
 8 
 
 
 Blue Clay. 
 
 14 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 16 
 
 12 
 
 Ph 
 
 38 
 
 24 
 
 18 
 
 15 
 
 30 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (1) 
 
 (2) 
 
 (3) 
 
 (3) 
 
 (4) 
 
 Ground Flint Glass.... 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 8 
 
 % 
 
 12 
 
 16 
 
 12 
 
 11 
 
 16 
 
 Or (1) Fritt —Flint Glass, 76 ; Red Lead, 22 ; Borax, 2. 
 
 (2) Fritt — 
 Flint 6. 
 
 Do. 
 
 62; 
 
 Do. 
 
 29; Do. 
 
 4 ; Nitre, 8; 
 
 (3) Fritt — 
 
 Do. 
 
 80; 
 
 Do. 
 
 20 ; 
 
 
 (4) Fritt — 
 
 Do. 
 
 70; 
 
 Do. 
 
 24; 
 
 Do. 6. 
 
 The jasper is 
 
 compounded either 
 
 by fritt , 
 
 or without 
 
 it; but the components require to be ground well toge¬ 
 ther, before they are evaporated on the slip kiln. 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 
 33 
 
 32 
 
 20 
 
 
 20 
 
 24 
 
 34 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 27 
 
 45 
 
 28 
 
 35 
 
 36 
 
 30 
 
 20 
 
 
 32 
 
 
 30 
 
 34 
 
 
 17 
 
 
 14 
 
 
 15 
 
 14 
 
 16 
 
 
 18 
 
 37 
 
 18 
 
 30 
 
 
 17 
 
 18 
 
 18 
 
 35 
 
 20 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 
 18 
 
 13 
 
 20 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 
 4 
 
 17 
 
 
 
 
 PH 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 (1) 
 
 (2) 
 
 (3) 
 
 (4) 
 
 Flint or Glass. 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 4g6 
 
 9 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 & 
 
 32 
 
 50 
 
 32 
 
 30 
 
 Blue Calx. 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 
20 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 Or (1) Fritt —Cornish Stone, 40; Gypsum, 30; Flint Glass, 25 ; 
 
 Blue Calx, 6. 
 
 — (2) Fritt —Cornish Stone, 
 
 50; 
 
 Do. 
 
 50; 
 
 — (3) Fritt — Do. 
 
 35; 
 
 Do. 
 
 26 ; Flint, 16; Bone, 
 
 15; Blue Calx, 8. 
 
 
 
 
 — (4) Fritt —Cornish Stone, 40 ; 
 
 Do. 
 
 40; Flint, 6; Flint 
 
 Glass, 12; Blue Calx, 2. 
 
 This is never glazed, because the heated suphuric acid 
 of the cauk stone will decompose the glaze; even were 
 it not formed of components in which the phosphoric, 
 arsenic, or boracic acid, was present and ready to affect 
 the acid of the barytes. 
 
 The stonewares of the best kind are thus compounded, 
 and require to be baked in the first ring of the biscuit 
 oven:— 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 Cornish Stone. 
 
 48 
 
 68 
 
 40 
 
 38 
 
 52 
 
 48 
 
 45 
 
 Blue Clay. 
 
 25 
 
 28 
 
 30 
 
 20 
 
 24 
 
 24 
 
 21 
 
 China Clay. 
 
 24 
 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 
 24 
 
 12 
 
 18 
 
 Flint. 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 18 
 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 Ground Glass. 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 15 
 
 11 
 
 
 4 
 
 6 
 
 The chemical utensils' body, so important to the stu¬ 
 dents of analytical chemistry, has not received all the 
 attention its utility demands. The charge is enormously 
 high, compared with that for other wares; yet scarcely 
 any is found to bear the raised temperature of a wind 
 furnace. The components, (according to the recipes at 
 present used,) are:— 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 Cornish Stone.... 
 
 48 
 
 28 
 
 10 
 
 40 
 
 33 
 
 China Clay. 
 
 24 
 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 Blue Clay . 
 
 24 
 
 54 
 
 50 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 Indurated Marl.. . 
 
 2 
 
 10 
 
 
 5 
 
 11 
 
 Flint. 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 21 
 
 To counteract the effects of the different chemical 
 preparations on the vessels, ground biscuit china is 
 mixed in the proportion of forty to fifty per cent, with 
 the preceding bodies; but, the addition of six per cent, 
 sulphate of barytes, has recently been proved of the 
 greatest utility. 
 
 Earthenware Bodies —Some previous remarks inti¬ 
 mate the want of scientific knowledge on this subject by 
 manufacturers. To prove that they were not without a 
 good foundation, the following recipes are given from a 
 MS. very recently written by the superintendent of a 
 large manufactory:— 
 
 1. Black clay, six barrowfuls; blue clay, four barrowfuls ; crack¬ 
 ing clay, two barrowfuls; when in slip, add six china clay, to 
 one-fourth stone, ten flint. 
 
 2. Black clay, three barrowfuls; brown clay, two barrowfuls; 
 blue clay, two barrowfuls; corn stone, forty pounds. In slip, to 
 six, add one flint. 
 
 3. Blue clay, sixteen pailfuls, twenty-four ounce to pint; China 
 clay, four pailfuls, twenty-four ounce to pint; flint, four pailfuls, 
 thirty one ounce to pint. 
 
 4. Clay slip, fifty-four pints; china clay, eighteen pints; flint 
 clay, sixteen pints. 
 
 In the manufacture of delft ware , a certain proportion 
 of brick clay is mixed with the others, because the addi¬ 
 tion of oxide of iron among its components, by pro¬ 
 moting the incipient vitrescence of the ware, more than 
 compensates for the tint it communicates. Macquer 
 gives these proportions: slate clay, fifty; blue clay, 
 thirty; brick clay, twenty. 
 
 The appellation delft ware , is usually applied to the 
 kind which manufacturers call cream colour , and, from 
 royal patronage, was named queen s ware. Since its 
 first introduction, however, it has undergone very great 
 changes; and a particular method of ornamenting it, 
 has caused the adaptation of the body to the ornament, 
 in blue printed ware. 
 
22 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 The components of queen’s ware, or cream colour, are 
 the following:— 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 IP 
 
 Blue Clay. 
 
 36 
 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 28 
 
 25 
 
 56 
 
 27 
 
 27 
 
 36 
 
 Black Clay .... 
 
 18 
 
 26 
 
 22 
 
 23 
 
 28 
 
 24 
 
 
 33 
 
 
 24 
 
 Brown Clay.... 
 
 18 
 
 24 
 
 18 
 
 16 
 
 28 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 27 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 16 
 
 16 
 
 
 15 
 
 20 
 
 70 
 
 
 
 Flint. 
 
 28 
 
 20 
 
 16 
 
 16 
 
 16 
 
 16 
 
 20 
 
 33 
 
 44 
 
 24 
 
 Cornish Stone.. 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 
 5 
 
 4 
 
 
 2 
 
 • • 
 
 And, of the blue printed the following:— 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 11 
 
 Blue Clay . 
 
 30 
 
 30 
 
 30 
 
 30 
 
 30 
 
 28 
 
 13 
 
 32 
 
 30 
 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 Black Clay. 
 
 20 
 
 30 
 
 10 
 
 
 18 
 
 6 
 
 
 16 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 Brown Clay.... 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 20 
 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 12 
 
 10 
 
 6 
 
 i<3 
 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 China Clay. 
 
 15 
 
 15 
 
 26 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 27 
 
 16 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 24 
 
 Flint.. . 
 
 20 
 
 25 
 
 24 
 
 23 
 
 20 
 
 22 
 
 30 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 16 
 
 Cornish Stone. . 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 The chalky body ware has these components:— 
 
 No. 
 
 Blue Clay . 
 
 China Clay. 
 
 1 
 
 24 
 
 24 
 
 2 
 
 24 
 
 24 
 
 3 
 
 29 
 
 29 
 
 4 
 
 27 
 
 27 
 
 5 
 
 29 
 
 Crk. 
 
 28 
 
 6 
 
 26 
 
 Brn. 
 
 20 
 
 Blk. 
 
 24 
 
 7 
 
 60 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 8 
 
 55 
 
 14 
 
 17 
 
 3 
 
 9 
 
 36 
 
 Brn. 
 
 20 
 
 Blk. 
 
 20 
 
 10 
 
 27 
 
 Brn. 
 
 20 
 
 Blk. 
 
 14 
 
 Cornish Stone. 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 Flint ... 
 
 50 
 
 52 
 
 42 
 
 44 
 
 36 
 
 7 
 
 26 
 
 4 
 
 11 
 
 24 
 
 30 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Mr. Lakin’s recipe is, blue clay, twenty-six; ground flint glass, 
 twenty-six; flint, six; Lynn sand, twenty-six; bone earth, eight; 
 composition, eight. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 23 
 
 The Lynn sand , by its very fine grain, supersedes the 
 expense of calcining and grinding flints; and yet some 
 of the manufacturers calcine it previous to its employ¬ 
 ment. The lime, by promoting the vitreseence of the 
 mass, renders the ware very compact, yet less refractory 
 in high heats; and hence these chalky bodies were 
 formerly in much request, because less liable to craze. 
 This certainly might be expected, as it is well known 
 that lime renders glass less liable to break from sudden 
 rise of temperature. The Cambria rock and clay, have 
 not yet been so extensively employed as their excellence 
 might have led us to expect, and only because of the 
 disregard of chemical science by the parties who first 
 used them. When this auxiliary is allowed its proper 
 share in the conducting of the processes, the Cambria 
 clay will be found one of the most valuable components 
 of British earthenware; yet obtainable at very moderate 
 expense. 
 
 When proper attention is paid to the proportions of 
 the several components, seldom does any failure occur, 
 and then only in consequence of some intermixture with 
 them, of which the manufacturer was not aware. For 
 instance, a quantity of flint was supplied, which had 
 been ground with a chert that contained an exti a quan- 
 tity carbonate of lime, and as this was not neutralized 
 by an extra allowance of alumine, the regular heat of the 
 biscuit baking fused most of the ware. Mr. Good, 
 Burslem, had ware and saggars fused together, and the 
 fireman was so astonished, that he ran away! 
 
 The greater the quantity of flint which can be. used, 
 the whiter is the ware, yet it must be duly proportioned, 
 else the second baking will cause it to crack; and, 
 although the weights are determined by the slip-makers, 
 an endles variety of mishaps result from their blunders 
 of over and under jlinting. 
 
 The majority of manufacturers are not yet convinced 
 of the bad policy of indulging the caprice of dealers, 
 who, having paid according to a certain scale of prices, 
 will not rise up to that which allow a fair profit on a 
 suderior kind of ware. ITence, cheapness of production 
 
24 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 is too much regarded, and the excellence of the ware 
 injudiciously sacrificed to economy, in the use of certain 
 components which cost less of themselves, and need less 
 baking; though it scarcely bears the usage of the ware¬ 
 houseman and packers;—acids and hot water affect the 
 glaze, crazing ensues, and the article is deteriorated, and 
 ultimately discarded. Now this is no trifling affair, for 
 the worthlessness of any kind of ware, has depreciatory 
 effect, by the stigma of all from that district; and, in 
 the censures it causes, all manufacturers are implicated; 
 it injures them, locally, by suggesting the idea of supe¬ 
 riority in the manufactures of other potteries; and it is 
 most prejudicial to them, nationally, by the unfavour¬ 
 able comparison when placed in competition with the 
 continent of Europe and China. 
 
 Process and Manipulations in the Clay —In preparing 
 what is called the body, or by the workmen, the clay, 
 attention is indispensable on the part of the manufac¬ 
 turer, that his slip-maker most carefully forms his several 
 components into liquids with water, till the proper den¬ 
 sity, or weight per ale pint, is formed by adding material 
 or water as requisite, as ignorance or carelessness on 
 this point, is often the cause of serious loss. The first 
 method of combining clays, was by placing them stratum 
 over stratum, then exposing them to the action of the 
 atmosphere, and by repeated working with the spade, 
 intermixing them, until they were much disintegrated. 
 After they were continued exposed some months, por¬ 
 tions Avere taken and mixed in water in a square hole, 
 bricked on the sides, with a strong wooden ridge-piece 
 on one edge. This is called the blunging pan; and a 
 blunger is used, formed from a stout ash plank, sawed 
 blade-wise, the upper end having a cross-handle firmly 
 fixed, and the blade diminishing from about eight inches 
 by two, to six by one. This is forcibly shoved along 
 the bottom, then rested on the upper ridge, and by 
 pressing down the handle, the whole mass is agitated in 
 the water, and so loosened that the pyrites subside. 
 The watery mixture is poured through a hair sieve, 
 upon a sun pan, or sun kiln, several feet square, a foot 
 
1’HE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 25 
 
 deep, and the bottom sprinkled with sand. The fluid is 
 poured on at successive times, and evaporates a little; 
 afterwards it is cut out with a spade, and laid in a damp 
 vault until used. Slip-making, is the process of pre¬ 
 paring the clay for the present manufacture of china 
 and earthenware. The slip-house is a long apartment, 
 containing vats or arks for the flint, stone, or other 
 minerals; and a slip-kiln formed of a long trough, eigh¬ 
 teen to thirty feet long, three to five broad, and sixteen 
 inches deep, in which large bricks, eighteen inches long, 
 eight broad, and two to three and a half inches thick, 
 (as nearer or not to the fire place,) are placed on bricks 
 forming distinct flues beneath; and, for particular bodies, 
 over all is run a coating, two inches thick, of plaster of 
 Paris. The blunging pan is formed of flags placed edge¬ 
 wise, and the blunger is about seven to nine feet long, 
 shaped as already described. The native clays are mixed 
 in water by the blunger, till the fluid is of a certain 
 density, per ale pint, and resembles thick cream, and 
 then by bowkfuls is poured through a lawn sieve, into a 
 large vat, (often carefully graduated,) until all the clay 
 is brought into a state of proper comminution, and the 
 mass of a definite weight per ale pint. To this is added 
 the requisite quantity of ground flint in water, also of a 
 certain density per ale pint; and then a complete inter¬ 
 mixture of the whole may be effected, the fluid is pump¬ 
 ed out of this vat, upon the slip-kiln, in its course pass¬ 
 ing through the finest lawn of the series used. By the 
 heat from the flues the whole mass is kept in continued 
 ebullition, until a considerable proportion of the water 
 employed as the medium of the components is evapo¬ 
 rated, and the cessation of air bubbles on the surface, 
 and from the solidity of portions cut out of different 
 parts of the mass on the kiln, the slip-maker considers 
 it sufficiently dry, but not too dry, for properly yielding 
 to the hand of the thrower, or the manipulations of the 
 presser, in giving it the forms of the several articles. It 
 is removed from the kiln into an adjoining apartment, 
 and the process of Slapping the clay succeeds. A strong 
 man, with a spade, not unlike a T inverted, from a heap 
 
 D 
 
26 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OR 
 
 cuts off a small lump, and with much force casts it on 
 another heap, to cool it by the exposure to the atmo¬ 
 sphere, and temper it by destroying all air bubbles 
 caused by evaporation on the slip-kiln. It is then car¬ 
 ried into a vault until required by the workmen. Often, 
 however, from want of capital, and of convenience, warm 
 clay is taken by the workmen, after being only a few 
 hours off the kiln, to the injury of the workmen as well 
 as of the masters; the latter, though aware of this dis¬ 
 advantage, not resolutely opposing its occasional prac¬ 
 tice. 
 
