Tools and Raw Materials

Design Resource

Blue Pottery - Jaipur, Rajasthan

Eye-Catching Blue Colored Pottery

Prof. Bibhudutta Baral

NID, Bengaluru

Tools and Raw Materials

The tools that are used in blue pottery are:

• Molds	- Molds of desired designs and shapes are made of Plaster of Paris (POP) and used.
• Knife	- Knife is used to cut the excess dough and remove unwanted dough after casting.
• Potter’s Wheel	- Potter wheel is used to attach the base.
• Sandpaper	- Sand paper of different grains is used to smoothen the surface of product; generally artists use grit of 60, 100 and 180 numbers.
• Broom	- A small broom made of husk is used to brush off the dust.
• Brushes	- Various numbers from small size to medium-sized brushes are used to draw and fill in colors by the artisans.
• Heating Kiln	- To dry the products heating kiln is used, (kiln is in circular shape to trap the heat evenly and cemented plates are used on which the products are kept, these plates are separated by terracotta stands. The kiln is closed from top and fired from below).
• Flattening Tool	- A tool with flat base is used to flatten the dough.

The raw materials that are needed in the making of blue pottery are got from the local market and are as follows:

• Quartz Stone	- Quartz is procured from nearby place. Quartz is white in color, one of the main raw materials, so it is bought in bulk.
• Glass	- Scrap or broken pieces of glass (cullet) is used. The glass is first washed and then powdered to fine particles. It is sieved through cotton cloth to avoid big particles.
• Katira Gond	- An edible gum something that of resin. Adhesive that is available in big pieces are grinded later using a grinding stone, bigger particles are removed by sieving.
• Multani Mitti (Fuller’s Earth)	- It is available in solid lumps, which can be grounded later to fine powder and used.
• Saaji	- It is an edible soda available in the market.
• Maida (Flour)	- Maida acts as an adhesive and sometimes used as substitute in the place of multani mitti.

Colors:
Two main colors that are used in blue pottery are:
• Oxide and
• Ferro colors

The dominant colors used in Blue Pottery are:
• Dark Blue 
• Light Blue 
• Green 
• Bright Yellow is obtained from Cadmium Oxide 
• Brown – obtained from Ferro colors

Burnt Wood Dust:
Burnt wood dust is used to give exact shape to the product when it is in a mold. It is non-sticky and can be easily brushed off once the product dries.

Wood:
For-firing purposes locally available wood is used.

Other ingredients used are:
Charcoal, Water, Borax powder, Zinc Oxide, Potassium nitrate, and Boric acid.