What Not to Wear (True/False)
Clay Care
Stages of Clay
The Firing Process
Clay Clean Up
100

Be sure to wear your jackets, coats, scarves, and gloves while working with clay.

FALSE. All jackets, coats, scarves, and gloves should either be placed on the back of your chair or at the back of the room.

100
Clay must be kept _________ in order to keep it malleable (meaning it can be molded). 

Moist/Wet

100

New clay (out of the bag) must be __________ before it can be used. This technique destroys air bubbles in the clay.

Wedged

100

True or False?
Bisque fired clay is ready to be glazed (or painted with color).

TRUE

100

True or False?
The first thing you should put away during clean up time is your apron.

FALSE. Put away your apron last. Clean up can get messy!

200

Always put on an apron before working with clay.

TRUE. Aprons will protect your clothing from wet clay, dust, and dirty water.

200
While working with clay, if you begin to see __________, use a wet finger to smooth out the spot and add moisture.

Cracks

200

Wet/Plastic is the first stage of clay.
During this stage, is clay COLD or WARM to the touch?

Cold.

Clay that is cold cannot be fired. This included wet/plastic clay and leather-hard clay.

200

Fresh clay must be wedged to avoid air bubbles. Air bubbles will expand in the clay while it is being fired and will cause an ____________ in the kiln.

Explosion

200

If it is time to clean up and you need to work on your project further, your piece needs to be sprayed with a little ______ and wrapped in a _________ bag.

Water, Plastic.
If your clay is not kept moist in an airtight bag, it will begin to dry. Once your clay is bone dry you can no longer manipulate it and will have to begin your project again.

300

It is okay to wear long sleeves to art class on 'clay days'.

TRUE. However, long sleeves should be rolled up to keep them from getting dirty.

300

____ _____ can be harmful to breathe. Avoid clapping your hands or blowing air onto surfaces where clay is being used.

Clay dust

300

True or False?
Wet/Plastic clay can be fired as soon as it has been molded into shape.

FALSE

300

True or False?
Students are allowed in the kiln room.

FALSE. Unless they have specific instruction from Mrs. B to enter.

300

When cleaning your table, hands, and tools throw dried clay bits in the __________.

Garbage
This helps to avoid clogging the sink. Absolutely no clay can be dumped down the drain. If it is still moist and usable it goes in the clay bucket. If its dried up in the garbage.

400

A respirator (air filtering mask) must be worn while working with clay.

FALSE. However, you do want to wear a respirator if you are ever mixing glazes because their dust can be toxic.

400

True or False?
Students can keep any extra clay that they do not use.

False

Any clay that is not used in a project should be kept moist and returned to the large clay bucket.

400

Bone dry is the second stage of clay, and has dried for several ______. It cannot be further adjusted.

Days

400

True or False?
After a ceramics project is completed, it must go through only one kiln firing process.

FALSE. After a ceramics project has been bisque fired, if it is glazed it must be fired once more to complete the glazing process.

400

True or False?
Each student at the table must help their table clean up at clean up time.

TRUE. Failure to do so will result in loss of participation points.
500

Clay that gets on your clothes can be washed out.

TRUE. If you get any clay or slip on your clothing, wait until it has dried and then it can be easily dusted off. For larger amounts of clay that have been smudged into the clothes, they can be washed at home.

500

Clay dust contains silica, which is harmful to breathe. ___________ is lung fibrosis caused by the inhalation of dust containing silica.

Silicosis

500

Bisque fired is the final stage of clay. You can tell a ceramic piece is bisque fired because it has changed in _________.

Color

500

True or false?
After a ceramic piece has been bisque fired, if a part breaks off it can be reapplied and fired again to fix it.

FALSE. Long, thin parts are susceptible to breaking and cannot be reapplied if broken after the piece has been fired.

500

Before any student can leave class after clean up, every table must be _________, and all tools, projects, and extra clay must be put away.

Washed.
Use a sponge, paper towel or wash rag that has been rung out to wipe down your table. Each table has soap and water already on it.