Tools & Materials
What tool should you use to sign your name on the bottom of your piece?
Pencil
Where does clay come from?
The areas in the ground where water has collected.
What must you do to bisque-fired clay (bisqueware) before you glaze it?
Wipe it with a damp sponge.
What are the first two steps you must do to connect two pieces of clay together?
Slip and Score
Why do we wet clean?
To heavy the dust so it does not become airborne and get into our lungs and eyes.
When cleaning your glaze brushes, what do you need to use?
Soap and water
What is the process of removing air bubbles from clay?
Wedging
Typically, how far up the walls of your piece do you have to dryfoot?
1/4"
What is the goal thickness for walls?
1/4" (pencil width)
What is the first firing called?
Bisque fire
What tool can help you smooth hard to reach areas (like the joint of your handle)? (hint- not a wood modeling tool)
A damp paint brush
What stage of clay does a handle need to be in before it can be attached?
Leather Hard
What brush works best with Potter's Choice Glazes?
Oval Wash Brush (Big Fluffy Black Hair)
What is the most efficient way to make a coil so you do not overwork the clay and crack it?
squeezing then rolling
List three reasons why clay can blow up.
-Did not vent air pockets
-Air in the walls
-Too wet
-Walls are too thick (air or water inside)
What is the name of the silicone tool which can help you compress and smooth surfaces (it comes in five different colors)?
Rib
What stage of clay can not be reclaimed?
Bisqueware (has been fired)
What will happen if you do not dry foot your work?
Glaze will run and your piece will get stuck to the kiln shelf.
If you are making a pinch mug and your mug is turning into a bowl, what are you doing wrong?
Applying too much pressure outward, not pinching up.
If your handle cracked after you attached it, what does this mean?
What tool is NOT good for carving?
(Hint: it makes a lot of burrs)
Needle Tool
What are the small bits of pre-fired clay in the clay called?
Grog
If your glaze bubbled after you fired it, what does that mean?
Glaze was too thick
Why do we create a raised foot on mugs?
To raise the hot clay off the surface.
How do you know that a piece is bone dry?
The surface is chalky and the piece is no longer cool. (will accept either)