Advantages of this Art.—It possesses many advantages: and the process is simple and easily acquired. It is an exceedingly pleasing and interesting employment, requiring no previous knowledge of drawing, yet affording abundant space for the exercise of the most exquisite taste. The time employed is richly repaid; the results produced are of actual value; articles of ornament and domestic utility being produced, in perfect imitation of the most beautiful Chinese and Japanese porcelain, of Sevres and Dresden china, and of every form that is usual in the productions of the Ceramic Art. It furnishes an inexhaustible and inexpensive source for the production of useful and elegant presents, which will be carefully preserved as tokens of friendship, and as proofs of the taste and talent of the giver.
Articles necessary in the Art of Potichomanie.—Glass vases, (Potiches en verre,) of shapes suitable to the different orders of Chinese, Japanese, Etruscan, and French porcelain, Alumettes, &c.; cups, plates, &c., &c., of Sevres and Dresden design. Sheets of coloured drawings or prints, characteristic representations of the designs or decorations suitable to every kind of porcelain and china. A bottle of liquid gum, and three or four hog-hair brushes. A bottle of varnish, and very fine pointed scissors for cutting out. An assortment of colours for the foundation, in bottles. A packet of gold powder, and a glass vessel for diluting the colours.
Directions.—We will suppose the object selected for imitation to be a Chinese vase. After providing yourself with a plain glass vase, of the proper shape, you take your sheets of coloured prints on which are depicted subjects characteristic of that peculiar style. From these sheets you can select a great variety of designs, of the most varied character, on the arrangement and grouping of which you can exercise your own taste. After you have fully decided upon the arrangement of your drawings, cut them out accurately with a pair of scissors, then apply some liquid gum carefully over the coloured side of the drawings, and stick them on the inside of the vase, according to your own previous arrangement—pressing them down till they adhere closely, without any bubbles of air appearing between the glass and the drawings. When the drawings have had sufficient time to dry, take a fine brush and cover every part of them (without touching the glass) with a coat of parchment size or liquid gum, which prevents the oil colour (which is next applied) from sinking into or becoming absorbed by the paper. When the interior of the vase is perfectly dry, and any particles of gum size that may have been left on the glass have been removed, your vase is ready for the final and most important process. You have now to tint the whole of the vase with a proper colour to give it the appearance of porcelain; for up to this time, you will recollect, it is but a glass vase, with a few coloured prints stuck thereon. Select from your stock of prepared colours, in bottles, the tint most appropriate to the kind of china you are imitating, (as we are now supposed to be making a Chinese vase, it will be of a greenish hue,) mix fully sufficient colour in a glass vessel, then pour the whole into the vase. Take now your vase in both hands, and turn it round continually in the same direction, until the colour is equally spread over the whole of the interior: when this is satisfactorily accomplished, pour back the remainder. If the prepared colour is too thick, add a little varnish to the mixture before applying it. If preferred, the colour may be laid on with a soft brush. Should the vase be intended to hold water, the interior must be well varnished after the above operations, or lined with zinc or tin foil. If the potichomanist wishes to decorate the mouth of his vase with a gold border, he can do so by mixing some gold powder in a few drops of the essence of lavender and some varnish, applying it on the vase with a fine brush; or he can purchase gold bands, already prepared for application, in varied sheets, suitable to the potichomanie designs. Potichomanists have found the art capable of greater results than the mere imitation of porcelain vases, by the introduction of glass panels (previously decorated with beautiful flowers on a white ground) into drawing-room doors, and also into walls which, being panel papered, offer opportunities of introducing centre pieces of the same character as the doors; elegant chess and work-tables, folding and cheval-screens, panels for cabinets, chiffoniers and book-cases, slabs for pier and console-tables, glove-boxes, covers for books, music, albums, &c. The most common cause of failure is, that the drawings inside are not thoroughly pressed down.
560. COLOURING FOR CHEESE
The colouring for cheese is, or at least should be, Spanish arnotto; but as soon as colouring became general in this country, a colour of an adulterated kind was exposed for sale in almost every shop; the weight of a guinea and a half of real Spanish arnotto is sufficient for a cheese of fifty pounds' weight. If a considerable part of the cream of the night's milk be taken for butter, more colouring will be requisite. The leaner the cheese is, the more colouring it requires. The manner of using arnotto is to tie up, in a linen rag, the quantity deemed sufficient, and put into half a pint of warm water over night. This infusion is put into the tub of milk, in the morning, with the rennet infusion; dipping the rag into the milk, and rubbing it against the palm of the hand as long as any colour runs out.
561. TO SHARPEN EDGE TOOLS
Take equal parts of flour of emery and crocus; make into a paste with sweet oil; have now a piece of buck-skin, (hemlock tan,) tack it by each end on a piece of board, with the grain uppermost; then on this spread a little of the paste, and sharpen your tools on it. You will, indeed, be astonished at the effect. Try it.
562. BLUE COMPOSITION FOR DYEING
Take equal parts of vitriol and indigo; powder them very finely, separately, and mix.