 Throwing the ware is the first manipulation. Fitted 
 into one nook or corner of the room, is a box, with a 
 curved front, about four feet square. The thrower's 
 (engine or) ivheel consists of a spindle or axis, which 
 turns vertically in a step, and is supported by a collar. 
 On the upper end is firmly fixed the head, a circular 
 disc of wood, which, during the operation, has horizontal 
 motion. On the spindle, near the bottom, is a pulley, 
 with grooves of varied diameters, for easing or increas¬ 
 ing the force required for different vessels. In this 
 pulley works a cord, which passes under a snatch-pulley 
 guide to a wheel, three or four’ yards distant, placed 
 near the Avail, and from four to seven feet in diameter, 
 moved by a wince. 
 
 In some manufactories, where steam-engine power is 
 available, cones inverted are placed on parallel shafts, 
 and a belt is adapted to them, which always is adjusted 
 because of their similar but opposed dimensions. One 
 of these shafts has a pulley on its lower end, from which 
 passes a belt to the thrower’s wheel; and the other is 
 connected by proper gearing, with the moving power. 
 The needed velocity for the thrower is obtained by the 
 movable belt being higher or loAver on the driving cone, 
 from a directing lever. 
 
 At a strong bench or table, near the throwing Avheel, 
 is a bailer, (usually a young woman,) with a large lump 
 of the clay before her. This manipulation of balling is 
 performed thus:—with a brass wire a piece of clay is cut 
 off the lump, and Avith all possible force by the person 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 27 
 
 slapped down again on the mass; this laborious work 
 she repeats, by cutting in different directions, until the 
 intersected part presents a smooth homogeneous surface, 
 without any appearance of air bubbles; because, were 
 one of these left therein, its expansion, during baking, 
 would spoil the article. She then cuts off a small lump, 
 with thin brass wire, and weighs it, when the body is 
 valuable and the vessels must be of a definite size; next 
 she squeezes it well together, and forms it into a ball, 
 which she hands to the thrower as he requires a supply. 
 The thrower sits on a low seat in the corner of the box 
 frame, with his feet on the sides of the disc or wheel 
 head, and his arms resting on his knees, keeping steady 
 his hands while they modify the clay into any required 
 form. On the side of the frame he fixes in a lump of 
 clay a peg, or stick, at that distance from the centre 
 which indicates the height and expansion of the vessels 
 he must throw. Taking a ball of clay, on the wheel 
 being in motion, he casts it very forcibly on the disc or 
 head, and to expel any air bubbles, forms it into a coni¬ 
 cal pillar twice or thrice; then inserting his hand, or 
 finger and thumb, with the other hand on the outside, 
 he gives it the rude figure of the vessel; and, with a 
 wage or pattern (formed of earthenware, and well glazed) 
 he smoothly finishes the inside, and then, with a brass 
 wire, cuts it loose from the head. The bailer then hands 
 him another ball, and dexterously lifts the vessel off the 
 disc, and places it on a board, on which it remains, 
 (occasionally turned upside down,) until it is sufficiently 
 dry to bear, without injury, the manipulations of turn¬ 
 ing and handling. 
 
 TURNING OE THE WARE. 
 
 The turner’s lathe resembles that employed by mecha¬ 
 nics, only the spindle is longer, and some of them have 
 a collar, moveable by a catch, for the particular mani¬ 
 pulation called engine turning. On the end of the spin¬ 
 dle, outside the head-stock, is a screw, for the several 
 chucks required by vessels of different sizes. A pulley 
 with three grooves of varied sizes is also on the spindle, 
 on which is the cord passed round the wheel, which is 
 
28 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 fixed on a crank shaft. Connected with this crank is a 
 treadle; and beside the frame which holds the spindle, 
 stands the treader, usually a young woman, who, by a 
 motion of one foot, keeps up the velocity required, and 
 can perform some manipulations requisite, without the 
 attention of the turner being distracted from the vessel 
 before him. Near the treader is a board, on which are 
 vessels to be turned, which she severally hands to the 
 turner, as he requires a supply. Standing in front of 
 his chuck, he fixes his vessel on it by a slight pressure 
 with his tool, as the spindle has retrograde motion; then 
 the proper motion being communicated, with a tool of 
 soft iron, properly sharpened by filing, he takes off the 
 superfluous quantity, and then the treader catches hold 
 of the cord, and gives the spindle retrograde motion, 
 during which the turner lays a broad tool on the vessel, 
 and gives a certain polish to the outside; after which 
 he applies a sharp tool to cut it loose, and then he places 
 it on the hoard before him, for the handler if requisite, 
 or to dry for being baked biscuit. 
 
 MOCHA, TORTOISESHELL, AND DIPPED WARES. 
 
 These are the common drinking cups, bowls, and jugs, 
 which have parts of the outer surface brotvn, green, or 
 yellow, with ornamental rings around them, formed by 
 the turner in the following manner:—having rendered 
 smooth and in shape the outside of the vessel, he im¬ 
 merses it in a proper mixture, or applies the fluid by a 
 sponge, and places it to dry as he proceeds with others. 
 Afterwards it is fitted on the chuck, and the parts which 
 are to appear white under glaze, are tooled out; while 
 others of various colours are formed by a mixture applied 
 through a quill, from a globular vessel, into which air 
 is blown to force the fluid out. With a sponge, there is 
 colour applied to form one kind; and on others, a drop 
 is let fall, of a saturated infusion of tobacco in stale 
 urine and turpentine, and it ramifies into the resem¬ 
 blance of trees, shrubs, &c. 
 
 The following are the components of Dips and 
 Smears :— 
 
 1. Brown, for jug necks,—Take and mix well twenty parts, 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 29 
 
 severally, of blue clay, yellow brick clay, Bradwell-wood clay, cal¬ 
 cined ochre, and oxide of nickel, grind, and pass through a 12’s 
 lawn. 
 
 2. Calcine iron scales (from the smithy,) pick, pulverize, and 
 pass through a sieve, hair, or coarse lawn; and mix one pound in 
 one quart of earthenware slip (No. 4.) 
 
 3. Mix two ounces of fine zaffres in a quart of yellow brick clay 
 slips. 
 
 Slate Dip. —Make earthenware turnings into a thick slip, cream¬ 
 like, with water; then to seventy-eight parts of the slip, add 
 twenty-two of fine zaffres. 
 
 Green. —In two quarts of unflinted earthenware slip, mix one 
 pound of ground zaffres; evaporate, calcine, pulverize, and sift; 
 then, in a quart of flinted slip, mix twelve ounces of the calx. 
 
 Dark Green.—In one quart of stone-ware slip, mix three ounces 
 of zaffres. 
 
 Olive Green.— Mix black marl into slip, twenty-four ounces to 
 ale pint; into three pints of slip mix four ounces of zaffres. 
 
 Olive Sponge Dip. —Mix one ounce of zaffres into a quart of 
 yellow brick clay slip. 
 
 Blue. —1. Mix half an ounce of pure cobalt calx into three pints 
 of stoneware slip. 
 
 2. Ball clay, twenty-eight; Cornish stone, fifty; plaster, twenty; 
 blue calx, two. 
 
 3. Ball clay, twenty-three; Cornish stone, twenty-seven; flint, 
 twenty-seven; china clay, fifteen. 
 
 Grey. — 1 . Best Slip, seventy-five; flint, fifteen; emery, sixteen; 
 manganese, four. 
 
 2. Best turnings, ninety-four; saffre, six; in rain water only. 
 
 Orange. —Brown dip, fifty; black marl slip, fifty. 
 
 Cane. —Orange dip, fifty; best slip, fifty. 
 
 Red. —Brick clay slip, sixty; Bradwell-wood slip, forty. 
 
 By the manipulation of the jigger, great numbers of 
 small articles are quickly formed, also plates of various 
 sizes. A spindle is fixed in a step, and its disc is above 
 the table or bench; while, from a pulley below, a belt 
 
30 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 passes to another spindle, on the upper end of which is 
 fixed a small wince, which is turned by a lad, while 
 another forms his clay articles. 
 
 MODELLING. 
 
 This manipulation demands judgment and taste, as 
 well as delicacy of execution. The modeller forms a 
 correct model of the object, whether utensil or figure, 
 and, when this is dry, one or several blocks are formed 
 from it; and these are used by the mould-makers , to cast 
 moods. With a thick layer of clay around the block, 
 space is left, into which is poured plaster of Paris, and 
 left some time for the water to evaporate, and the plaster 
 to solidify for the required manipulations. 
 
 PRESSING OR SQUEEZING THE WARE. 
 
 The presser keeps all his moulds on shelves ranged in 
 a room around a heated stove, which, by raising their 
 temperature, promotes their absorbence of the moisture 
 in the clay in contact. For convenience he has a num¬ 
 ber of moods for each kind of vessel or utensil. He 
 regards the size and strength of each, and then cuts off 
 a lump of clay sufficient for the purpose; and, after 
 squeezing it in his hands, he beats it to a suitable size 
 and thickness. Usually ten or more of these bats are 
 prepared before proceeding to the next operation. 
 Taking the several parts of this mood, he covers it with 
 a proper portion of the bat, and bosses it on with a 
 damp sponge, afterwards with his thumbs, forcing it 
 into all the parts, however angular they may be. With 
 a moistened sponge he carefully smooths the inner sur¬ 
 face, then trims off all extra portions from the edges, 
 which he moistens with slip (unevaporated body,) places 
 all parts of the mood in proper contact, when needful, 
 secures them by a belt buckled round, and then ranges 
 the whole on the shelf round the stove, till sufficient 
 moisture is absorbed to render the article capable of 
 bearing, without injury, other operations. In small 
 moods are formed ornamental figures, snips of jugs, 
 spouts, handles, and various utensils. When the series 
 of moods is filled, the presser empties them, again fills 
 them, and while they are drying, with proper tools he 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 31 
 
 takes off all appearances of seams, trims up the articles, 
 and applies whatever appendages are connected with 
 his department. 
 
 HANDLING THE WARE. 
 
 This is a distinct branch of the clay-man's manipula¬ 
 tions, and regards fixing on vessels the handles, spouts, 
 snips, and ornamental figures proper for them. Many 
 of these are formed in moods, as by the presser; the 
 handler having a number in his charge, ranged around 
 the stove for use. But for common vessels, a box and 
 screiv is used to supply lengths of clay of a certain form, 
 as required. An iron cylinder is secured to a block 
 fixed in the wall. Into this cylinder, at the bottom, is 
 placed a piece of lead, perforated agreeably to the in¬ 
 tended shape of the clay-length; and for tubes, it has a 
 steel round pin firmly placed in the centre of the lead; 
 a piston of iron is adapted to the cylinder at the end of 
 a powerful screw, which works through a bar above,' by 
 a cross handle. Into this cylinder is put a lump of clay, 
 and the force of the screw on the piston causes the clay 
 to pass through the lead-piece, and it is received on a 
 board, until all is pressed through; and these lengths 
 are left a short time to dry. The handler then cuts 
 them in sizes, places them in a proper curve, and pre¬ 
 pares his vessels by trimming them. Having his 
 handles, snips, and spouts before him, with a sharp 
 knife he cuts their edges level, also the cylindrical side 
 of the vessel, then cuts out the place for the snip, or the 
 aperture for the spout; next moistens all the edges with 
 slip, fixes them properly, leaves them a few minutes, 
 examines and corrects any defects, and after some time 
 trims them, and lets them remain until ready for being 
 baked biscuit. 
 
 MAKING OF THE WARE-BISCUIT. 
 
 The potters’ oven for biscuit is usually larger than 
 that for glaze; and is, in form, a cylinder ten or twelve 
 feet high, and from ten to fifteen feet in diametor, sur¬ 
 mounted by a dome from three to five feet in height, in 
 whose centre is an aperture about two feet in diameter. 
 The firebricks used are made of the shale marl, carefully 
 
32 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OP 
 
 mixed with slate clay; and the exercise of judgment in 
 this mixture is well compensated by the demand for 
 more serviceable bricks. In erecting the oven, the 
 builder lays the bricks, not in lime and sand mortar, but 
 in a mixture of fire clay and sharp sand with water, or 
 China clay and a weak solution of borax in water; mak¬ 
 ing the joints so close and compact with this lute, that 
 the first baking of ware therein causes the whole inte¬ 
 rior to become one compact shell of vitrefied fire clay, 
 precluding any admission of air into the interior, except 
 through the mouths; which, and also the bags or flues, 
 are carefully adapted in size, so as to prevent a con¬ 
 tinual current of atmospheric air carrying off through 
 the dome a portion of the heat which ought to be appro¬ 
 priated by the air in the oven. The mouths on the out¬ 
 side are from four to ten, according to the size, and 
 communicate with flues in the hearth of the oven, and 
 bags of bricks, placed edgewise, leaving an aperture of 
 a few inches, fixed to the inside of the cylinder; between 
 each of which, in the cylinder, is left a small hole, from 
 which the fireman, by means of a long iron rod, can 
 draw his trials out of a saggar placed opposite, or through 
 whieh he can inspect the gradual rising of the tempera¬ 
 ture of the oven, and its remaining at a certain heat 
 during the time required for earthenware, till the “heat 
 will expel the moisture and agglutinate,” as stated by 
 Vanquelin, “the components, without effecting the 
 fusion, which would render the ware so momogeneous 
 as to become brittle.” But, for the best or hard china 
 ware, the temperature is raised till there is a semi- 
 vitrescence of the components, calculated to be 80° to 
 100° Wedgewood, as the earthenware is 45° to 65° W., 
 and that for the glaze 10° or 7-5° lower. Felspar ware 
 115 a W. Dr. W. Henry assigns others to different 
 china wares:—Worcester, probably Flight and Barrs’, 
 94°', Chelsea 105°, and Derby 112°" Wedgewood.— 
 Here let it be understood, that the Wedgewood Pyro¬ 
 meter is no longer to be obtained, and the real cause has 
 not been assigned. This pyrometer was invented by 
 Thomas Massey, (a bailiff in Mr. Wedgewood’s manu- 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 33 
 
 factory,) to determine the respective temperatures of 
 the biscuit and glaze ovens, and of the enameller’s muf¬ 
 fles ; but he most resolutely declined communicating to 
 Mr. Wedgewood the components of his clods, (or trial 
 prisms,) and was prevented informing his brothers, 
 Richard and William—the real secret died with him. 
 Mr. Wedgewood guessed at a clay for the purpose, and 
 supplied philosephers therewith, till its inaccuracy was 
 exposed by Guyton Morveau. Chemical reaction had 
 completely affected what useful properties for the pur¬ 
 pose previously existed. When the ware is so dry as to. 
 appear of an ash-grey colour, the several articles are 
 placed within each other carefully, in saggers , (probably 
 from the Hebrew sagar, to burn, and hence applied to a 
 rolled leaf of tobacco used for being burned , while the 
 smoke is inhaled); the shape is usually that of a lady’s 
 band box, though for plates round ones are used, and 
 some have triangular holes inside in three double rows, 
 for inserting stilts to keep the flat pieces separate. They 
 are formed of shale clay, (can marl,) sixty-seven; slate 
 day, (black marl,) thirty-three, well beaten together; or 
 of ground biscuit earthenware, sifted, and mixed with 
 black marl; then formed into bats one inch thick, and 
 placed around a drum of the shape and size required, 
 mostly twenty inches long, and oval in shape, and a 
 bottom bat is fastened by working the edges together. 
 To prevent the articles adhering from accidental excess 
 of heat, pulverized grit-stone is introduced between the 
 ware and the sagger bottom; and the best china, jasper, 
 pearl, &c., are imbedded in ground flint, as a matrix, to 
 prevent wauving, (waving or altering the shape and 
 figure,) which might possibly ensue from high baking. 
 The saggers are filled as full as they will contain, and 
 then are piled on each other in vertical bungs, each edge 
 of a sagger being coated with a thick wad of coarse brick 
 clay or marl, and on which the next upper sagger is im¬ 
 bedded ; and the whole pile resembles one compact mass, 
 secure from any deleterious effects of the carburetted 
 hydrogen, or sulphureous vapours evolved by the fuel. 
 In different parts of the oven are pipe-saggers, to pro- 
 
