Polish Pottery Factory Tour!

We were very fortunate to be given permission (and a translator) to tour a Polish pottery factory in Boleslawiec. This was an incredible experience. If possible, we came to love our own pottery collections even more! An astonishing number of hands touch each piece of pottery before it reaches store shelves. This may surprise you, because you’ve probably heard that the pottery is hand-made and hand-painted, but you also know that it is made in a factory. To Americans this means mass production and quick fabrication, right? In the case of Polish pottery, that is WRONG! While we are far from experts in the process, and do not imply that below is an accurate and technical recount of pottery manufacture, below is some of the info we took away from the tour.

If you own any Polish pottery (lucky you!) get any 2 plates, or 2 cups, or 2 bowls - and set them side by side for examination. They are not perfectly round, nor are they even exactly alike. If made in a factory, why not identical? Well, the factory mainly blends the ingredients to make the clay, and provides a consistent and efficient work environment to decorate and complete the pieces. Boleslawiec is blessed with large deposits of a very fine grade of clay called Kaolin which makes very hard, durable stoneware (also used to make fine porcelain). The raw materials come from local quarries and are trucked to the factory. To the right is the “rocky start” of your tableware. Ingredients are shoveled into this spinning crusher, sorter to begin the clay-making process.
Water is added to create a liquid substance. Excess water must be removed, in this accordion-like “press” (pictured above) which is an accordion-like affair.	Another machine is used to further blend the liquid clay. At the right end of this green machine (below), you can see a block of clay ready to be used to begin a piece of stoneware.

Pieces are made in different ways. Molds must be manufactured for pitchers, cups, anything “hollow.” These molds can only be used for a few months, then new ones created. Plates are made on a different type of machine (right). This was a surprise to me! The lump of clay is plopped down on the potter’s wheel. The blade is dropped down on the spinning pottery, and the plate is formed by removing excess clay. The remaining pottery is a (nearly) perfect plate and is put aside to dry. When ready, each piece of pottery is cleaned (below left) and readied for firing. I think the purpose of the 1^st firing (at a lower heat) is to “fix” the clay so that the bisquit can be layered on top. The biscuit is the finest, whitest clay upon which the decoration is painted, and the glaze applied. I am not positive whether the biscuit is applied before, or after the first firing (below right).

After the first firing, the “fun” starts. It’s time to decorate each piece. Traditional stamping methods are used, though today high-tech sponges are used instead of the original tool – potatoes! Many pieces, especially those marked “Unikat” have a great deal of hand-painting done, with brushes. Each artist goes through a period of training to develop their talent and techniques. The pink color you see on the bowl being decorated will end up being that lovely cobalt blue – the trademark color in most Polish pottery. Once the artist is finished with the design, the piece gets a dip in the glazing vat and has a period of drying time. If you turn a piece of your pottery over, you’ll notice that there is an area which is unglazed on each piece. This is so that any remaining excess water can exit the pottery during the final firing. If the water couldn’t excape, the piece might explode in the kiln!

And so, for the next 20 or so hours, the pottery takes a slow journey through the kiln on a conveyor belt. How exciting to walk the length of the kiln and see our order finished and beautiful at the other end! Temperatures inside the kiln reach more than 1200 degrees C, which is why Polish pottery is so durable and functional. After its traumatic “birth” from this inferno, no wonder it can go from freezer to (cold) oven or microwave, to table, and then for cleanup in your dishwasher. This pottery was still hot to the touch and had to cool down before being sorted and packed in boxes for our customers! Hopefully, you enjoyed reading about how your pottery is made. You are truly enjoying a work of art, lovingly hand-crafted each time you sit down to a meal on your very own pottery collection. It deserves the place of pride it occupies – on display in your home! Return to The Polish Pottery Shop Return to Wine Road Collectibles – European Gifts, Antiques, Collectibles Index Page E:mail Teresa Munn Check out our List of Distributors to find a source of pottery near you