Two-Part Soap Dish: a Studded, Drained Tray on a Scallop-Edged Base That Lets Air Under the Soap (Conkling, 1901)

"A circulation of air is thus established through the spaces at the edges of the lower part, thence through the drain-openings in the outer or upper part to and around the soap, which soon dries the same after use."

Roll a slab of stoneware clay about 6 mm thick (ours). Cut the tray's bottom and a strip for its retaining wall, score and slip the joins and join them. Roll small balls, flatten them slightly and join them to the bottom inside as his rounded studs A2. Pierce drain holes A3 between the studs with a tool.

Join a narrow strip round the underside of the tray, a little in from its edge, so it hangs down as his flange A4 and will sit over the lower part's rim.

Make a shallow dish of the same outline, sized so its rim fits inside the tray's flange. Cut scallops into the top of its rim, his B', so there are gaps for air when the tray sits on it.

Let both parts dry slowly under loose cover, fire them to bisque, dip them in glaze with tongs (wipe the glaze off the rim and flange where they touch the kiln shelf), and glaze-fire them, both as the clay and glaze makers specify.

Set the tray on the lower part with the flange over the rim. Water from the soap drains through the holes into the lower part; lift the tray off to empty and clean it.

**Allen Conkling** of Chicago, US 679,110, dated 23 July 1901, filed 7 March 1901. He claimed "a soap-dish formed of two parts, the upper part forming a supporting-tray having a retaining-wall, perforated bottom and studs above the same, and a retaining-flange extending downward from the bottom of said upper part to fit the upper edge of the lower part, and a lower part having an upper edge scalloped". He made the parts to be molded and names no material; the stoneware, slab-building, glaze, firing and all sizes are ours.