Stages of Clay
This is the stage of unfired clay where it is the MOST fragile.
What is bone-dry?
This is formed by the decomposition of rock through the action of weathering
What is clay?
The process used to attach two pieces of clay.
What is slipping and scoring?
This is the "oven" used to fire the clay.
What is a kiln?
Why can you not glaze the bottom of a piece?
When the glaze melts in the kiln, it will fuse the piece directly to the kiln shelf, making it impossible to remove without damaging either the piece or the shelf
Clay that has been fired one time is referred to as this.
What is bisqueware?
The "paint" made of colorants and glass used to finish ceramic pieces.
What is glaze?
Clay is rolled out into flat pieces, that are an even and consistent in thickness, and are then cut, scored, and slipped and joined together
What is slab rolling?
These two tools are used to make a piece of clay flat.
What are a rolling pin and slats
This is the process of re-soaking dry clay, then letting it dry out again to become useable clay.
What is recycling?
Unfired clay that has been shaped but not yet fired.
What is greenware?
This is a very watery version of clay that is used for patching, smoothing, and attaching pieces of clay.
What is slip?
An ancient hand building method in which walls are constructed with rolled, rope-like pieces of clay
What is coiling?
This tool is used to slice big pieces of clay off from a larger chunk
What is a wire tool?
When you "cook" clay in the kiln, it is called this.
What is firing?
Wet, workable stage of clay that is easy to mold.
What is plastic?
What do you need to add to a ceramic piece to make it food safe?
What is glaze?
Kneading the clay with fingers and the heel of hands in a rocking spiral motion. Forces out trapped air pockets and helps to distribute moisture evenly throughout the clay
What is wedging?
This tool is used for scoring slabs and coils when you're hand-building pieces. Or for carving intricate designs into leatherhard clay.
What is a needle tool?
Why can clay not be recycled after it has been fired once?
The chemical composition has changed.
Stiff and will hold its shape, best stage to carve into.
What is leatherhard?
This tool allows artists to access all sides of a ceramic piece while it's being worked on.
What is a banding wheel?
The most simple hand building technique
What is pinching?
This tool is usually made of wood, rubber, or metal, these tools are used to smooth wet and soft leather-hard greenware.
What are ribs?
How can you prevent clay projects from exploding in the firing?
Always wedge clay, hollow out solid pieces, make sure clay is no thicker than your thumb, make sure clay is completely dry before putting it in the kiln, put a small hole in hollowed objects