Bali Handicraft Knowledgebase : Ceramic

Product Directory
Furniture
Textiles
Art and Galleries
Handicraft
Gold and Silver
Miscellaneous
Knowledgebase

Terms and Policy
Center
General Terms and Conditions
Cancellation and
Refund Policy
Privacy Policy

Link Exchange
About Us

HANDICRAFT KNOWLEDGEBASE

Bali Ceramic

Ceramic wares have been used as household products and decorations. The process to produce ceramic wares requires the utilization of science and technology. The more advance the technology the more excellent wares produced.

The composition of material and additives, the kiln management, the burning technique, the glazing technique and other aspect, and the process require the support of science and technology.

Indonesia has given abundance of various natural resources, which are scattered in the form of materials erupted from hundreds of volcanoes located from Sabang, North Sumatra to Merauke, East of Irianjaya. Clay is the basic raw material for production. It has a variety of qualities and textures all over the country. Other material includes Aluminum Silicate and other chemicals used in the glazing process

The making of ceramic wares

		We have white clay taken from our good source in Java. The basic material of our ceramic is white clay, which is mixed with water. This mixture should be well blended in order to give dough that is easily modeled into various designs. This blended material is then weighed according to the size and model of the to be produced wares. Entering the artful stage, the potters then shape the ceramic material by hands using traditional rotating wheel. Our artisan skilled women make this process with their own long-preserved technique. The wares produced include plates, vases, cups, pots, ashtrays and many more. The next process is decorating the ceramic wares. The various size and shapes of ceramic products are then decorated by drawing natural features like animals, such as frogs, birds, or insects and plants such as plant leaves or grass on the wares. These features are entirely made with hands. Our handicraftsmen decorate the half-finished ceramics with their best talent. All the wares are then covered with wax so they will not be sticky. The wares are then arranged on the rack so that they are dry. The dry wares contain less water and they are burnt for five hours in the oven at the temperature about 900 degree Celsius. After the drying the wares still bear natural clay color.

In the next process, the unfinished ceramic wares are glazed with chemical solutions. The composition of chemical solution in this glazing process does determine the final appearance of the wares after they are burnt. As a result of our diversified glazing composition, we have various kinds of ceramics with different color ranging from true white to blurred green that we call 'primitive green'. The green look is obtained from copper composition in the glazing. The burning of ceramic making, which is the final process, influences the final color and appearance of the wares. Normally the wares are burnt in 12 hours. The burning temperature is adjusted with the composition used in the glazing process. You may see some of our ware products do not have precise shapes as the factory-made ceramics. This is because our ceramic wares are entirely hand-made products.