DRYING: FINISHING
"There nis no workeman whosoever he be
That can werke bothe welle and hastile."
--"Merchants Tale."
Drying out is quite an important part of pot making. For this a drying
cupboard is a necessity. It is easily erected, if the front and sides of
wood be backed against a wall. Across the bottom, which should be open,
run a row of gas jets protected above by perforated zinc or iron. At the
top, which is boarded in, place a small sliding panel to insure a draught.
With side brackets and removable shelves it should answer all purposes. A
cupboard may be built over a radiator, but here the heat is not so easily
regulated.
A thermometer inside the cupboard will be an advantage, for a wet pot
straight from the wheel will warp in a warmth that would be quite suited
to tough shapes. The green or damp wares should be put on the top shelves
and brought nearer the heat as they dry. Large shapes put into the
cupboard to dry quickly are very liable to crack across the base. Any
flush of heat upon them through any aperture in the shelves will cause
them to dry streakily. Turning then becomes difficult or impossible.
Bowls, if not too fragile, may with care be piled one within the other.
This helps to retain their shape. Tiles are best stacked in piles dusted
with flint or with a piece of clay at each corner between them. Tiles
should never be placed in the cupboard until quite dry and straight. Flat
platters or dishes require very careful drying to prevent buckling and
should be reversed on a piece of sanded glass. When shapes are dried in
the open air, they often get hard at the rim before the bottom stiffens.
They need reversing to counteract this tendency.
To retard drying, which may often be necessary, a damp-box is needed. A
large box, zinc-lined and fitted with plaster slabs, is an excellent
device. The plaster must be kept moist with water. A well-tarred box with
a close-fitting lid is more easily constructed and will serve most
purposes. All work to be _stuck up_ or modelled on should be kept in the
damp-box until quite finished and then dried very gradually.
In all kinds of sticking up the body and the addition should be of the
same consistency. Re-wetting is dangerous but may be resorted to in
moderation with stout thrown shapes. Ornament added when the shape is
nearly dry is very likely to leave in the biscuiting, although apparently
quite firm in the green state. Cast shapes dry very rapidly and should be
finished before they become white dry. With practice handles, masks, and
the like can be affixed in the dry state with slip, but it demands its
careful and sparing use. Cracks or holes in dried shapes can with great
care be filled, a stiff wedge of clay being firmly pressed in and welded
to the slightly moistened sides of the crack. The plaster tools (Fig. 44)
will be found very handy for working on the dry clay. With skill and
patience much repairing may be done on unfired shapes, but it is a waste
of time to attempt it unless the beauty of the piece warrants it. It is
far better if the piece be faulty to throw it back into the bin at this
stage. Once fired, it is likely to remain an irremediable eyesore.
[Illustration: FIG. 44--PLASTER TOOLS.]
One or two other points bearing on finish have been mentioned before in
previous chapters, but these last touches are so important that they will
bear some reiteration.
The finality burned in by the biscuiting should induce a careful and
sound completion of each object; yet paradoxical as it may seem, the less
finishing, the better for the piece. It is no part of a craftsman's work
to go finnicking with file and sandpaper; too frequently nothing remains
of what might have been a vigorous shape but a meticulous finish. The best
Japanese work was superb in this respect and despite the many quaint and
surprising shapes into which they fashioned the clay, it very rarely seems
to lose its plastic character, it never assumes forms more suited to
metal, wood, or stone. Again the character that comes with correct
treatment is never smothered. Often the ribs or ridges made by the fingers
or the tool in forming the shape are frankly left to contribute their
quota to the general effect. The lips are rounded with scrupulous care and
angles removed without a suggestion of weakness.
Where large utensils, ewers and the like, are in question, mediæval
pottery is rich in suggestion for handles, spouts, and such added forms.
It is only when such additions are affixed that one realizes the nicety of
adjustment required between the size, shape, and situation of the handle
or spout and the vessel to which it is attached. It is here that an
appreciation and an intelligent use of historic ornament is necessary.