 E 
 
34 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 mote the regularity of the baking; and opposite the aper¬ 
 ture, between the bags, is a sagger with its side perfo¬ 
 rated, and containing the trial pieces. When the oven 
 is filled, and all arranged, the door-way is built up with 
 bricks, and plastered over with mud, and short iron bars 
 are hooked into an iron frame that goes along the edge 
 of the door-way, and is connected with two or three 
 ranges of very strong hooking-pieces of iron, that go 
 round, like hoops, one at the commencement of the 
 dome, and two others on the cylinder, and which guards 
 are necessary to prevent the high temperature of 
 the whole causing the cylinder to crack or bilge out. 
 After the first eight hours, the baking continues of a 
 regular heat for about thirty-five hours more, and then 
 is rapidly urged on for three hours longer. An expe¬ 
 rienced fireman will judge with tolerable accuracy of 
 the process of baking, by the appearance of the saggers, 
 and by inspection of trial pieces made of brick clay, in 
 the shape of rings and small gallipots, taken from dif¬ 
 ferent parts of the oven, and which present a varied tint 
 at different degrees of temperature, compared with a 
 trial known to have been properly baked, and kept as a 
 standard for determining the process. When the fire¬ 
 man knows the nature of the coals he uses, he will fre¬ 
 quently save to his employer, (in addition to the produc¬ 
 tion of superior ware,) the consumption of coals exceed¬ 
 ing the amount of his wages. When the baking is 
 completed, the mouths are drawn (the fuel is extracted) 
 as quickly as possible; the whole is left to cool for 
 several hours, (the entrance is opened,) the clammings 
 are taken down, the saggers are emptied as quickly as 
 possible into baskets, and carried into the sorting room, 
 where they are carefully examined, and by sounds tried 
 whether fit for farther processes, and when so, placed in 
 the biscuit warehouse; as good, when perfect; as seconds 
 when slightly injured, yet sound; and, as lump , or thirds, 
 when defective, yet sound in structure. All cracked 
 articles are cast aside on the shord-rack, (heap of pot 
 sherds.) The expansion and contraction of the mass 
 expediting the destruction of the oven, manufacturers 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 35 
 
 strive to keep their clay stock up, so as - constantly to 
 supply ware, without allowing the oven to be lower 
 than is absolutely proper for the men to bear while 
 drawing, and again setting-in. The earthenware, in its 
 biscuit state, has a dry and gritty roughness; the china, 
 a resemblance to statuary marble, devoid of any lustre 
 on its surface; but, when of a good body, and excellent 
 workmanship, as vases, busts, figures, and models, all 
 the edges and tooling remain as sharp and clear as in 
 fine sculpture. There is a great probability that the 
 sight of the biscuit china, suggested to Mr. G. Cumber¬ 
 land, of Bristol, the idea of manufacturing tiles of a 
 body of clay and ground silica; by pressing linen of 
 different fineness upon the clay, for the formation of the 
 teeth, and then baking them till vitrified. (Vide Nichol¬ 
 son’s Journal, 8vo., vol. xxv., p. 257.) Slight inspec¬ 
 tion of biscuit ware will suggest, and its bibulous nature 
 on immersion in water will demonstrate, its porosity, 
 rendering it inconvenient for containing fluids, and 
 easily destructible by decomposition; yet properly adap¬ 
 ted to retain the fluid medium of the components of the 
 glaze , which has been employed from earliest times to 
 assist the durability, and improve the general appear¬ 
 ance. The thin fabric of most vessels, as well as the 
 components of the body, will not allow the fluid glaze to 
 be applied while they are in the clay state, as the water 
 would cause the shape to alter, and either sink beneath 
 its own weight, or bilge out and burst. English china, 
 as at present compounded, if attempted to be formed by 
 once baking, would so contract in the body as not to 
 appropriate all the glaze which would be in ridges on 
 the surface. And this will apply to any china whose 
 components of the body greatly differ from those of the 
 glaze. When the most ready employment of felspar 
 in body and glaze becomes generally known, then will 
 English china, probably, be made at one baking. 
 
 Ornamenting biscuit ware is accomplished by painting 
 and printing , with the distinction of blue , because that 
 colour was first employed; though now, in both branches, 
 most other colours are used. 
 
36 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 Blue printing, or biscuit painting, is now practised on 
 only very common earthenware; and in rude patterns, 
 traced by camel-hair pencils, on the surface of tea-ware 
 and jugs. The colours for this manipulation are thus 
 prepared:— 
 
 Brown _ (Fritts.) 
 
 No. 
 
 Litharge. 
 
 Antimony, Crude .... 
 
 Manganese. 
 
 Glass of Antimony. 
 
 Zaffres. 
 
 1 
 
 48 
 
 18 
 
 12 
 
 18 
 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 30 
 
 14 
 
 14 
 
 42 
 
 3 
 
 60 
 
 30 
 
 10 
 
 4 
 
 42 
 
 17 
 
 41 
 
 5 
 
 22 
 
 20 
 
 50 
 
 nitre 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 Blue calx, 9 or 8; fritt, 91 or 92. 
 
 Red Brown. 
 
 Purple Brown. 
 
 Purple Brown. 
 
 Manganese .... 62 
 White Lead. ... 12 
 
 Glass. 7 
 
 Flint. 12 
 
 Borax. 7 
 
 Manganese. 45 
 
 Red Lead. 50 
 
 Blue Calx. 5 
 
 Peroxide of Iron.. 15 
 Flux*. 85 
 
 Yellow Calx. 
 
 
 
 Orange. 
 
 Nasturtium. 
 
 Litharge. 
 
 17 
 
 48 
 
 46 
 
 Chromate of Lead 24 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 f Glass.10 1 
 
 Crude Antimony 
 
 17 
 
 36 
 
 30 
 
 ♦Flux .< 
 
 > 38 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 L White Lead. . 3^ 
 
 
 
 
 Crocus. 
 
 
 
 Lead Ashes.... 
 
 33 
 
 
 16 
 
 
 ( Glass. 3 ( 
 
 Tin Ashes. 
 
 33 
 
 16 
 
 8 
 
 fFlux. 
 
 (Red Lead.... 2( 38 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 37 
 
 Naples Yellow. 
 
 Greens. 
 
 Yellow. 
 
 Blue. 
 
 White Lead. 
 
 75 
 
 Yellow Calx.. . 60 
 
 10 
 
 5 
 
 Oxide of Antimony. 
 
 14 
 
 White Enamel. 20 
 
 11 
 
 11 
 
 Mur. of Ammonia. 
 
 7 
 
 Jted Lead. 16 
 
 40 
 
 42 
 
 Sulp. Potass and Alumine 
 
 4 
 
 Flint. — 
 
 14 
 
 14 
 
 
 Copper Calx... •— 
 Blue Calx. 7 
 
 4 
 
 7 
 
 
 
 
 Borax.— 
 
 9 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 Glass. — 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 For enamel use 12 flint, and 6 copper. 
 
 Blue for 
 
 Edging. 
 
 
 Brown for Edging. 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 Flint. 
 
 13 
 
 30 
 
 5 
 
 
 Brown (Fritt 1.) . 
 
 60 
 
 37 
 
 70 
 
 65 
 
 
 20 
 
 20 
 
 30 
 
 32 
 
 Orange (Fritt) ... 
 
 6 
 
 4 
 
 11 
 
 10 
 
 White Lead.... 
 Fritt. 
 
 10 
 
 
 30 
 
 40 
 
 30 
 
 32 
 
 4 
 
 8 
 
 37 
 
 10 
 
 10 
 
 White Lead .... 
 
 4 
 
 27 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 20 
 
 40 
 
 25 
 
 28 
 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Blue printing is the name for the manipulations of 
 taking impressions (in colours, blue, green, pink, and 
 brown,) from copper-plates engraved in a style peculiar 
 to the artists of the pottery districts; and of sizes varied 
 to the different vessels. The press is made very strong 
 and large, similar to that used for beautiful copper-plate 
 printing for embellishments; usually with cast-iron 
 cheeks and rollers, and an iron lever, not a cross. The 
 press is placed within four feet of a stove-plate, kept 
 constantly heated, that when the copper-plate is laid 
 thereon, its engravings may more easily admit the 
 colour as it is rubbed over it. The printer has his 
 thumb and finger protected by a thick slip of leather, 
 and cleans his plate from the scalding colour with a 
 stuffed leather boss, not his hand, as other copper-plate 
 printers. 
 
38 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 The blue colour is blue calx, 37; flint, 42; nitre, 6; borax, 15; 
 well ground together; (and in similar proportion for other colours;) 
 the tint being heightened or lowered by the quantity of the calx. 
 
 Brown. —Litharge, 37; crude antimony, 37; manganese, 18; 
 and blue calx, 8; calcine and grind well together for use. 
 
 Black .—Red lead, 60; antimony, 25; manganese, 15; calcine, 
 then grind with blue calx, 40; oxide of tin, 5; and calcine for 
 use. 
 
 Mulberry. —Manganese, 54; blue calx, 26; nitre, 14; borax, 6; 
 calcine over pulverized nitre; then grind well with glass, 18; 
 flint, 10; for use. 
 
 The colour is well mixed on a very hot iron plate, 
 into a fluid, called technically an oil, prepared thus; 
 over a slow fire, in a vessel kept loosely covered, for two 
 hours boil one quart of pure linseed oil, then add one 
 pint of pure rape oil, and two ounces of capivi balsom, 
 and boil two hours longer. When a little cooled, (to 
 160° ) add, of amber oil, white lead, and clean pitch, 
 severally half an ounce; resume the boiling, and con¬ 
 tinue forty-five to seventy-five minutes, according to the 
 strength of tint for which it is wanted. Some printers 
 prefer to the latter ingredients, one ounce of oil of tar, 
 and one ounce of balsam of sulphur, very carefully in¬ 
 troduced, else the whole will be spoiled by coagulation. 
 
 The printer places his plate on the stove, rubs in the 
 colour, with a broad pallet knife scrapes off the excess, 
 and then with his boss cleans the plain sides, and places 
 it on the bed of his press; he next brushes the sheet of 
 tissue paper over with a solution of soft soap and water, 
 puts it on the plate, rolls it between the rollers, and the 
 instant the return of the press leaves it dry by the hot 
 plate, he carefully takes it off, and examines that the 
 impression is a good one, and that the colour properly 
 adheres. Thus he proceeds till his quantity is taken off. 
 Messrs. Machin and Potts, Burslem, under the security 
 of a patent, use engraved rollers for the purpose, instead 
 of plates. Their machinery is, at present, not exhibited 
 to strangers; but the suggestion seems taken from 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 39 
 
 calico-printing, with which branch Mr. Potts was some 
 years connected. 
 
 A cutter (a little girl, training up for the next mani¬ 
 pulation,) takes the impression, cuts away all the white 
 paper, then separates the impression into its parts, which 
 she places in the order most readily facilitating their 
 application to the ware. 
 
 A transferer, with considerable tact and judgment, 
 places on a biscuit vessel the several parts in their pro¬ 
 per arrangement; and then, with a rubber of flannel, 
 six to sixteen inches long, and firmly rolled and tied 
 together, with the ends a little loose, she rubs the paper 
 upon the article, with much force, often resting one end 
 in the right arm-pit, until it cannot again be taken off. 
 The dry and absorbent porosity of the ware aids the 
 adhesion of the colour in the oil, and when the task is 
 completed, each vessel is taken off the board on which 
 it was placed by the transferer, immersed in water, and 
 and with soft water and a sponge the paper is washed off, 
 and leaves in the ware only the mineral colour, and a 
 little of the oily medium. The ware is kept in a heated 
 room 1o evaporate much of the water imbibed in wash¬ 
 ing off the paper, which is requisite to prepare it for the 
 fluid glaze; and also, is heated to red heat, to harden on 
 the colour, and volatilize the oily particles, else the 
 glaze would not adhere. 
 
 BAKING CHINA AND EARTHENWARE, GLAZED. 
 
 The porous nature of vessels baked only biscuit, would 
 allow many fluids to permeate, which being an incon¬ 
 venience, while it facilitates their destruction by decom¬ 
 position, the necessity of an impermeable covering, is 
 provided for in a glaze; and this has been attempted to 
 be effected by several different processes. 
 
 When common pottery was manufactured in Stafford¬ 
 shire, the dust of lead ore was shaken from a bag, on the 
 outside, in the clay state, and afterwards manganese was 
 mixed with it. Glazing with salt was the next improve- 
 riient, and then washing; and, finally, biscuit-dipping. 
 For some years, only raw glazes were used; their com¬ 
 ponents only being mixed, without fritting, prior to 
 
40 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 grinding; but, as the desire for improvement increased, 
 the method adopted to make glass and vitreous colours, 
 suggested the practice of fritting the components. There 
 is a physical necessity for the components of the glaze 
 to he adapted to those of the body, which is varied 
 according to the judgment or opinion of the manufac¬ 
 turer. The degree of expansion and contraction depends 
 on the density and compactness of the body, which must 
 be carefully regarded, or the glaze which appears fine 
 on one body, will seem defective, and craze on another; 
 the temperature requisite for fusion of its components, 
 may be lower than will bring the surface of the ware 
 into a suitable state for combining therewith, and con¬ 
 sequently, they would intumesce, be devoid of lustre, 
 craze, and scale off; or, it might be higher than the 
 body will sustain, which being too much contracted, the 
 glaze might lie in streaks; or, it might wauve, and 
 being rendered, by the alkaline components, more fusi¬ 
 ble, at a higher temperature than biscuit baking, the 
 whole might sink into one vitrified mass, as too often 
 occurs. 
 
