Making Process of porcelain (Arita)

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Making Process of porcelain (Arita)




1. Refinement: Dig porcelain clay (mixture of kaolin, feldspar, etc…) at Izumiyama (Arita ) or Amakusa(Nagasaki Prefecture), procurement, clay drying clay crushing, clay elutriation, clay re-drying, clay and sitting. This is for raising viscosity of the clay and also removing iron or silicic acid.
2. Forming: Refined clay is kneaded and wedged. Then it is formed carefully on potter's wheel. This is the one of the most difficult process, because when porcelain is fired, porcelain is shurunk 20% from its original size. It causes cracking or distorition of a pices
3. Biscuit firing: The formed pieces now fired in kiln between 850 degrees celsius to 950 degreen celsius. Then it cooled down slowly to avoid cracking or distorition of a pices.
4. Underglaze Outlining: On the biscuit fired pieces, master draws pictures using oxidized-cobalt.
5. Underglaze Filling: This process is called "Dami" in Japanese. Fill outlined pictures using Dami-brush with oxidized cobalt.
6. Glazing: After underglazing, the works are glazed like the left picture. The glaze is now white, but after main firing it becomes clear like glass. This process must be done with care and boldness, otherwise the surface is dusked or become cause of craps.
: 7. Main firing: One of the differences between ceramics and porcelain is this stage. Normally ceramic is fired only once, but porcelain is usually fired at last twice. Like master Hayama, the work is fired 7 times. Main firing is dome around 1300 degrees Celsius, then it is fired around 800 degrees Celsius.
8. Overglazing: A number of pigments are mixed including red, yellow, green, black, gold and silver. The pigments are painted onto the surface of the glaze to produce designs which are a combination of outlines filled in with color. These enamels are fired at a low temperature of between 760-830 degrees Celsius.
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