Ceramic Vocab Flashcards
Clay
Formed of decomposed granite and organic material
Particles are flat hexagonal sheets that slide together
Clay body
Combination of clay materials designed to melt at a desired temperature and to have specific working qualities
Earthenware
Low fires clay body
Often brown/red in color and slightly porous
Stoneware
Higher firing clay body in which the body becomes vitrified and dense
What we used this semester
Come 06 or 2200F
Grog
Ground up fired clay added to clay bodies to reduce shrinkage and add strength
Wedging
Kneading the clay body to align the particles
Make homogenous body
Eliminate air pockets
Bone dry
Clay that’s lost its surface water and is ready to be fired
Leather hard
Clay is stiff enough to hold its shape but wet enough to be joined together
Clay hasn’t changed color
Slip
Suspension of clay and water used to alter the color of the surface
Clay slip is also used to cast shapes into molds
Sgrafitto
A decorative technique of scratching into the clay body often done through a layer of slip to reveal the clay body underneath
Mishima
Inlay technique where a design is cut out of the clay body and filled in with slip
Stenciling
A technique of applying slip over a stencil to create a pattern or design
Slip trailing
Applying slip through a syringe to create raised areas of decoration
Glaze
Finely ground pieces of glass and other chemicals into a liquid suspension, applied to work, and then fired until melted
Pyrometric cones
Small pyramids of ceramic materials formulated to bend and melt at designated temp
A cone marked with “0” in front of the number is read as a negative #
010 fires at a lower temp than 08
Chemical water
Water that’s chemically combined in the molecular of clay and glazes
At approx. 600C this evaporated and the clay can’t be slaked down into workable clay after this
Overglaze
Decoration applied to a raw glazed surface
Mixing stains with oxides with a flux
Applied to a glazed fired piece and decided at low temperatures
Oxidation firing
Firing where there is plenty of oxygen, creating a bright surface
Reduction firing
A firing in which the kiln is starved of oxygen creating arrange of effects to the clay/glaze
Darker clay body and copper turns to red
Earthier turns
Kiln wash
Protective coating applied to the surface of the kiln shelves to prevent excess glazed from fusing the wave to the shelves
Dry foot
Springing bottom off before firing