 The china glazes have these raw components:— 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 S 
 
 Cornish Stone. 
 
 25 
 
 35 
 
 32 
 
 20 
 
 15 
 
 40 
 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 Red Lead. 
 
 30 
 
 30 
 
 40 
 
 23 
 
 44 
 
 18 
 
 20 
 
 45 
 
 Borax. 
 
 18 
 
 3 
 
 
 19 
 
 6 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 Flint. 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 
 7 
 
 16 
 
 15 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 
 14 
 
 Glass. 
 
 10 
 
 17 
 
 20 
 
 12 
 
 18 
 
 30 
 
 22 
 
 12 
 
 
 H 
 
 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 Blue Calx. 
 
 n 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 41 
 
 These are substitutes for felspar , as raw glazes:— 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 Cornish Stone. 
 
 40 
 
 28 
 
 50 
 
 29 
 
 30 
 
 42 
 
 40 
 
 
 
 24 
 
 
 29 
 
 30 
 
 
 27 
 
 Flint. 
 
 28 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 22 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 124 
 
 21 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 11 
 
 Soda.,. 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Red Lead. 
 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 37# 
 
 7 
 
 30 
 
 38 
 
 
 Lynn Sand . 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 
 
 When borax is very expensive, this is often substi¬ 
 tuted: subject equal weights of nitre and flowers of 
 sulphur to heat, till all sulphurous acid gas is dissipated; 
 then pom on an iron plate, and, when cold, take off the 
 greasy scum, and use the remainder. 
 
 These are the fritted glazes , in proper succession:— 
 
 1. Fritt. —Flint, 54; lead, 17; glass, 17; nitre, 9; borax, 3.— 
 Glaze. Fritt, 50; lead, 20; glass, 22; flint, 8. 
 
 2. Fritt. —Cornish stone, 36; glass, 28; flint, 25; borax, 11.— 
 Glazes. Fritt, 80, 60, 84, 72, 76, 78; lead, 20, 40, 16, 28, 24, 22. 
 
 3. Fritt. —Cornish stone, 22; glass, 20; flint, 18; borax, 6; 
 potass, ,18; salt, 12; nitre, 2; china clay, 2.— Glaze. Fritt, 80; 
 white lead, 20. 
 
 4. Fritt. —Cornish stone, 21; glass, 21; flint, 21; borax, 5; 
 potass, 16; salt, 12; nitre, 2; china clay, 2.— Glaze. Fritt, 80; 
 white lead, 20. 
 
 5. Fritts. —Glass, 76; red lead, 7; potass, 7; arsenic, 4|; 
 nitre, 5|; glass, 47; potass, 53. Grind together.— Glaze. Fritt, 
 
 80; lead, 20. 
 
 6. Fritt. —Cornish stone, 82; flint, 9; nitre, 9. Grind well to¬ 
 gether.—Fritt, 50; glass, 30; flint, 20.— Glaze. Fritt mass, 50; 
 lead, 45; flint, 3|; potass, 1§. 
 
 7. Fritt. —Cornish stone, 44; glass, 30; flint, 18; borax, 4; 
 nitre, 4.— Glazes. Fritt, 44; cream-coloured glaze, No, 2, 56; 
 fritt, 60; white lead, 40; fritt, 78; white lead, 22. 
 
42 
 
 ART ANI) HISTORY OF 
 
 8. Fritt. — Cornish stone, 31; glass, 38; borax, 31.— Glaze. 
 Fritt, 80; lead, 20. 
 
 9. Fritt. —Glass, 75; red lead, 15; arsenic, 4J;; nitre, 4|; black 
 calx, 1.— Glaze. Fritt, 28; cornish stone, 20; glass, 22; white 
 lead, 30. 
 
 10. Fritt. —Cornish stone, 80; soda, 20.— Glaze. Fritt, 40; 
 Cornish stone, 20; flint, 15; white lead, 25. 
 
 11. Fritt. —Glass, 84; flint, 10; red lead, 4; arsenic, 1; nitre, 
 
 1.— Glaze. Fritt, 25; Cornish stone, 30; lead, 25; flint, 16; borax 
 calxed, 4. 
 
 12. Fritts.- —Glass, 72; red lead, 22; arsenic, 3; nitre, 3; glass, 
 97; blue calx, 3; grind together.— Glaze. Fritt mass, 20; Cornish 
 stone, 25; flint, 10; white lead, 45. 
 
 13. Fritts. —Glass, 48; Cornish stone, 24; red lead, 20; flint, 
 5; nitre, 1^; arsenic, 1^. 
 
 Glass, 73; Cornish stone, 12; red lead, 9; black calx, 2; nitre, 
 4.— Glaze. Glass, 26; Cornish stone, 30; fritt, 36; white lead, 5; 
 potass, 3. - 
 
 These are the fritted Felspar glazes:— 
 
 1. Fritts. —1. Lynn sand, 54; soda, 46. 
 
 2. Flint, 64; soda, 36; and, 
 
 3. Lynn sand, 70; soda, 18; China clay, 22. 
 
 Glaze. Fritt mass, 10; borax, 30; Felspar, 60. 
 
 2. Fritt. —Felspar, 90; carb. barytes, 7; carb. lime, 2; mag¬ 
 nesian clay, or steatite, 1. 
 
 Glazes. —1. Fritt, 64; borax, 26; nitre, 5; potass, 5, for print¬ 
 ing; and substitute 4 of salt for 4 of borax. 
 
 2. Fritt, 58; borax, 39; nitre, 3. 
 
 3. Fritt, 62; borax, 38. 
 
 4. Fritt, 60; borax, 36; nitre, 4. 
 
 3. Fritt. —Felspar, 52; borax, 34; nitre, 8; soda, 2.™ Glaze. 
 Fritt, 60; borax, 40. 
 
 4. Fritt. —Felspar, 50; borax, 24; Lynn sand, 8; China clay, 
 6; nitre, 6; potass, 6.— Glaze. Fritt, 62; borax, 32; nitre, 6. 
 
 Fritts. —Felspar, 40; China clay, 20; salt, 16; lime, 8; mag¬ 
 nesia, 8; barytes, 8. 
 
 Flint, 50; soda, 25; potass, 25: grind together. 
 
 Glaze. Fritt, 60; borax, 32; nitre, 8. 
 
THE TOTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 43 
 
 The raw glazes for earthenware, have these com¬ 
 ponents :— 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 White Lead .. . 
 
 48 
 
 25 
 
 50 
 
 56 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 60 
 
 58 
 
 Flint. 
 
 14 
 
 20 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 11 
 
 15 
 
 
 18 
 
 
 Cornish Stone.. 
 
 23 
 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 30 
 
 26 
 
 27 
 
 39 
 
 22 
 
 42 
 
 Ground Glass .. 
 
 15 
 
 20 
 
 ii 
 
 
 13 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Borax 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 T ’til Avi-rn 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 48 
 
 61 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The fritted glazes have the following components:— 
 
 1 Fritt. —Glass, 69; litharge, 18; nitre, 8; arsenic, 4; blue 
 calx, 1.— Glazes. —For printed. White lead, 54; Cornish stone, 
 26; flint, 14; fritt, 6. Flow with rock salt, and pearl ashes.— 
 For enamel. Litharge, 55; stone, 25; flint, 15; fritt, 5. 
 
 2. Fritt. —Glass, 70; litharge, 22; nitre, 4; arsenic, 4; blue 
 calx, 1.— Glazes. —Printed. Fritt, 12; flint, 20; Cornish stone, 
 23; litharge, 45 —Coloured. Fritt, 18; flint, 10; Cornish stone, 
 25; white lead, 48 .—Mocha. Fritt, 13; flint, 11 ; Cornish stone, 
 26; litharge, 50— Cream colour. Fritt, 30; crown glass, 20; 
 flint glass, 50. 
 
 3. Fritts. —Flint, 87 ; borax, 13 also, glass, 84 ; red lead, 8; 
 nitre, 3; salt, 5.— Glaze, for enamel. Fritt, 22; Cornish stone, 
 25; white lead, 28; blue calx, 1. 
 
 4. Fritts. —Red lead, 20; glass, 68; arsenic, 5; nitre, 5; blue 
 calx, 2.—For flatware. Lead, 14; flint, 50; borax, 23; nitre, 12; 
 blue calx, 1.— Glaze. Printed. Fritt, SO; white lead, 20. 
 
 5. Fritts.— 1. Glass, 92; w'hite lead, 7; blue calx, 1; also, 
 
 2. Glass, 68; red lead, 27; arsenic, 5; then grind 
 
 No. 1, 20, No. 2, 80, for printed teas or jugs ; or 
 25, 75, for flatware. 
 
 — Glaze. Fritt mass, 16; Cornish stone, 27; flint, 10; white lead, 
 47. 
 
 6. Fritt. —Glass, 52; red lead, 18; arsenic, 12; nitre, 12; 
 borax, 5; blue calx, 1.— Glaze. Fritt, 20; white lead, 50; stone, 
 24; flint, 6. 
 
44 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 The coloured glazes have these components :— 
 
 Black .—1. Shining. Calcine flinted slip, 60; red lead, 40; mix 
 calx, 86; good manganese, 14: grind together. 
 
 Or, 2. White lead, 66; manganese, 26; flint, 10: grind toge¬ 
 ther. 
 
 Brown.— 1. Raw glaze, manganese (No. 1) 33, fritt glaze (No. 
 3), 67, for printing. 
 
 2. Raw glaze, manganese (No. 1), 67; fritt glaze (No. 3), 33; 
 for jug necks. 
 
 3. In best slip, 33 ; flint, 5; red lead, 62. 
 
 Manganese, 2, will make this black. 
 
 Green Fritts. — 1. White lead, 54; flint, 27; blue clay, 9; cop¬ 
 per calx, 9; blue calx, 1: grind well_ Glaze. Fritt, 15; No. 2, 
 
 raw glaze, 85. 
 
 Fritt. 2—White lead, 33; copper calx, 28; glass, 17; flint, 
 22 . 
 
 Glazes. —Fritt, 26, No. 4, fritt glaze, 74: for desert ware. 
 
 Or, do. 20, 80, for printed. 
 
 Or, do. 40, 60, for edging. 
 
 Yellow. —1. Yellow calx, 14; litharge, 14; fritt glaze (3), 72. 
 
 do. 20, raw glaze (2), 80. 
 
 The components of a glaze should be, by chemical 
 affinity, adapted to fuse together, and flow equally, (not 
 in streaks on one part, and without lustre on another,) 
 readily combining with those of the body, without 
 affecting the contraction of the vessel, during the baking; 
 and when cold, present an opaque covering of cream 
 colour; but for ornamental wares, china or earthen, the 
 glaze must appear clear, free from specks, or bubbles, 
 resemble velvet in softness to the eye, resist acids and 
 alkalies, and bear sudden rise of temperature. They 
 also must mix with water, to the denseness and resem¬ 
 blance of thick cream, but not thicker than be, on the 
 water being imbibed by the ware, a thick coating, which 
 when dry, will bear being placed in the saggers, with¬ 
 out a portion rubbing off. The fritt glaze is ground to 
 an impalpable powder; and then mixed with those com- 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 45 
 
 ponents which are used raw, in the same manner as raw 
 glazes are mixed,—by a hand-mill, not unlike a circular 
 washing-machine, and then put into a dipping tub. 
 
 To prevent the more ponderable components precipi¬ 
 tating and the deficiency leaving almost a mere wash 
 for use, constant stirring is kept up; and there is a cer¬ 
 tain quantity of common salt, for raw glazes, (and of 
 muriatic acid for fritt glazes,) mixed therewith, to pre¬ 
 serve the density of the medium. The Dipper receives 
 from a boy each article, which he immerses, and by a 
 peculiar movement of his hands causes all the surface to 
 be equally yet thinly covered; he then places it on a 
 board, on the points of nails, and the unappropriated 
 fluid drains off, and when dry it is placed in saggers for 
 glaze baking. 
 
 The dipped vessels, when moderately dry, are placed 
 within saggers, and by stilts, triangles, rings, pegs, and 
 cockspurs, kept asunder, to prevent their adherence 
 when the glaze flows, and to allow all the materials of 
 glaze and body to be properly annealed. The tempe¬ 
 rature is a white heat of all within the oven; and, when 
 the trials indicate complete vitrescence of the glaze, the 
 fires are quickly drawn, and the whole is left to cool, 
 ready for the warehouse. 
 
 ORNAMENTING OE GLAZED WARE. 
 
 This includes black printing , lustering, and enamel¬ 
 ling. 
 
 Black printing is the term for applying impressions 
 to glazed vessels, whether the colours be black, red, or 
 gold. The copper-plates are engraved in a style differ¬ 
 ing from those employed in blue printing; and the 
 colours are different in components and preparation.— 
 The following are the components of the colours:— 
 
 Black. —1. Copper calx, 20; flux, (f) 80. 
 
 2. Copper calx, 25; flux, (*) 75. 
 
 3. Calcined borax, 46; calcined umber, 35 ; blue calx, 9. 
 
 4. Do. do. 25; do. 75, for gilded ware. 
 
 The green, purple, and pink, are the enamel colours 
 fluxed a little more, with flux, (f) Instead of using 
 
46 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 paper for taking off impressions, the black printer 
 employs glue bats, prepared in this manner:—A definite 
 quantity of good glue is soaked well some hours in 
 water; it is next put into a large jug, and by the heat 
 of boiling water evaporated during four hours; after¬ 
 wards it is poured out on large well-glazed flat dishes, 
 to the thickness of one-eighth of an inch, and left to 
 cool. The glue is next cut into pieces, technically called 
 papers , corresponding in size to the plates. The printer 
 rubs his colour, in the state of an impalpable powder, 
 well in a saucer, with a lock of carded cotton, well dried. 
 He, with rosin, fixes his plate to a wood prism, as a 
 handle, then rubs into the engraving his oil , (a mixture 
 of cold-drawn linseed oil, and oil of turpentine, or Bar- 
 badoes tar,) and, with much pressure, the glue paper 
 abstracts the oil out of the engraving, and being imme¬ 
 diately laid carefully on the ware, previously wiped very 
 clean, the oil, by a gentle pressure, adheres; he next with 
 a sponge cleans the paper, and leaves it to dry, while he 
 applies the powdered colour, by the cotton to the oiled 
 design. With a series of papers he proceeds succes¬ 
 sively till his complement of ware is finished ; and after¬ 
 wards, commencing with the vessels first printed, with 
 silk rags he cleans off all the superfluous colour from the 
 design, and wipes all the other parts clean from what¬ 
 ever might be likely to adhere to the glaze while being 
 baked in the muffle. 
 
 XUSTRED WARE. 
 
 The body is usually formed of common brick clay, 60, 
 and blue clay and black marl, 20 each, blunged well, 
 and properly lawned; fired biscuit, and then covered 
 with the brown glaze, No. 3. 
 
