ceramic vocabulary

Question 1

ceramic

Answer 1

Having to do with clay or glass or the of objects from clay or glass

Question 2

slip

Answer 2

clay that has been watered down ; acts as glue in slip/score technique . Slip a fine, liquid form of clay applied to the surface of a vessel prior to firing .l Slip fills in pores and give uniform color.

Question 3

score

Answer 3

to draw or make lines into clay

Question 4

slip/score technique

Answer 4

method used in hand building to connect two pieces of clay together.

Question 5

wedging

Answer 5

is the process of kneading the clay so as to remove air pockets and create uniform consistency of clay.

Question 6

coil method

Answer 6

one of the oldest ways of forming pottery. Long starnds of clay which are laid on top of each other and joined through blending coil to coil. Coil pieces can be almost any shape and any size.

Question 7

stoneware

Answer 7

high-fire clay. Stoneware is waterproof even without glaze; the resulting ware is sturdier than earthenware

Question 8

slab

Answer 8

a flatten out piece of clay; you may use a rolling pin or slab roller to achieve a slab of clay. Clay slabs are cut to shape and joined together using scoring and wet clay called slip. Slaps can be draped over or into forms, rolled around cylinder or bulit-up into geometric forms. Large forms are difficult because of stresses on the seams and beacuse the slab naturally sags. Some potters get around this by working fibers into the clay body. The fibers burn out during the firing , leaving a network of tiny holes

Question 9

bone dry

Answer 9

clay that is completely dried but not yet fired

Question 10

foot

Answer 10

the base or the part of the peice of ceramic on which it rests

Question 11

gloss

Answer 11

a shiny, glass-like finish

Question 12

kiln wash

Answer 12

the refractory coating applied to the top of the kiln shelves to protect them from glaze glaze drips.

Question 13

leather-hard

Answer 13

greenware that is allowed to become firm but still retains its wet look

Question 14

matte

Answer 14

a soft finish with little or no shine

Question 15

opaque

Answer 15

color which does not allow other colors to show through

Question 16

peep holes

Answer 16

small holes in the side of a kiln used for veiwing shelf cones and ventilating the kiln during the firing process

Question 17

pin holes

Answer 17

tiny holes in the final surface finish of a glaze or underglaze

Question 18

plasticity

Answer 18

refers to the ability of clay to be formed into a shaoe and retain it

Question 19

posts

Answer 19

articles made of the refracatory materail which support kiln shelves during firing

Question 20

semi-matte

Answer 20

a satin-like surface which has a slight sheen to it