Steel Transfer Plate for Mauchline Ware

In producing Mauchline Ware, the wooden object was first treated with two or three coats of shellac.   A print of the illustration to be applied (an engraving in the early days) was made on ‘Japanese’ paper, which was sufficiently strong to allow the print to be applied to the wood but delicate enough to be easily sponged off once the ink had dried.   Before the transfer was applied to the wood, the print of the engraving was varnished. It was then placed on the object with the ink side down and left to dry, a process that took about two hours. The print was then sponged and the transfer paper rubbed off with a damp cloth. The decorated object was then finished with up to twelve coats of a slow drying yet durable copal varnish. The entire finishing process took from six to twelve weeks.   The transfer designs on this plate are scenes of towns in the south of England.