 The components for the lustres are thus combined:— 
 
 Gold .—In nitro-muriatic acid, sufficient, dissolve, 
 
 Gold, 120; grain tin, 5: mix with (by heat) 
 
 Balsam of sulphur, 60; spirits of turpentine, 40. 
 
 Drop the acid solution in while stirring the medium; 
 and when well mixed, use with best turpentine only. 
 1 ounce of gold makes 32 of lustre. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 47 
 
 Persian gold lustre. —In fat oil on a tile, placed on a 
 hot stove, mix dry oxide of gold, and when eliquation 
 commences, stir with palette knife, and add more oil till 
 25 he used, and the colour resemble that of balsam of 
 sulphur; then diminish the temperature, and gradually 
 add turpentine, 75. 
 
 Silver , or Steel Lustre. —In muriatic acid, concentra¬ 
 ted, dissolve platinum till the acid be saturated. Then 
 at 112° Fahrenheit, to 25 of solution, add very carefully, 
 and in small doses, 75 of spirits of tar. The chlorine 
 will be evolved by the heat, and the chloride of platinum 
 will remain in the tar. The metallic composition is 
 applied to the ware by broad hair pencils; and this last, 
 baked in a muffle, at enamelling heat, is steel lustre. 
 Then in water mix the oxide of platinum, (obtained by 
 sal ammoniac precipitating it from the acid solution,) 
 and cover the steel lustre; again bake, and it will be 
 silver lustre. If the glaze be opaque, not brown, this 
 latter will at once give silver lustre. The gold lustre is 
 used with turpentine similarly; and, recently, a new 
 kind has been in the market, of whose components we 
 have not yet been able to obtain determinate knowledge. 
 
 The Muffle for baking ornamented glazed ware, is of 
 a size in proportion to the quantity usually in demand; 
 and is constructed so as to prevent any vapours enter¬ 
 ing from the fuel. Considerable judgment is requisite 
 for properly placing the different articles in the kiln; 
 but this is the general principle:—the lustres are least 
 liable to injury by baking; the rose colour, purple, cor¬ 
 nelian red, pomona green, and gilt for burnishing, have 
 a central situation; around them are placed articles in 
 colours less affected by fixing oxygen. A layer is placed, 
 with props fixed in different parts; on these, bats of 
 half an inch thickness and 20 to 30, by 12 to 16 surface, 
 are laid all the length; and ware placed therein: re¬ 
 peating this arrangement till the whole is filled, and 
 then the aperture is closed and the baking commenced, 
 and continued until the colours appear properly com¬ 
 bined with the glaze; which the fireman ascertains by 
 inserting a bit of deal stick in the kiln, and its white 
 
48 
 
 AKT AND HISTORY OF 
 
 flame renders obvious all the colours on the ware. When 
 this is completed, the fire is withdrawn, and the whole 
 left to attain the temperature of the air. The contents 
 are then taken out carefully, and the gilded articles 
 taken into a proper room to be burnished with agate, 
 and blood-stone, and then carried into the warehouse to 
 be wrapped in tissue paper for the market. In every 
 process herein detailed, confidence may be placed. 
 Why persons communicate false recipes , I hesitate to 
 assert; but certainly whatever be the satisfaction in sup¬ 
 plying correct information, in equal proportion must 
 there exist self condemnation for wilfully misleading 
 those who are seeking information. Ignorance is not a 
 sin. Where I have not understood the process, I have 
 avowed its being unknown to me. 
 
 ENAMELLING OF CHINA AND EARTHENWARE. 
 
 This art of executing designs on the glazed surface of 
 ware, with colours so vitrifiable as really to acquire 
 lustre at a moderate heat, or cherry-red heat, without 
 complete fusion, has only been practised about eighty 
 years in potteries. The colours, or enamels, are formed 
 of a transparent and fusible glass, which has metallic 
 oxides chemically combined to impart the necessary tint. 
 The oxide of gold is used for purple and rose colours, 
 also for a beautiful lustre; that of silver for yellow; 
 cobalt for blue; copper for greens and blacks; antimony 
 for yellow; umber for black and brown; platinum for 
 steel and silver lustre; manganese for violet; chrome 
 for cornelian red, and pomona green; and iron, in dif¬ 
 ferent states of red, brown, and black. A little more 
 detail may not be improper in reference to some of the 
 preparations. 
 
 The Enamel Pu rple is thus prepared:—In a large 
 bowl oFwarm water, (112° ) mix well a certain quan¬ 
 tity of acid solution of nitrate of silver; then carefully 
 add the equivalent of muriate of tin, and continue stir¬ 
 ring the fluid half an hour; then add bciling water, till 
 quite insipid; leave the fluid twepty-four hours to rest, 
 and then with a siphon draw off the water, without dis¬ 
 turbing the precipitate. Into this water stir a saturated 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 49 
 
 solution of muriate of ammonia, that any oxides left may 
 be precipitated; or hydro-sulphuret of ammonia. For 
 use, the precipitate is ground with 80 to 45 parts of 
 flux; of red lead, 7; borax, 10; flint, 2. 
 
 The Rose Colour. —In watei just below boiling, 
 (190° ) 90 parts, mix 10 parts of saturated solution of 
 gold; then precipitate by plus of muriate of ammonia, 
 of a yellow tint; let the precipitant be added at dif¬ 
 ferent times for twenty-four hours, and then rest twelve 
 hours for all to go down, with a siphon draw off the 
 water, as in purple; add boiling water till insipid Dry 
 the precipitate on a plaster bat;—but, being fulmina- 
 tive, must be kept quite cold, and not be triturated until 
 mixed with flux. The flux is, a fritt of flint, 38; borax, 
 32 ; red lead, 28; glass, 2.—Grind well with silver, 1; 
 to precipitate, 9; and flux 30 to 40 parts. 
 
 Red. —The peroxide of iron, by calcining copperas 
 over a fire, and frequent washing. For use, grind calx, 
 25, and 75 of flux; a fritt, glass, 66; red lead, 25; 
 borax, 9. 
 
 Brown. — Dark. —Brown oxide of iron, 30; flux, 70; 
 fritt, glass, 86; calx, borax, 14.— Light. Calx umber, 
 14; yellow calx, 14; peroxide of iron, 6; flux (red), 
 66 . 
 
 Purple Distance. —Purple, 12; manganese, 18 ; flux, 
 70. 
 
 Green. — Blue. Sulphate of copper calcined, 20 ; flux, 
 80.—Fritt. Borax, 16; white enamel, 16; red lead, 50; 
 flint, 18. 
 
 Green. — Grass. Blue green, 77; enamel yellow, 23. 
 
 Yellow. do. 66; do. 34. 
 
 Yellow. —Naples Yellow, 33; flux, 67. See Green. . 
 
 Orange. —Naples Yellow, 25; biscuit orange, 25; 
 flux, 50. 
 
 After being properly dried, and ground at a mill, 
 each colour is ground on a very hard stone, or glass 
 plate, and afterwards used with spirits of turpentine, 
 and hair pencils. 
 
 That the enamels may answer, the glaze must cor¬ 
 respond therewith, else the dilution will cause a design, 
 
 G 
 
50 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 apparently finished, to come out of the muffle a mere 
 sketch; while the flux must bake at the same heat as 
 the glaze, to preserve the brilliancy of the metallic base, 
 and neither craze, nor scale off. 
 
 The repetitions of the artist's efforts are indispensable 
 to the finished appearance of many designs; which only 
 by several bakings can receive that softness of colour¬ 
 ing, and unfading brilliancy, which are essential to their 
 elegance and full effect. The softness of the glaze during 
 baking allows the metallic base to be imbedded therein, 
 and when cold to be smooth and brilliant. The alkaline 
 glazes, on this account, are only excelled by that of 
 felspar, which in baking, receives the colours, and im¬ 
 proves their tints. 
 
 GILDING OF CHINA AND EARTHENWARE. 
 
 This manipulation, (in which, as well as the preced¬ 
 ing, there is opportunity for displaying the greatest 
 taste,) employs hair pencils and oil of turpentine, with 
 a preparation of the proto-muriate of gold, (obtained by 
 dropping muriate of gold into a solution of caustic 
 potass,) ground with 1 sixth part of mercury in oil, and 
 applied at the pleasure of the artist. 
 
 Ground laying frequently adopted prior to gilding; 
 and is thus effected:—Well boiled linseed oil, turpen¬ 
 tine, and red lead, as a fluid, the artist lays even all the 
 proper parts of the ware, by a pencil of suitable size. 
 He then with a lock of cotton applies the powder of the 
 enamel colour, with one-tenth additional flux; and care¬ 
 fully adjusts the coating, so that all the parts may be 
 equally covered. This is then baked in the muffle, and 
 consequently gilded. 
 
TIIE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 51 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 As tlie present little volume is gotten up more for 
 instruction than for profit, we take the present oppor¬ 
 tunity of laying before the reader the contents of one 
 or two manuscript recipe books, now in use at some of 
 the manufactories of these districts. The highly orderly 
 manner in which these books are arranged, will not fail 
 to excite a smile on the features of most who claim the 
 least character for literary acumen. Nevertheless, as 
 we know, that much that is valuable is mixed up in 
 admirable confusion, with some that is worthless, and as 
 to take from, or re-arrange, the said books would be to 
 destroy their character, we prefer giving them in what 
 might be termed the original text; leaving it to the 
 sagacity of the reader to extract the sterling mettle 
 from the dross that may surround it. To this end, we 
 submit for perusal, 
 
 THE RECIPE BOOK OF BAILIFF THOMAS. 
 
 PURPLE UNDER GLAZE. 
 
 1 ounce flux blue ; 1 ounce manganese; 1 ounce red 
 lead ; 1 ounce flint;—for the enamelling kiln. A good 
 midberry colour for grounds and printing. 
 
 wedgwood’s white pearl body. 
 
 Brown clay, 150; Taylor s blue clay, 200; cornish 
 clay, 350; stone, 76. 
 
 Make of this clay 42 half strikes of slip, to which add 
 
52 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OR 
 
 13 half strikes and 1 peck of flint of the same consis¬ 
 tency as the above mixture; add 4 oz. of blue, sifted 
 through No. 16 lawn ; the caLx to be ground in a dish 
 three or four hours ; then add about 1 pint of slip to the 
 above calx, after which grind one hour at least, that it 
 may be thoroughly mixed. 
 
 . When the above body is for blue printing, put 
 
 m half a strike of chalk and cracking clay, and not 
 brown. 
 
 Mould body. Of pitchers, 100 ; flint, 100 ; ball clay, 
 145. J 
 
 COLOURS UNDER GLAZE. 
 
 Orange. —Red lead, 3 lbs.; crocus martus; 1 lb.; crude 
 antimony, 2 lbs. 
 
 wedgwood’s eeautiful jasper. 
 
 Cauk stone, 168; blue clay, 91; cornish clay, 60; 
 flint, 40; raw plaster, 8. 
 
 N.B. It is better to make this ball clay before mixed, 
 1 grain of calx to 1 lb. of clay. To prevent Jasper from 
 sticking take 8 or 12 of alum to 1 ot charcoal; the alum 
 must be well roasted before mixed with the charcoal: 
 then mix it well, and put it in a vessel at the top of a 
 biscuit oven: when calcined pound it, put it in a ves¬ 
 sel, and pour hot water upon it repeatedly, to take out 
 the salt, then grind it in a stone dish, and use it. 
 
 Metallic Lustre. 
 
 Spirits of salts, 2 ounces; nitre, 1 ounce; gold, 6 
 pennyweights 1 grain; block tin, 18 grains; balsam of 
 sulphur, 3 ounces. 
 
 Observe. When the gold has done working, put in 
 the block tin. I he balsam of sulphur must be mixed 
 with the spirits of turpentine, until it is a little thicker 
 than milk, then pour in your gold solution, and stir it 
 well together. 
 
 COLOURS MADE EQR UNDER GLAZE. 
 
 Yellow. 
 
 Red lead, 4 lbs.; antimony, 1 lb.; tin ash, 4 lbs.; flint, 
 
 1 lb. 
 
 Green for printing under glaze. 
 
 Glass, 1 lb.; flint, i lb.; litharge, 3| oz.; best blue 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 53 
 
 calx, oz. To be run down in an oven. 1 lb. of the 
 above to 1 lb. best yellow. 
 
 Brown under glaze. 
 
 Glass of antimony, 8 oz.; litharge, 16 oz.; manga¬ 
 nese, 3 oz.; blue calx, 4 drms. 
 
 Yelloio under glaze. 
 
 Crude antimony, 4 lbs.; litharge, 4 lbs.; tin ashes, 
 2 lbs. 
 
 Orange under glaze. 
 
 Litharge, 6 lbs.; antimony, 4 lbs.; copperas, 1 lb. 
 These to be calcined at the top of glost oven. 
 
 Black glaze. 
 
 Red lead, 24 lbs.; raddle, 4 lbs.; manganese, 4 lbs.; 
 flint, 2 lbs.; blue, 2 oz. 
 
 Green glaze. 
 
 Copper, 8 lbs.; flint, 8 lbs—Calcined and ground; 
 glass, 3 lbs.; flint, 1 lb.; lead, 6 lbs. 
 
 The aboyc to be ground all together, and one quart 
 added to six quarts of white glaze. 
 
 Yellow glaze. 
 
 Dried flint, 5 lbs.; Cornwall stone, 15 lbs.; litharge, 
 50 lbs.; yellow, 4 lbs. 
 
 No. 1, for Blue Printing. 
 
 Blue calx, 4 lbs.; stone, 4 lbs.; flint, 1 lb.; glass, 1 lb.; 
 borax, 1 lb.—These two on china. 
 
 No. 2, for Blue Printing. 
 
 Blue calx, 5; cauk stone, 5J lbs.; stone, lj lbs.; flint, 
 
 1 lb. These as good as can be used. 
 
 wedgwood’s No. 1, Egyptian black. 
 
 Ball clay, low flinted, 300 ; calcined ochre, 24; man¬ 
 ganese, 7. 
 
 Brown Body. 
 
 Bradwell clay, 40 lbs.; clay slip, 1 pint; ochre, 25 
 lbs.; nickle, l\ lbs. 
 
 Wash for the inside. —Cornwall stone, 10 lbs.; clay, 
 
 8 lbs.; clay slip, 5 pints; printing blue, \ oz. 
 
 Glaze for it. —White lead, 40 lbs.; flint, 12 lbs. 
 
 MOETER BODIES. 
 
 No. 1 . —A good white.—Blue clay, 6 lbs.; Cornwall 
 stone, 3 lbs.; china clay, 1 lb.; flint, 1 lb. 
 
54 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 No. 2.—Blue clay, 24 lbs.; Cornwall stone, 1 lb.; 
 flint, \ lb. Not quite so white as No. 1. 
 
 No. 3.—Blue clay, 6 lbs.; cornish stone, 2 lbs.; china 
 clay, 2 lbs.; flint, 1 j lbs.—Used at Mason’s. 
 
