Both the “Climax Kiln” and a new method of polychrome printing—whereby one transfer only is used to impart many colours to the piece of ware to be printed—have been introduced within the last six years by Mr Leonard Grimwade, perhaps the most enterprising potter of recent times. Mr Grimwade has specialized for the Colonial markets, and holds in them much the position held by Meakins in the American trade. His factories are in Hanley and Stoke, adjoining the Stoke Railway Station. An off-shoot of the potting trade which almost amounts to an invention by itself is the manufacture of stilts, spurs and thimbles. These are the small “bits” put between the wares to prevent them sticking together when fired in the saggars, and they used to be made when and as wanted in each separate pot-works. It was Charles Ford of Hanley who, about 1840, first made a special factory for these spurs and stilts. He used metal die-stamps driven by a steam hammer which stamped out stilts by the score at a time. James Gimson followed with the invention of the “thimble.” These conical thimbles fit into and one above each other and have a lug on the rim, so that three pillar-supports are built up on which a whole “nest” of plates can rest while in the oven without touching each other. Stacked in this way, the “bits” make no marks on the face of the plate. Somewhat later Wentworth Buller, a member of the well-known Devon family, started a stilt and spur factory at Bovey Tracy in Devonshire, and, finding the cost of carriage to his market prohibitive, he moved his works about 1865 to Hanley. Here he began in 1866-7 to make telegraph insulators—a new pottery industry. He was joined shortly after by his cousin, Captain Ernest Wentworth Buller, the brother of Sir Redvers and an engineer, who became sole owner in 1869. In 1872 J. T. Harris joined the firm, which is now controlled and carried on by his son, John Harris. Having obtained a foothold in the electrical trade, this firm was naturally called on to do all the early electrical work. Just as they had stamped stilts and spurs so they stamped switches, cut-outs, “roses,” and all manner of electric fittings. In 1896 Captain Buller sold out and retired. The elaborate insulators now used are thrown by hand and then turned and screwed, and nearly half the world’s supply comes from Bullers Limited. A somewhat similar trade was carried on by James Mackintyre and William Woodall, M.P., at Burslem, in the manufacture of furniture fittings. Door plates, door knobs, knobs and buttons of all sorts for the furniture trade are stamped in dies by the score, as are the stilts and spurs. Messrs. Mackintyre are still the chief makers of furniture pottery, though they have by no means a monopoly. Saggars in which ware is packed for firing are also made by the direct pressure of a large die or press upon the plastic marl.