Our artisans use naturally occurring raw materials used to manufacture ceramics include clay, quartz, and feldspar. The raw materials undergo a series of refining and filtering operations. This usually entails reducing the particle size of the raw material by crushing, grinding, and milling or fine grinding. This is done to liberate impurities, break up aggregates, modify particle morphology and size distribution, facilitate mixing and forming, and produce a more reactive material for firing.
Several procedures are used to purify the ceramic material. Water soluble impurities can be removed by washing with deionized or distilled water and filtering, and organic solvents may be used for removing water-insoluble impurities.
The purified material is then mixed with water to to produce a more chemically and physically homogenous material for forming. In the forming step the slurry is consolidated and molded to produce a cohesive body of the desired shape and size.
A formed floral knob
After forming the pieces are dried in the sun for up to 48 hours. A glaze coating is applied to dried ceramic ware prior to firing. Some items are meticulously hand painted to give them a rich, ornate finish.
Our Skilled artisan putting the finishing touches on our white rose knob
Firing is the process by which ceramics are thermally consolidated into a dense, cohesive body comprised of fine, uniform grains. It is accomplished by heating the ceramic items to approximately two-thirds of the melting point of the material at ambient pressure and holding it for a specified time in a periodic or tunnel kiln. Periodic kilns are heated and cooled according to prescribed schedules.