 PHILIP EATON’S WHITE BODY FOR BLACK 
 PRINTING. 
 
 Soak rough pot.—1 of black, 1 of blue clay, 40 lbs. of 
 stone to 1 ton, 12 parts slip, 24 oz. to pint; 4 cornish 
 clay, 26 oz. to pint. 
 
 Ironstone Body. 
 
 350 lbs. Cornwall stone, 300 lbs. Cornwall clay, 160 
 lbs. blue clay, 60 lbs. flint, 14 oz. blue calx. 
 
 Britt for Ironstone body. —90 lbs. Cornwall stone, 
 20 lbs. salt of soda. 
 
 Glaze for Ironstone body. —33 lbs. of the above fritt; 
 33 lbs. Cornwall stone; 85 lbs. whiting; 80 lbs. white 
 lead. 
 
 carey’s best blue body. 
 
 40 parts blue clay; 16 flint, 2 stone, 12 china clay. 
 
 Fritt for the above. —30 lbs. borax, 36 lbs. flint, 15 
 lbs. Paris white, 40 lbs. stone, 2 oz. blue calx. 
 
 Very good. 
 
 Glaze. —Add to the above 32 lbs. stone, 32 lbs. lead, 
 4 lbs. borax. 
 
 Enamel Blue. 
 
 64 oz. flint glass, 20 oz. red lead, 4 oz. pearl ash, 
 8 oz. white enamel, 4 oz. common salt, 8 oz. best blue 
 calx. To be run down in the glost oven, then ground, 
 and add 4 oz. of red lead ; then grind it, when it will be 
 fit for use. 
 
 White Enamel. 
 
 5 oz. red lead, 16 oz. flint glass, 2 oz. nitre, 1 oz. 
 arsenic. Run down together in the glost oven. 
 
 Base of Enamel Green. 
 
 16 oz. red lead, 6 oz. flint, 1 oz. borax, 2| oz. copper. 
 Run down together in the bottom of glost oven. 
 
 Yellow Green. 
 
 7 oz. base, 1 oz. biscuit yellow, 5 oz. red flux, No. 8. 
 
 Blue Green. 
 
 4| oz. base green, 2 oz. white enamel, 5 oz. flux, 
 No. 2. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 55 
 
 Yellow. 
 
 6 oz. base, 8 oz. red flux, 1 oz. biscuit yellow. 
 
 Green flux to be run down in the top of the fore 
 bung in the glost oven. Flint the crusibles well. 
 
 Flux for No. 2 Blue Green .—16 oz. glass, 4 red 
 lead, 4 borax. 
 
 Flux for Yellow .—3 oz. red lead, 1 oz. flint. 
 
 Flux for Red .—To be run down over common fire. 
 
 6 ounces red lead, 4 borax, 2 flint glass, No. 8. 
 
 Enamel Red , No. 1. 
 
 3 of litharge, 2 of antimony, 1 of iron scales. 
 
 Another Red , No. 2. 
 
 1 of litharge, 1 of antimony, i of iron scales. 
 
 Red and Yellow to be spread on plates in glost oven. 
 
 Yellow. 
 
 8 of litharge, 6 of flint, 3 of antimony, 2 of ochre, 4 
 of glass. . 
 
 Another Yellow. 
 
 3 of litharge, 4 of powdered brick, 3 of antimony ; to 
 be calcined on glost oven, and spread on glost plates. 
 
 Brown Enamel. 
 
 20 of litharge, 10 of antimony, 1 of calx blue. 
 
 Black under glaze. 
 
 1 of red colour, 1 of manganese, 1 of calx blue ; to be 
 calcined on glost oven, and spread on plates. 
 
 Enamel blue. 
 
 3 of flint glass, 10 of red lead, 2 of nitre, 2 of potass, 
 1 china clay, 2J calx blue. 
 
 Enamel Black. 
 
 12 ounces borax, raAv; 8 ounces umber, calcined; 3 
 ounces enamel blue. Calcine the above on top of glost 
 oven. 
 
 mason's newey-impkoved stone body. 
 
 12^ cwt. china clay, 12| flint, 10 stone, 2| blue clay. 
 Stained with 2 lbs. 7 oz. of zaffre. 
 
 Glaze for the above .—50 lbs. borax, 15 flint, 25 
 stone, 30 spar ; to be run down in glost oven. When 
 ground fine ready for use. 
 
 Shining black glaze. 
 
 100 lbs. lead, 18 flint, 40 manganese. 
 
56 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OR 
 
 Green body. 
 
 30 quarts blue clay slip, 40 ounces blue stone vitriol, 
 1 ounce fluxed blue liquid. 
 
 Glaze for green body. 
 
 48 lbs. white lead, 25 stone, 10 flint, 5 ground glass. 
 
 Flux for blue. 
 
 16 lbs. flint, 2 lead, 2J borax, 1 pearl ash. 
 
 China body. 
 
 350 lbs. bone, 200 Cornwall stone, 175 Cornwall clay, 
 30 blue clay, 4j oz. blue calx. 
 
 Fritt for the above. 
 
 50 lbs. Cornwall stone, 20 salt of soda. 
 
 Glaze for the above. 
 
 50 of the above fritt to 20 of lead. 
 
 B lue Dip and Figure Clay for China Jugs. 
 
 8 lbs. china clay shavings, 1-| oz. cobalt blue. 
 
 A good Green glaze for gilding upon. 
 
 1 quart stone glaze, 3 ounces Fox's under glaze green. 
 A pretty light green colour is the same as 2 lbs. green, 
 10 quarts stone glaze. 
 
 A very good dark Orange glaze. 
 
 1 quart stone glaze to 4 oz. orange under glaze. The 
 charge is weighed in wet state. 
 
 Pin body. 
 
 Very good.—6 of stone, 2 of blue clay, 2 of plaster, 
 1 of flint. 
 
 Wedgwood’s stone body. 
 
 Too hard to fire with earthenware.—3 lbs. Cornwall 
 stone, 6 lbs. china clay, 1 lb. blue clay, \ lb. flint. 
 
 Glaze for the above. 
 
 130 lbs. white lead, 50 stone, 25 flint, 25 glass. Take 
 15 quarts of this, each quart 4 lbs.; put this in a tub, 
 and add 5 lbs. cobalt blue; let them be well blunged 
 together and sifted through a fine lawn; after this let it 
 stand two or three days, and take off all the water you 
 can, so that it may be dipped thick. Let it be placed 
 in good saggers, and well wadded, so that no air can 
 get in; place them in the arches and ring, as it requires 
 a good hard fire. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 57 
 
 BLUE JASPER, No. 1. 
 
 40 lbs. blue clay, 80 cauk stone, 40 Cornwall stone, 
 
 1 blue calx. 
 
 BLUE JASPER, No. 2. 
 
 40 lbs. blue clay, 120 cauk stone, 20 bone, 1| blue 
 calx. 
 
 Edging green under glaze. 
 
 9 oz. copper calx, 3^ lbs. white lead, 27 oz. dried 
 flint, 9 oz. blue clay, ^ oz. blue calx. 
 
 Edging green upon glaze. 
 
 3 lbs. white lead, 2§ copper, lj flint glass, 2 dried 
 flint, 1 ounce liquid blue, fluxed 1 and 1; 7 quarts and 
 1 pint painted glaze. 
 
 Cane body. 
 
 6 teacupful of marl slip, 3 of common slip. 
 
 Another Cane body. —400 black marl, 100 white 
 shavings, 60 Cornwall stone. 
 
 China glaze for Printing. 
 
 40 lbs. glass, 2 lead, 3 or 3^ blue calx. 
 
 16 lbs. glass, 5 lead, 1 arsenic, 2J nitre.—White 
 Fritt. Take 11 of white fritt, put the whole of the blue 
 fritt, and grind them together; then take of the mixed 
 fritt 8 lbs., 5 flint, 12 Cornwall stone, 23 lead, 62 com¬ 
 mon salt. 
 
 minton’s geaze, now in use. 
 
 48 lbs. glass, 50 flint, 16 borax, 16 red lead, 24 
 soda.—Fritt. Add 2 lbs. borax to grind. 
 
 68 lbs. glass, 68 of the above fritt; when dry, 84 lbs. 
 stone, 24 flint, 138 red lead; 380 lbs. the whole charge 
 for the mill. This recipe say 21 oz. blue. 
 
 VIOLET BLUE. 
 
 4 tartar, 2 red lead, 5 flint, \ magnesia. 
 
 PURPLE BROWN. 
 
 15 red lead, 18 flint, 1 magnesia, 15 flint glass. 
 
 BLUE. 
 
 26 oz. zaffre, 18 pearl ashes. A teaspoonful of char¬ 
 coal. 
 
 H 
 
58 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 SMALTS BLUE. 
 
 1 lb. flint glass, 2 oz. red lead, 2 dried flint, 1 nitre, 
 l j calx. Put on the top of glost oven. 
 
 RED UNDER GLAZE. 
 
 3 lbs. calcined copperas, 1 flint, 1 red lead. 
 
 YELLOW UNDER GLAZE. 
 
 4 lbs. tin ashes, 1 litharge, 1 antimony. Put on a 
 biscuit dish, bottom of glost oven. 
 
 GREEN UNDER GLAZE. 
 
 5 oz. of the above yellow, j oz. copper calx. 
 
 COLOUR FOR BLUE PRINTING. 
 
 23 oz. dried flint, 3 of best flint glass, 2 of cobalt, 
 1| lbs. blue calx. 
 
 Another .—18 oz. dried flint, 2 of flint glass, 2 of 
 cobalt, lj lbs. blue calx. 
 
 Another ,—1| lbs. dried flint, 1 of flint glass, 2| of 
 blue calx. 
 
 Green under glaze. 
 
 oz. of blue that is fluxed, \ lb. copper calx. All 
 to be calcined at the bottom of the fore bung in glost 
 oven. 
 
 Pea green under glaze. 
 
 1 oz. calcined brass, 3 oz. common glaze, | drm. 
 calcined cobalt’. 
 
 Yellow under glaze. 
 
 2 litharge to 2 antimony, 1 tin ashes. 
 
 Flux for blue. 
 
 32 lbs. flint, 5 of borax, 4 of lead, 2 of tin, 2 of pearl 
 ashes. Put all together in a sagger, in the hotest place 
 in the biscuit oven. 
 
 mason’s china body. 
 
 280 lbs. bone, 200 of china clay, 160 of stone, 30 of 
 flint. 
 
 Fritt for the above. 
 
 58 lbs. stone, 22 of flint, 22 of glass, 35 of borax — 
 104 lbs. when calcined. 
 
 Glaze. 
 
 76 lbs. white lead, 1 teacupful of blue. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 59 
 
 Preparations of Gold. 
 
 1 oz. gold, 45 grains quicksilver, 5 flux. 
 
 Another. —3 pennyweights of gold, 51 grains of quick¬ 
 silver, 3 grains of flux. 
 
 Another. —1 pennyweight of gold, 17 grains of quick¬ 
 silver, 1 flux. 
 
 Another. —Good.—3 pennyweights of quicksilver, 
 3 pennyweights of gold, 3 grains of white lead. 
 
 ZXFFB.E BLUE. 
 
 To one cask of zaflre add 72 lbs. potass, 16 lbs. char¬ 
 coal ; then put the cakes of regulus that you will have 
 at the bottoms of the crusibles into a ladle, and melt of 
 bismouth, and clean the cakes, then pound them. To 
 
 1 lb. of regulus, 2 oz. of ashes, 1 oz. Windsor glass, 
 run down in small cups, then chip off the iron that you 
 will find at the top of the legulus. 
 
 First calxing. — If lbs. regulus, 1 oz. boiled plaster. 
 
 Second calxing. —1 lb. regulus, 1 oz. boiled plaster. 
 
 2 lbs. zaflre, lj lb. pearl ash, 1 lb. ground charcoal, 
 
 2 oz. flour of brimstone. Mix them well together, and 
 put them into a crusible on the top of the glost oven. 
 
 Flux for Blue. 
 
 16 lbs. flint, 2 of lead, 2| of borax, 1 of pearl ash. 
 
 Broivn body. 
 
 5 of red clay, 2 of china clay, 1 of blue clay. 
 
 For Pink under glaze. 
 
 40 lbs. oxide of tin, 20 of whiting, 3 of flint glass, 
 1 of oxide of crome. Grind altogether first, then cal¬ 
 cine them in the biscuit oven. 
 
 White glaze. 
 
 50 lbs. Cornwall stone, 10 of flint glass, 5 of dried 
 flin t,, 5 of nitre, 1 of common salt, 5 of borax ; to be 
 run down in glost oven. 
 
 2 fritt, 1 white lead. 
 
 Black under glaze. 
 
 1 of orange red, 1 of manganese, 1 of blue calx; 
 spread on plates on the glost oven. 
 
 Blue. 
 
 36 oz. zaflre, 18 oz. pearl ashes, teacupful of ash 
 coal. 
 
60 
 
 AKT AND HISTOEY OF 
 
 Drab body. 
 
 j oz. calx blue, sifted; | oz. manganese, 1 quart 
 thick white slip, 1 pint black marl slip. 
 
 Slate colour body. 
 
 300 of ball clay, low flinted; 40 quarts ochre slip, 7 
 manganese. 
 
 Flux for Blue Edging. 
 
 4 lbs. flint glass, 1 of blue calx, 2 oz. nitre, 2 oz. 
 borax. 
 
 Brown under glaze. 
 
 1 lb. burnt ochre, 1 of manganese, 1 of blue. 
 
 Orange base for Clay. 
 
 3 lbs. litharge, 2 of crude antimony, 1 of crocus mar- 
 tus ; pounded together, and spread on flinted dishes on 
 the top of biscuit oven. 
 
 Flux for Rose colour. 
 
 16 oz. glass, 5 oz. red lead. 
 
 Flux for Blue Green. 
 
 16 oz. glass, 4 of red lead, 4 of borax. 
 
 A fritt for a China body. 
 
 100 lbs. Lin sand, 10 of soda; melted in water 4 ,, and 
 poured into the Lin sand, and calcined in the biscuit 
 oven. 
 
 China body. 
 
 60 lbs. of the above fritt, 15 lbs. of glass ; 44 gallons 
 of bone, 32 ounces to pint; 14 of stone, 32 oz. to pint; 
 44 of china clay, 26 oz. to pint; one quarter of pint 
 of liquid blue. 
 
 Fritt for China glaze , to be calcined in glost oven. 
 
 Cornwall stone, 80 lbs.; borax, 60 ; Paris white, 50; 
 felspar, 40; nitre, 10; dry flint, 10. 
 
 China glaze. 
 
 100 lbs. of the above fritt, 32 of lead, 45 of stone; 
 1 lb. of dry stain—it will do without. 
 
 Red Sponge Dip. 
 
 4 quarts red slip, 2 quarts white slip, 1 lb. steel 
 filings, 1 lb. lead ore. 
 
 Purple Dip. 
 
 40 quarts of blue clay slip, 1 oz. calx blue, well 
 ground; 2 oz. manganese. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 61 
 
 Blue Dip. 
 
