| Min. Sec. | Min. Sec. | Min. Sec. | |
| Slipping begun | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 |
| Slipping completed | 03.00 | ||
| Time out | 01.00 | omitted | |
| Polishing begun | 03.00 | 04.00 | 04.00 |
| Set aside (second one beside fire) | 27.30 | 31.30 | |
| Time out | 03.00 | 34.30 | omitted |
| Polishing continued | 27.30 | omitted | |
| Lard first applied, chamois used later | 30.30 | 31.30 | 32.00 |
| Work on vessel completed | 31.45 | 33.00 | 36.00 |
PAINTING
Three varieties of paint are employed in making the designs—the black, or guaco, which is used on red and polychrome wares, the orange-red (also used as a slip), which serves as a paint in filling certain spaces in the designs upon polychrome ware, and the black ware paint which produces the designs upon polished black ware.[45]
The consistency of the guaco, when dissolved in water and ready for use, varies from that of water to that of thick cream. The solution is sticky and has a characteristic odor. A thin solution when applied to the surface of a vessel is yellowish-green, and has much the same appearance as a fresh coat of the orange-red paint. After drying the two are easily distinguishable. A thick solution of guaco is dark brownish-green when applied to the vessel, and on drying has a noticeable “body”, so that the lines appear slightly raised and glossy. It is not possible to draw as fine a line with the thick solution as with the thin one.
The orange-red is never used in painting lines, but only for filling areas, and is therefore always applied with a medium or heavy brush.
In preparing the black ware paint, a slight amount of guaco is added as an adhesive, and the solution is often stirred with the fingers in order to insure complete dissolving of the coloring matter. When first applied to the vessel, this paint is almost transparent; as it dries it becomes yellowish.
The principal precaution taken when painting is begun is to guard against flies. They eat the moist guaco, causing blank spaces in the lines, and also make fly-specks on the slip which turn black in the firing. The room is therefore cleared of flies as far as possible, and great care then exercised to keep the door shut. The painter watches the pot constantly, and often interrupts her work in order to brush a fly from the design. If it is necessary to do the painting out of doors, the services of an assistant are required to wave a cloth back and forth across the top of the vessel to keep the flies away.[46] When the work has been completed the vessels are immediately covered with a cloth.
The receptacle for paint may be either a small open-mouthed pottery bowl or a china sauce-dish. During the painting it is on the right side of the potter within easy reach, either on the floor or on a low stool. In it is always a stirring-stick.
