Stephani Stephenson on sat 27 apr 02
Jeff
The process you describe , called 'dust' pressing tiles, has been around
for awhile.
I previously thought this was a recent(i.e. 1950-1970) industrial
technique and was surprised to learn that in 1840 in Great Britain, a
man named Richard Prosser patented this process of making ceramic
buttons from clay dust. Herbert Minton, tile maker, purchased a share of
the patent and began to apply the technology to tile making.
The press, called an encaustic tile press utilized a screw thread and
flywheel which compacted the clay 'dust' between two metal dies .
the water content of the dried clay 'dust' is only a few percent....so
firing and drying took less time and also less fuel.
By 1842 Minton had over 60 tile presses in operation. This,the
application of other industrial production techniques, and increasing
demand for tile revolutionized tile industry in the mid-late 1800s..
In contrast, I believe the RAM press, which presses moist clay, using
plaster air/purged molds in iron casings , came into use in the 1950s.
This is word of mouth . I don't have a printed say-so in front of me, so
if someone knows differently, let me
know! But I found it interesting that the dust press technology
predated the Ram press technology by over a century.
I wonder if anyone on the list uses an iron encaustic press and the
dust press method?
one of the Ram presses Laird uses is a World War 2 metal stamping press
converted over to use for making relief tile.
When I look through some of the current ceramic industry magazines,
even this WWII press looks like a dinosaur from centuries past .The
high tech , automated ceramic production facilities in existence
today....certainly leave me 'in the dust'. Fascinating . like peering
at some future world. Even more curious, is that all levels of
technology, from ancient to hi tech, coexist, concurrently in our
world... every level.
a very informative and well illustrated book on history of tile is
called "The Decorative Tile: in Architecture and Interiors" by Tony
Herbert and Kathryn Huggins, Published by Phaidon Press Limited, London.
Stephani Stephenson
Carlsbad CA
steph@alchemiestudio.com
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