From: Gary Tefft / locustent@aol.com
Location: Menomonee Falls, WI
Date: 06 Oct 1998
Time: 23:45:30
No Herman, I measured the wings on some pieces we bought over twenty years ago and I'd have to say that they haven't gotten any smaller over time. I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. Actually, the size of the wings that were applied was indeed reduced in later years. The reason for this (I'm deducing) was economics. The reddish-brown color of the wings was brightened by the use of uranium oxide as a colorant. Uranium is useful in glass and pottery glazes to give a yellow color. It has an advantage over other substances in this purpose in that its boiling point is higher than the firing temperature of stoneware. In lower-firing grades of pottery there are other compounds that produce reliable yellows and oranges, but they are affected by the higher temperatures of stoneware production.
My "Uncle Pink" (Laverne "Pinky" Paulson) worked in the Glaze Lab at the pot shops for four years around 1930. He related that when glaze ingredients were delivered to the Receiving Dock or in larger quantities to the bins in the West end of the factory the packing slips would, by and by, find their way to the Lab for approval. Except, in the case of uranium oxide the Railway Express agent would personally deliver the container (roughly the size of a two-pound can of coffee grounds, but weighing more than an equivalent bulk of lead) to the Lab and wait for the paperwork to be signed before turning over the package. The mineral was that expensive! It seems likely that simple economy caused the factory to reduce the size of the wings as the stoneware business became less lucrative as time went on.
-Gary-