Ceramics: Key Terms and Processes for Pottery Students

Leather Hard

between plastic and bone dry. Firm enough to hold shape but still workable

Green Ware/Bone Dry

Unfired pottery that's completely air dry, very fragile.

Bisque Ware

Fired once, and is hardened. Changed color ready for glazing and last firing

Stone Ware

Fired between 2,100 - 2,300 degrees. Clay's been fired TWICE. Is complete.

Slab

Pressed or rolled flat sections of clay used in hand building. Always leather hard

Slip

Clay mixed with water.

Grog

Fired clay ground into fine sand and mixed with new clay. Gives extra support to loose clay when throwing. Can have white specks when fired.

Plasticity

The quality of clay which allows it to be manipulated into different shapes w/o cracking or breaking

Bat

flat disc used to support clay

Rib Tool

wood or plastic or clay tool used to even clay

Callipers

Used to get the diameter of round forms. Ex. Used to get lids to fit right

Potters Wheel

Device either foot or electric used to throw clay

Pug Mill

A machine for mixing clay and recycling clay

Wedging

Kneading clay to make it homogenous by cutting and rolling

Scoring/Slipping

Joining two pieces of clay together by scratching the clay then adding slip

Centering

Technique to make the clay centered and even on the wheel

Coil

piece of clay rolled like rope

Mold

A plaster shape designed to pour slip into and let dry into the shape of the mold

Composite/Combo pot

Pots that were thrown or hand built in separate pieces then assembled

Throwing

The process of making ceramic shapes on a wheel

Raku

the japanese term for enjoyment. Firing pottery within 45 min to an hour then shortly after placed into a bin of leaves or sawdust

Bisque Fire

First firing of green ware/bone dry clay W/O glaze

High Fire

Second firing of bisque ware / bisqued clay, WITH glaze

Underglaze

A flat color added to greenware before a bisque ware for decoration

Glaze

Thin coating of glass and colored chemicals after bisque ware before high fire. Changes color through chemical reaction

Dry footing

Keeping the foot/bottom of the pot free from glaze

Firing

to heat a clay object in a kiln

Kiln

furnace made of bricks for firing pottery

Kiln furniture

Shelves used for stacking pottery in the kiln for firing