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These were used in the early 1900s to make crocks up to 60 gallon size in the Medalta Potteries factory in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. The metal barrel was fitted with a wooden base, then lined with paper. Then the clay was rolled up the side and surface finished. The barrel was then dropped down into the false floor and the crock removed.

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This is 1937 mechanical drawing of a 1-gallon Medalta crock lid. Medalta Potteries manufactured crocks, on a large scale, from the 1920s on. In this example, I first imported the drawing as a canvas into Fusion 360, sized it and then positioned it so the center of the knob was at the origin point. I then traced the lid outline to create a sketch. Finally, I revolved that sketch to create the 3D lid. This was part of a project to enable a potter to make lids to fit the old crocks.
| Glossary |
Stoneware
To potters, stonewares are simply high temperature, non-white bodies fired to sufficient density to make functional ware that is strong and durable. |
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