BACK TO ARCHIVE   CELEBRATION IN STYLE   Page 2   Each stage of the production in miniature ceramics is a delicate job and a potential disaster. Karen takes us through the hazardous stages of a successful Stokesay Ware heirloom: HOW IT IS MADE We make Stokesay Ware using the same materials, techniques and firing temperatures as the equivalent full size pieces and use bone china for our fine china. There is a lot of confusion surrounding the difference between bone china an porcelain. As most people know, porcelain originated in the far east and was highly valued. The potters of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries were immensely creative, both artistically and technically, and tremendous strides forward were made during this period. Bone china is generally attributed to Spode, who invented it in the 1790's. It was so universally admired that it became the industry standard by 1800. It is a much whiter body than porcelain and although it lacks porcelain's plasticity, making it harder to handle in its unfired state it has another technical advantage. Both clays are high fired, and warp like mad at their top temperature. Karen's kitchen unit is used to good advantage. The white sink and flooring are by Sussex Crafts and the plate rack and tray by Jane Newman. However, unlike porcelain, bone china has a high biscuit firing followed by a low glaze firing which means that the warping losses occur after the first firing before the expense of glazing and refiring. The confusion is compounded by the fact that bone china is sometimes referred to as English porcelain and the term English china encompasses both materials. I start by making scale drawings from which I make the original model. Depending on the shape of the piece this is either turned on the lathe, hand modelled or a combination of the two, in high density plaster. I use a Harrison Union Graduate lathe for most of my turning. It weighs about 4 cwt, but its weight gives enormous stability to precision work. From the original model, a mould is made in plaster which may consist of one to four or five pieced depending on the complexity of the shape. Plaster is completely inflexible to undercuts have to be accommodated by splitting the mould.   You can see some of the stages in the process of making a gravy boat. At the back is the four-piece mould, while in the front is the original solid plaster model, the gravy boat cast and glazed, and the final piece fully decorated in a Georgian Key design.     1 :: 2 :: 3         HOME :: FINE CHINA :: GALLERY PRICE LIST :: ORDER :: EVENTS :: PROJECTS LINKS :: ARCHIVE         STOKESAY WARE 37 Sandbrook Road, Stoke Newington London N16 0SH, UK Telephone 020 7254 5242 International +44 20 7254 5242 email peter@stokesayware.com         Content, design & graphics copyright © Karen Griffiths 2000