Ceramic Processes
Casting
During the 19th Century, many pots were made by pressing clay into a plaster of Paris mould. However this method was gradually replaced by casting. Liquid clay, called slip, is poured into a hollow plaster mould and left for a period. The slip ...
Dippers
Dipping the ware by hand in liquid glaze before its second firing was a well paid job on the potbank, but also one of the most hazardous. Dippers and their attendants risked poisoning from the lead within the glaze. Lead affected tendons, cause...
Jiggering
A flat piece of clay is placed on the rotating mould and a levered profile tool is brought down upon it. The mould shapes the eating surface of the plate as the levered profile tool shapes the reverse. The terms jolleying and jiggering are ofte...
Mouldmakers
A great deal of pottery was (and still is) cast or pressed from moulds. From one mould multiple pieces of ware of the exact same shape and size could be made. Plaster of Paris moulds were used for casting, jiggering and jolleying, and the pott...
Saggar Makers
Saggars are containers made from fireclay which protected pottery in the kiln from the intense heat and smoke during bottle oven firing.The saggar maker's bottom knocker made the base of the saggar by hammering a piece of clay flat inside an iron ...
Wedging
Wedging was the process of removing pockets of air from the clay and ensuring consistant texture.to achieve this they would force one load of clay onto another to achieve this. If air pockets remained in the clay they would burst during ...