 50 quarts blue clay slip, 1 oz. calx blue. 
 
 Green Dip. 
 
 5 quarts cane slip, 5 oz. ground zaffre, 1 oz. copper 
 scales. 
 
 White Dip. 
 
 6 quarts blue clay slip, 1 lb. steel filings, 1 lb. >ad 
 ore. 
 
 Green Dip. 
 
 1 quart blue clay slip, 1| oz. ground nicldc. 
 
 Olive Green Dip. 
 
 12 quarts cane slip, \ oz. zaffre, well ground; 2 oz. 
 copper scales. 
 
 Olive Dip. 
 
 1 quart black marl slip, 2 quarts blue clay slip, 2 oz. 
 zaffre. 
 
 Green Drab Body. 
 
 4 lbs. stone, 2 of china clay, 2 of blue clay, 4 oz. 
 ground nickle. 
 
 Blue Dip.' 
 
 Very good.—4 lbs. Cornwall stone, 1 lb. Cornwall 
 clay, 3 pints bone slip, 3 pints blue clay slip, 10 oz. 
 cobalt blue. Fluxed liquid. 
 
 A light Brown for under glaze. 
 
 2 lbs. litharge, 1 of antimony, 1 of manganese, 1 oz. 
 zaffre. For the bottom of glost oven. 
 
 Dark Brown for under glaze. 
 
 10 lbs. litharge, 6 of antimony, 1 of manganese, 1 of 
 zaffre. To be calcined in biscuit oven. 
 
 Blue glaze. 
 
 1 quart stone glaze, 6 oz- zaffre liquid. 
 
 Slate coloured glaze. 
 
 1 oz. ground nickle (good weight), \ pint stone glaze. 
 
 A Drab glaze. 
 
 6 lbs. red lead, 1 of raddle, J lb. flint, \ oz. blue. 
 
 Purple China body. 
 
 3 lbs. bone, 2 of stone, 2j of brown clay, 1 of china 
 clay, 21 grains blue calx. 
 
 Fritt of the above. 
 
 40 lbs. Cornwall stone, 25 of flint, 10 of nitre, 20 of 
 
62 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 borax, 10 of white lead, 40 of glass. To be run down 
 in glost oven. 
 
 Glaze for it. 
 
 40 lbs. white lead, 1 of common salt. Grind the 
 whole together. 
 
 davenport’s glaze to china body. 
 
 56 lbs. stone, 16'of borax, 15 of flint, 60 of lead, 18 
 of glass. 
 
 spode’s printed body. 
 
 4 quarts blue clay slip, 1 of china clay slip, 1 of slop 
 flint. 
 
 Glaze to the above. 
 
 30 lbs. white lead, 12 of Cornwall stone, 5 of dried 
 flint. 
 
 davenport’s china body. 
 
 12 lbs. bone, 8 lbs. 13 oz. stone, 5 lbs. oz. china 
 clay, 2 lbs. 7 oz. blue clay, 1 lb. 9 J oz. flint, ~ oz. blue 
 calx. 
 
 China body. 
 
 220 lbs. stone, 60 lbs. china clay, 16 quarts slop flint, 
 (each quart to weigh 4 lbs.); 80 quarts bone slip, (each 
 quart to weigh 4 lbs.); 1 oz. calx blue. 
 
 Glaze for it. 
 
 26 lbs. borax, 56 of stone, 20 of glass, 70 of lead. 
 
 Enamel Yellow. 
 
 6 lbs. white lead, \ lb. flint, lb. tin ashes. To be 
 mixed well together, run down in an enamelling heat, 
 and poured into warm water. 
 
 White Enamel. 
 
 16 lbs. flint glass, lb. arsenic, \ lb. nitre, 5 lbs. 
 litharge. To be calcined in biscuit oven, in a sagger 
 well flinted and wadded. 
 
 mason’s dry body. 
 
 500 lbs. Cornwall stone, 400 of china clay, 440 of 
 flint, 310 of blue clay, lk oz. liquid blue, as it comes 
 from the mill. 
 
 Figure Clay for the above. 
 
 8 lbs. of the same shavings, 2 oz. cobalt blue. 
 
 Glaze for the above body. 
 
 135 lbs. white lead, 50 of stone, 25 of flint, 25 of 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 63 
 
 glass, 3^ oz. liquid zaffre, thick as it conies from the 
 mill. 
 
 wedgwood’s white body. 
 
 1 lb. blue clay, 3J of Cornwall stone, 4 ounces china 
 clay, 4 of flint. 
 
 Fritt for the above. 
 
 .5 lbs. borax, l\ of flint, 2J of stone, 3 of spar. 
 
 Glaze to the above. 
 
 50 lbs. borax, 15 of flint, 25 of stone, 30 of spar. 
 
 Green glaze. 
 
 19 lbs. copper scales, 18 of flint; to be calcined and 
 ground together: when sent to the mill, add 6 lbs. and 
 3 quarters glass, 2 lbs. and 1 quarter flint, 12 lbs. white 
 lead ; 1 ounce of this to six ounces of white glaze. 
 
 Dip for Figures. 
 
 10 lbs. china body, 3 ounces calx blue. 
 
 YATES’S BEAC.K BODY. 
 
 10 lbs. blue clay, 8 of ochre, 3 of manganese. Takes 
 a good fire. 
 
 White Opaque body. 
 
 5 lbs. blue clay, 5 of stone, 3 of flint. 
 
 Setter Clay. 
 
 2 lbs. ball clay, 2 of sagger clay, 2 of fine gnog, 1 of 
 sand. 
 
 Green ground. 
 
 1 ounce biscuit yellow, \ ounce zaffre blue. 
 
 Orange glaze. 
 
 1 quart stone glaze, 4 ounces orange under glaze ; 
 weighed in the wet state. 
 
 Green for gilding upon glaze. 
 
 2 lbs. green colour, 10 quarts stone glaze. 
 
 White stone body. 
 
 18 lbs. stone, 8 of blue clay, 1 of glass. 
 
 Another. —9 lbs. stone, 1 of common clay, 3 of blue 
 clay, 12 of flint, \ of glass. 
 
 Wash for Glost Saggers. 
 
 5 quarts of lime slip, 1 quart of ball clay slip. 
 wedgwood’s common glaze. 
 
 20 lbs. Cornwall stone, 40 of flint, 120 of lead. 
 
64 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 Rockingham, glaze. 
 
 15 lbs. dry flint, 15 of manganese, 36 quarts stone 
 glaze. 
 
 drewry’s china body. 
 
 300 lbs. bone, 200 of Cornwall clay, 150 of stone, 
 4 ounces blue calx. 
 
 Fritt for the above. 
 
 60 lbs. stone, 30 of flint, 30 of borax, 20 of glass, 
 
 1 ounce blue calx. To be calcined in biscuit oven. 
 
 Glaze for the above. 
 
 The whole of the above fritt, and 90 lbs. of lead. 
 
 Vitrified Cane body for White Figures. 
 
 1 quart of Cornwall stone, 2 quarts of marl slip, 
 | pint of glaze. 
 
 Cream colour glaze. 
 
 68 lbs. dry flint, 30 of dry stone, 228 of Bristol lead. 
 nixon’s china. 
 
 90 lbs. dry flint, 60 of china clay, 30 of blue clay, 
 30 of black clay. 
 
 Fritt for the above. 
 
 40 lbs. stone, 24 of borax, 10 of flint. To be cal¬ 
 cined in the bottom of glost oven. 
 
 Glaze for the above. 
 
 60 lbs. of the above fritt, ground and dry; 40 lbs. 
 lead, 1 ounce blue calx. To be dipped thick. 
 
 FLOW§ FOR BliFE. 
 
 fif 0 . i .—12 of Linn, 1 of sal ammoniac, 2 of red 
 lead. 
 
 JS[o. 2.—4 of Linn, 1 of common salt, 1 of soda. 
 
 No. 3 .—21 of whiting, 4 of lead, 4 of salt, 2\ of 
 nitre. 
 
 For gilding , in the following proportions :— 
 
 All small ware, such as egg-cups and ladles, \ ounce ; 
 small muffins, 5 and 6 inch, f ounce ; 7 and twifflers, 
 1 ounce; plates, and 9 and 10 -inch dishes, lj ounce; 
 20-inch dishes, ewers, and bowls, 4| ounces ; leg-pans, 
 5 ounces. For regular Flow, a little stronger. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 EXTRACTED FROM 
 
 BAILIFF JAMES-\S RECIPE BOOK. 
 
 Stone Body. 
 
 480 parts Cornwall stone, 250 of b. clay, 240 com¬ 
 mon clay, 10 of glass, 1 of calx. 
 
 1 oz. zaffre to every 100 lbs. 
 
 Glaze for Cane. 
 
 40 parts stone, 20 of flint, 80 of white lead. 
 
 Black Glaze. 
 
 4 parts lead, 1 of flint, 1 of shavings. 
 
 Common Body. 
 
 30 parts b. clay, 11 of flint, 13 of common clay, 5~ 
 of stone. 
 
 stephenson’s common body. 
 
 21| b. clay, 15 of common clay, 12| of flint, 1| of 
 stone. 
 
 100 lbs. oxide of tin, 50 lbs. chloride of lime, 5 lbs, 
 oxide of chrome. 
 
 10 of the above, 1 of flint. 
 
 Burnish Gold. 
 
 Good.—1 pennyweight of gold, 20 grains of quick¬ 
 silver, 2 grains of white lead, 4 leaves of leaf silver.—It 
 will do with or without leaf silver. 
 
 Yellow under Glaze. 
 
 8 parts tin ash, 1 of litharge, 1 of antimony. 
 
 Green. 
 
 Good.—12 of yellow, 1 of blue calx, 2 of flint, 4 of 
 glass.—To be fired in the top of glost oven. 
 
 Brown. 
 
 1 lb. manganese, 2 of antimony, 2 J of litharge, 1 oz. 
 blue calx.—To be fired in the top of glost oven. 
 
 Green under Glaze. 
 
 4 lbs. yellow, 1 of blue smalt, | of copper, calcined. 
 
 H 2 
 
AKT AND HISTOKY OF 
 
 Smalt. 
 
 8 parts glass, 1 of blue calx. 
 
 Printing Black. 
 
 2 parts iron scales, 2 of niclde, 2 of chromate of iron, 
 
 2 of blue calx. 
 
 Printing Black. 
 
 1 part blue calx, 2 of amber, 1 of base green, 9 of 
 flux, (No. 8.) 
 
 Green under glaze. 
 
 3 parts calcined copper, 6 of glass, 6 of stone. 
 
 1 of the above to 3 C. C. glaze. 
 
 Edging Green. 
 
 1 part calcined copper, 2 of slip, unflinted; 2 of flint, 
 16 of glass. 
 
 Dark Black. 
 
 1 part iron scales, 1 of niclde, 1 of manganese, 1 of 
 calx. 
 
 Blue Black. 
 
 1 of iron scales, 1 of nickle, 1 of amber, 1 of calx. 
 
 Printing Oil. 
 
 1 quart linseed oil, 1 pint rape oil, 2 oz. balsam 
 of capavi, § oz. amber oil, \ oz. white lead, 1 oz. pitch. 
 
 Another. 
 
 1 quart linseed oil, £ pint rape oil, f pint common 
 tar, 1 oz. balsam of sulphur, 1 oz. balsam of capavi. 
 
 Enamel Blue. 
 
 No better in use.—1 part nitre, 15 of glass, 5 of 
 red lead, 1 of potash, 1 of white enamel, If of blue 
 calx. 
 
 Another. 
 
 Good.—14 parts glass, 5 of red lead, 1 of white 
 enamel, 2 of blue calx. 
 
 Another. 
 
 Good.—10 parts glass, 5 of red lead, 2 of nitre, | of 
 white enamel, calcined; J of blue calx. 
 
 Enamel White. 
 
 Good.—-8 parts glass, 1 of red lead, 1| of nitre, 1 of 
 arsenic. 
 
 Another. —Good.—16 parts glass, 5 of red lead, 1 of 
 nitre, 1 of arsenic. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 Enamel Green. 
 
 10 parts glass, 13 of red lead, 5 of borax, 6 of flint, 
 2 of copper, 4 of unfluxed yellow. 
 
 For Blue Green leave out the yellow, and add 1 of 
 white enamel. 
 
 Enamel Yellow Green. 
 
 10 of glass, 18 of red lead, 6J of unfluxed yellow, 6 of 
 flint, 3 of copper, calcined. 
 
 Enamel Chrome Green. 
 
 32 parts red lead, 11 of flint, 2 of borax, | of copper, 
 calcined. 
 
 Enamel Blue Green. 
 
 In present use.—6 parts flint, 16 of red lead, 3 of 
 borax, 1 of copper, 6 of white enamel. 
 
 Another. 
 
 10 parts borax, 12 of flint, 12 of white enamel, 30 of 
 red lead, 4 of copper, calcined. 
 
 Another. 
 
 10 parts glass, 18 of red lead, 5 of borax, 6 of flint, 2 
 of copper. 
 
 3 of the above to 1 of white enamel. 
 
 Fine Green. 
 
 1 part verdites, 1 of glass, 3| of flint, 7| of red lead. 
 Heath Green. 
 
 1 part chrome green, 2 of tin ash. 
 
 Enamel Yelloiv. 
 
 Good.—1 part antimony, 1 of flint, 4 of tin ash, 4 of 
 white lead.—To be calcined in glost oven. 
 
 To 3 of the above add 4 parts white lead, \ of Naples 
 yellow.—Calcine them ; mix 1 of the above. 
 
 Purple Enamel. 
 
 2 parts rose colour, 1 of blue enamel, ground. 
 
 Cornelian Red. 
 
 2 parts flux, 1 of chromate of iron. 
 
 Flux. 
 
 3 parts red lead, 2 of borax, 1 of flint. 
 
 Enamel Red. 
 
 1 part copper, calcined; 2 of flux. 
 
 Flux. 
 
 3 parts borax, 4 of red lead, 2 of flint. 
 
ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 Cornelian Red. 
 
 1 part chromate of iron, 3| of flux. 
 
 Flux. 
 
 3 parts red lead, 1 of glass, 1 of flint. 
 
 No other flux will do for this. The flux must be 
 highly calcined, until it forms a dark glass. 
 
 Red Brown. 
 
 1 of copper, calcined; 2J, of flux. 
 
 Flux. 
 
 28 parts red lead, 14 of borax, 8 of flint. 
 
 Rose Colour. 
 
 1 grain of gold, dissolved in acqua regc; 4 grains of 
 block tin, dissolved in acqua rege; pour each separately 
 into a basin of cold water, then drop in the tin when 
 dissolved, and stir with a feather; then let it stand 
 six hours until precipitated ; then wash it in hot water; 
 after which add the following:—3 parts borax, 1 of 
 flint, 1 of calx. 
 
 Rose Flux. 
 
 14 parts glass, 5 of red lead. 
 
 Chrome Yellow. 
 
 2 parts sugar of lead, 1 chromate of potass. 
 
