ceramics

Question 1

ceramic

Answer 1

having to do with clay or glass or making 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 from of clay applied to the surface of a vessel prior to firing. slip fills in pores and gives in 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 peices 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 strands of clay which are laid on trop of each other and joined throught blending coil to coil. coil peices can be almost any shape and size.

Question 7

stoneware

Answer 7

high fire clay. stoneware is waterproof even without glaze; the resulting ware is studier than earthenware.

Question 8

slab

Answer 8

a flattened out peice of clay; you may use a rolling pin or slab roller to acheive a slab of clay. clay slabs are cut to shape and joined together using scoring and wet clay called slip. slabs can be draped over or into forms, rolled around cylinders or built- up into geometric forms. large forms are difficult because of stresses on the seems and because the slab natrully 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 completly dried but not yet fired.

Question 10

greenware

Answer 10

a term used to describe unfired clay objects in genral.

Question 11

bisque ware

Answer 11

clay objects that have been fired for the first time and without any glaze applied to them.

Question 12

glaze ware

Answer 12

bisque ware that has been glazed than fired.

Question 13

fettling knife

Answer 13

is a special knife like tool with a fairly flexible blade for cutting into moist and leather hard clay.

Question 14

loop tool

Answer 14

a special tool with a wooden handle and a wire loop at one or both ends, used for carving and hollowing out clay forms.

Question 15

springing on

Answer 15

a term used to describe the technique of adding small clay forms as decoration on the surface of pottery forms; also called applied decoration

Question 16

incising

Answer 16

is a decoration technique, created by carving lines into the clay or carving small areas out of the clay but not perforating it.

Question 17

element

Answer 17

the heating coils of an electric kiln.

Question 18

footing

Answer 18

the bottom piece that rests upon a surface. there are 2 kinds. raised or flush

Question 19

slip clay

Answer 19

clay in a liquid form

Question 20

bat

Answer 20

a plaster disk or slab for clay work

Question 21

casting

Answer 21

a clay form made from a mold. may also refer to “plaster castings”

Question 22

casting slip

Answer 22

is liquid clay used in the process of forming objects with molds. also referred to as “slip”

Question 23

china

Answer 23

a term which usually refers to the bone china of England, but also is associated with vitreous white wares and porcelain.

Question 24

conditioning coat

Answer 24

is a thin coat of color that will soak into the greenware or bisque ware

Question 25

cone

Answer 25

a mixture of ceramic materials that is designed to soften and bend when proper mixture of time and temperature is reached in the interior of the kiln.

Question 26

cone plaque

Answer 26

is a small clay cone holder used when cones are placed on the shelf of the kiln to stand.

Question 27

cone temperature

Answer 27

is the mixture of time and temperature at which the cone will bend to show the kilns temperature on the shelf.

Question 28

earthenware

Answer 28

a low fire clay body which is fired to maturity at approx. 2000 of.

Question 29

food safe

Answer 29

a product that has been tested and determined to be safe for use on surfaces which come in contact with food or drink.

Question 30

foot

Answer 30

the base or the part of the peice of ceraamic on which it rests.

Question 31

gloss

Answer 31

a shiny glass like finish

Question 32

kiln wash

Answer 32

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

Question 33

leather hard

Answer 33

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

Question 34

matte

Answer 34

a soft finish with little or no shine.

Question 35

opaque

Answer 35

color which does not allow other colors to show through.

Question 36

peep holes

Answer 36

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

Question 37

pin holes

Answer 37

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

Question 38

plasticity

Answer 38

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

Question 39

posts

Answer 39

articles made of refractory material which support kiln shelves during firing.

Question 40

semi matte

Answer 40

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

Question 41

semi opaque

Answer 41

colors which generally allow only dark colors to show through.

Question 42

semi transparent

Answer 42

slightly colored and/or speckled colors which allow most colors to show through with only slight distortions.

Question 43

shelf cone temperature

Answer 43

the cone temperature that is fired on the shelf of a kiln. the amount of heating the ware actually receives.

Question 44

sponge

Answer 44

usually refers to a natural sponge used for cleaning and decorating greenware. there are also synthetic sponges available for ceramics.

Question 45

transparent

Answer 45

clear base colors which are free from cloudiness or distortion.

Question 46

under glaze

Answer 46

a color which is usually applied to greenware and in most cases is covered with a glaze.

Question 47

terra cotta

Answer 47

a brownish-orange earthenware clay body commonly used for ceramics sculpture.

Question 48

kiln

Answer 48

A furnace designed specifically for heating clay to the temperatures necessary to make it permanently hard and stone like. Kilns can be electrical, natural gas, wood, coal , Fuel oil or propane. Material Used to heat the kiln can affect the work: wood ash can build up on the surface of a piece and form a glaze at a high temperatures. Some Potter introduce chemicals into the kiln to influence the effect of firing. Famed Ceramist Beatrice Wood achieved a luster effect by throwing moth balls into the kiln.

Question 49

Firing

Answer 49

Clay is hardened by heating it to the high temperature, fusing the clay particles. Primitive pottery is usually fired on the ground or in pits with whatever flammable material is available.

Question 50

Glaze

Answer 50

Glass- forming chemicals, usually with colorants added, that applied in liquid form to bisque ware and fired in a kiln, form a pleasing, usually glossy coating to the surface of the clay. Glaze can be colored , opaque, translucent or matte.

Question 51

Vent hole

Answer 51

Small holes made by puncturing the wet greenware with a needle tool when two pieces of ware have been attached. These small holes allow the air and gases to escape during firing. Also refers to the peep holes in the side of the kiln.

Question 52

Pinch Pots

Answer 52

Starting with a ball of clay the potter opens a hole into the ball and forms a bowl shape through a combination of stroking and pinching the clay. Many coil-built pieces are constructed on the top of a pinched bottom.

Question 53

Wheel Thrown

Answer 53

The term throw comes from Old English meaning spin. A piece of clay is placed on a potter’s wheel head which spins. The Clay is shaped by compression while it is in motion. Often the potter will use several thrown shapes together to form one piece.