 Flux for Printiny Blue. 
 
 15 parts flint, 10 of b. clay, 12J of stone, 7J of lead. 
 To be calcined in glost oven. 
 
 Another. 
 
 Good.—18 parts flint, 24 of glass.—Calcined. 
 
 Blue for Broseley. 
 
 2 lbs. best calx, lljof flux. 
 
 Another. —10 lbs. calx, 2 of flux. 
 
 Enamel Fluxes. 
 
 No. 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 7 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 1G or 14 
 
 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 4 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 8 
 
 • 3 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 G 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 Flint. 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 g. oven. 
 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 65 
 
 RECIPE BOOK OF BAILIFF JOHN 
 
 mason’s china body. 
 
 16 parts bone, 9 of stone, 14 of common clay, 4| of 
 flint. 
 
 YATES’S CHINA. 
 
 16 parts bone, 14 of common clay, 4± of flint, 1 drm. 
 of calx. 2 
 
 Drab body. 
 
 24 parts Argillaceous marl, 48 of stone, 24 of blue 
 clay, 10 of bone, 1 of nickle, cal. 
 
 China body. 
 
 440 parts bone,— 8 |; 260 of common clay,—4; 260 
 of stone,—4; 2 of calx. 
 
 Glaze. 
 
 40 parts of borax, Fritt 
 
 40 “ sand fritt, # 36 parts of Lint sand, 
 
 32 “ glaze spar, 15 “ pearl ash, 
 
 24 “ stone, 1 3 “ flint. 
 
 16 “ whiting. ’ 
 
 45 parts of the above,—12; 15 of stone,—1; 15 of 
 white lead,— 2 . 
 
 Ironstone body. 
 
 200 parts of Cornish stone, 150 of Cornish clay, 200 
 blue or brown clay, 100 of flint, 1 of calx. 
 
 Ironstone body. 
 
 175 parts Cornish stone, 150 of Cornish clay, 90 of 
 blue or brown clay, 35 of flint, 5 of fritt, (see Fritt No. 
 30,) \ of calx. 
 
 Superior Painted body. 
 
 3 parts blue clay, 1 of black or brown, 2 of Cornish 
 clay, I 4 of flint, j of Cornish stone. 
 
66 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 1 of Cornish 
 
 Common Printed body. 
 
 2 parts blue clay, 2 of brown or black, 
 clay, 1± of flint. 
 
 Cream-coloured body. 
 
 1i parts blue clay, 1 J, of brown clay, 1 of black clay, 
 1 of Cornish clay, \ of Cornish stone. 
 
 Lilac Porcelain body. 
 
 200 parts bone, 115 of Cornish clay, 25 of blue clay, 
 20 of flint, 15 of cauk stone, 10 of Cornish stone, lj 
 of calx. 
 
 This body requires a fire the same as the 1 orcelam 
 body. 
 
 Brown body. 
 
 20 parts red or brown clay, 8 of Cornish clay, 4 of 
 
 blue clay, 2 of flint. 
 
 Fawn or Drab body. 
 
 40 parts marl, 4 of Cornish clay, 1 of flint. 
 
 Calcedonia body. 
 
 32 parts yellow clay, 10 of Cornish clay, 4 of flint. 
 
 Brown body. 
 
 50 parts red clay, i\ of common clay, 1 of manga¬ 
 nese, 1 of flint. 
 
 Jasper body. 
 
 10 parts cauk stone, 10 of blue clay, 5 of bone, 2 of 
 flint, 1| of calx.—This body should be ground. 
 
 Superior White body. 
 
 50 parts cauk stone, 50 of blue clay, 25 of bone, 10 
 of flint. 
 
 For the purpose of Figures in relievo, this and the 
 foregoing should have the temperature of earthenware. 
 
 Stone body. 
 
 48 parts Cornish stone, 25 of blue and brown clay, 
 24 of Cornish clay, 1 of glass, 1 of calx. 
 
 This will vitrify at the temperature of earthenware, 
 but must be ringed to be kept straight. 
 
 Mortar Clay. 
 
 48 parts Cornish stone, 25 of blue and brown clay, 
 24 of Cornish clay, 1 of glass. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 67 
 
 Black Egyptian body. 
 
 235 parts blue clay, 225 of calcined ochre, 45 of man¬ 
 ganese, 15 of Cornish clay. 
 
 The manganese should be free from lime and calca- 
 rious earths. 
 
 Ring body for China. 
 
 150 parts blue clay, 100 of Cornish stone, 100 ol 
 bone, 52 of plaster. 
 
 Saucer Mould Clay. 
 
 10 parts flint, 4 of blue clay, 2 of Cornish clay, 1 of 
 black clay. 
 
 Silicious and Argillaceous Clays. 
 
 White body. 
 
 No. 1.—4 parts blue clay, 2 of Cornish clay, 2 of 
 flint, 1 of Cornish stone. 
 
 No. 2.—30 parts white clay, 1 of blue calx. 
 
 Ironstone body. 
 
 250 parts common clay, 300 of flint, 300 of stone, 
 240 of blue clay, 6 oz. calx. 
 
 avedgwood’s morter. 
 
 240 parts ball clay, 100 of stone, 80 of common clay. 
 
 Porcelain glaze. 
 
 Good.—40 parts Cornish stone, 38 of borax, 32| of 
 flint, 22J of flint glass, 13 crystal of soda, 5 of oxide of 
 tin, 1 of enamel blue. 
 
 Ironstone Glaze. 
 
 Good.—36 parts Cornish stone, 30 of borax, 20 ol 
 flint, 15 of red lead, 6 of crystal of soda, 5 of oxide of 
 tin, ^ of calx. 
 
 When the above is calcined, add the following:— 
 
 15 parts white lead, 10 of Cornish stone, 10 of flint. 
 Then grind for use. 
 
 Fritt for qlaze. 
 
 No. 32.*' 
 
 40 parts Cornish stone, 36 of flint glass, 20 of red 
 lead, 20 of flint, 15 of potass, 10 of white lead, 3 of 
 oxide of tin. 
 
 * This number and fritt, together with No. 30, are referred to 
 in some of the other recipes. 
 
68 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 Fritt for glaze. 
 
 ' 36 parts Cornish stone, 30 of red lead, 20 of flint, 20 
 of borax, 15 of crystal of soda, 5 of oxide of tin. 
 
 Alkaline glaze. 
 
 30 parts borax, 30 of flint, 18 of Cornish stone, 2 of 
 oxide of tin. 
 
 Fritt. 
 
 No. 30. 
 
 60 parts Cornish stone, 40 of flint, 30 of crystal of 
 soda, 8 of oxide of tin, 4 of borax. 
 
 For China and Ironstone in small quantities. 
 
 White Opaque glaze. 
 
 30 parts tin oxide, 10 of soda, 12 of pearl ash. 
 
 To the above. 
 
 100 parts lead, 50 of stone. 
 
 Rockingham glaze. 
 
 4 parts lead, 2 of stone, 1 of manganese. 
 
 Green glaze. 
 
 106 parts stone, 11 of flint, 7 of soda, 6 of borax, 
 3 of nitre, 4 of whiting. 
 
 To 120 of fritt, 115 parts lead (after ground), 10 of 
 copper. 
 
 Drab. 
 
 50 lbs. common shavings, 2 lbs. nickle. 
 
 Glaze for Cane. 
 
 40 lbs. stone, 20 of flint, 80 of white lead. 
 
 Black glaze. 
 
 4 lbs. white lead, 1 of flint, 1 of shavings. 
 
 Glaze for Trials. 
 
 3 parts of lead, 1 of flint. 
 
 Glaze for Torquoise. 
 
 lj lbs. flint, 2 oz. zink flowers, 1~ of nitre, 3| best 
 blue calx.—27 oz. to pint. 
 
 Earthenware glaze. 
 
 Good.—90 parts white lead, 35 of Cornish stone, 20 
 of flint glass, 20 of flint, 60 of fritt, (No. 32,) A of calx. 
 White Earthemvare glaze. 
 
 35 parts Cornish stone, 20 of borax, 10 of crystal of 
 soda, 20 of red lead, | of blue calx. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 69 
 
 Printing glaze. 
 
 90 parts white lead, 45 of Cornish stone, 22 of flint, 
 20 of flint glass, j of calx. 
 
 Blue and Green Edge glaze. 
 
 72 parts litharge, 36 of Cornish stone, 20 of flint 
 glass, 17 of flint, l-5th calx. 
 
 Cream-coloured glaze. 
 
 Good.—85 parts white lead, 40 of Cornish stone, 22 
 of flint, 16 of flint glass, 8 of fritt, (No. 32.) 
 
 Fine Crystal glaze. 
 
 105 parts Cornish stone, 90 of borax. 60 of flint, 50 
 of red lead, 12 of crystal of soda, 10 of oxide of tin, 
 | of calx. 
 
 Brown Cottage glaze. 
 
 60 parts litharge, 32 of flint, 8 of Brown slip. 
 
 Drab glaze. 
 
 ' 70 parts litharge, 30 of flint, 25 of Cornish stone, 
 10 of drab slip. 
 
 Blue glaze. 
 
 50 parts flint, 30 of borax, 22 of red lead, 10 of 
 Cornish stone, 6 of crystal of soda, 6 of oxide of tin, 
 3 of calx. 
 
 Green glaze. 
 
 3 parts vitriol, calcined, 1 of flint glass, 1 of flint. 
 
 When ground take four quarts of the above to 30 
 quarts of the following, ground: 
 
 35 parts litharge, 20 of flint, 10 of Cornish stone, 
 10 of fritt, (No. 32.) 
 
 Yellow glaze. 
 
 95 parts white lead, 35 of flint glass, 20 of flint, 14 
 of oxide of yellow, 10 of Cornish stone, 16 of fritt, (No. 
 32.) 
 
 hakeison’s black. 
 
 48 lbs. ball clay, 12 of ochre, 2 of manganese. 
 
 YATES’S BLACK. 
 
 40 lbs. ball clay, 30 of ochre, 10 of manganese, 10 of 
 iron scales. 
 
 bagsteb’s black. 
 
 15 lbs. ball clay, 15 of ochre, 2 of manganese. 
 
70 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 mosley’s black. 
 
 65 lbs. ochre, 43 of manganese, 24| of iron scales, 170 
 of ball clay. 
 
 Dip for Brown Neck Jugs. 
 
 6 parts red clay, 4 of ball clay, 2 of ochre, 1 of nickle. 
 Drab. 
 
 50 quarts white slip, 3 lbs. nickle. 
 
 Light. 
 
 50 quarts white slip, 2 lbs. nickle. 
 
 Drab. 
 
 50 quarts slip, 2 lbs. nickle, 4 oz. blue. 
 
 mosley's black, No. 2. 
 
 24J lbs. iron scales, 43 of manganese, 65 of ochre, 
 170 of blue clay. 
 
 badley’s black. 
 
 240 lbs. blue clay, 140 of ochre, 24 of manganese. 
 
 ANOTHER, GOOD. 
 
 26 lbs. blue clay, 150 of ochre, 32 of manganese. 
 twamler’s black. 
 
 90 lbs. ball clay, 40 of ochre, 20 of manganese. 
 
 Black Clay. 
 
 4 parts Egyptian black clay, 1 of white clay (1), 1 of 
 blue clay (2). 
 
 Orange Clay. 
 
 4 parts yellow clay, 2 of Cornish clay, 1 of flint, | of 
 Cornish stone. 
 
 Green Clay. 
 
 12 parts white clay (1), 1 of nickle, ~ of blue clay (2). 
 Fawn Porous body. 
 
 40 parts Argillaceous clay, 4 of blue clay, 2 of flint. 
 
 Naples Yelloiv Tinder glaze. 
 
 12 parts white lead, 2 of draphonte antimony, 1 of 
 crude sal ammoniac, \ of alum. 
 
 Lining Brown under glaze. 
 
 3 parts raw litharge, 2 of manganese, 1 of nitre, 1 of 
 blue calx. 
 
 Printing Broivn under glaze. 
 
 3 parts glass of antimony, 5 of raw litharge, 2 of 
 manganese, ^ of blue calx. 
 
THE POTTING BUSINESS. 
 
 71 
 
 Green for Edging under glaze. 
 
 3 parts oxide of copper, 3 of flint glass, 2 of flint, 
 
 2 of oxide of tin, 1 of enamel blue. 
 
 BLUE PRINTED FLUX. 
 
 3 parts flint glass, 2| of flint, 1 of nitre, 1 of borax. 
 
 ANOTHER. 
 
 2 parts flint, 1 of Fritt, (No. 32,) 1| of flint glass. 
 Printing Blue Flux. 
 
 No. 60. 
 
 5 parts flint, 1| of borax, | nitre. 
 
 Printing and Edging Blue. 
 
 2 parts blue calx, 3 of fritt, (No. 32,) 1| of flint 
 glass, 1 of flint, \ of white lead. 
 
 Strong Printing Blue. 
 
 2 parts blue calx, 3 of fritt. 
 
 Light Blue, or Broseleg. 
 
 1 part blue calx, 4 of flux, (No. 60.) 
 
 Printing Oil. 
 
 1 quart linseed oil, 1 pint rape oil, 1 oz. balsam of 
 capavi, | of pitch, ^ of amber oil, \ of white lead. 
 
 Orange under glaze. 
 
 6 parts raw litharge, 4 of crude antimony, 2 of crocus 
 mastic, 1 of oxide of tin. 
 
 Yelloiv under glaze. 
 
 4 parts raw litharge, 3 of crude antimony, 2 of Fritt 
 (No. 32,) lj blue calx. 
 
 Green under glaze. 
 
 12 parts oxide of yellow, 4 of white enamel, 2 of 
 Fritt, (No. 32,) ~ of blue calx. 
 
 Printing Mulberry under glaze. 
 
 4 parts manganese, 2 of blue calx, 1 of nickle or 
 nitre, \ of borax. 
 
 PRINTING BROWN UNDER GLAZE. 
 
 5 parts raw litharge, 5 of crude antimony, 2j of man¬ 
 ganese, 1 of blue calx. 
 
 PRINTING BLACK UNDER GLAZE. 
 
 3 parts red lead, 1| of antimony, f of manganese. 
 After these have been calcined, add the following, and 
 calcine again. 
 
 2 parts blue calx, | of oxide of tin. 
 
72 
 
 ART AND HISTORY OF 
 
 Printing Oil. 
 
 1 quart linseed oil, ± pint rape oil, A pint common 
 tar, 1 oz. balsam of capavi, 1 oz. balsam of sulphur. 
 
 BITE STAIN. 
 
 5 parts blue cals, 2 of Fritt, (No. 32,) 1 of flint glass, 
 1 of enamel blue. 
 
 Yellow Stain. 
 
 3 parts oxide of yellow, 1 of Fritt, (No. 32,) | cre¬ 
 mate of iron. 
 
 Green Stain. 
 
 3 parts blue stain, 1 of yellow stain, | of enamel blue 
 green stain. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 Printed at the Examiner Office, Miles' Bank, Hanley.