Quiz

Question 1

a mineral made up of platelets, a type of inorganic “dirt” formed from the decomposition of stone

Answer 1

clay

Question 2

these clays are found closest to the area in which they formed and are generally the purest

Answer 2

primary

Question 3

these clays are moved by water away from the formation site. these are less pure but generally more plastic

Answer 3

secondary

Question 4

a formulation of clay made for a specific purpose and temperature range. can consist of a mixture of Kaolins, stonewares, ball clays, feldspars, etc.

Answer 4

clay body

Question 5

the property of the material that allows it to be easily formed and retain its shape without breaking. happens due to smaller platelets in a clay and clay which is well aged and thus has gel created by bacteria that lubricates the clay platelets

Answer 5

plasticity

Question 6

the process by which clay is changed into ceramic at high temperatures. takes place inside of a kiln

Answer 6

firing

Question 7

unfired ceramic piece, can still be broken down in water and reclaimed

Answer 7

greenware

Question 8

clay that has been fired once, usually in preparation for glazing. can no longer be reclaimed

Answer 8

bisqueware

Question 9

unfired clay which is no longer soft and pliable, but not yet bone dry. can no longer be molded as drastically as wet clay, but can be more easily carved and attached via slipping and scoring. this is also the best time to apply underglazes

Answer 9

leather hard

Question 10

clay that is completely dry and ready for a kiln firing

Answer 10

bone dry

Question 11

a surface treatment where the surface of the clay is carved into. often the clay is painted with a layer of a different color of slip before this technique is applied

Answer 11

sgraffito

Question 12

an indicator of the temperature of a ceramic firing, made up of clay and glaze materials placed in the kiln to be viewed through a peephole during firing

Answer 12

cone

Question 13

clay suspended in water in a fluid consistency similar to heavy cream. used like glue when attaching wet or leather hard clay together, used with added colorants to color a surface and used with added de-flocculant in casting

Answer 13

slip

Question 14

slips with added colorants used to “paint” the surface of clay and fired on. generally commercial colored slips are referred to as this

Answer 14

underglaze

Question 15

a liquid mixture of colorants, clays, frits, oxides, etc. applied to the surface of a clay which when fired become vitreous and create a glass-like coating on the surface of clay. they are mostly nonporous. they do not generally fire to the same color they appear when applied. they are also more prone to running in the kiln

Answer 15

glaze

Question 16

construction method which consists of rolling out long, cylindrical pieces of clay and slipping and scoring them together, building up in layers and smoothing the surface

Answer 16

coil building

Question 17

construction method where the ceramicist rolls out flat pieces of clay (slabs) and then molds, cuts, and attaches these pieces to form an object

Answer 17

slab building

Question 18

low fire fire clay, terra cotta. remains porous after firing. usually associating with iron red clays but can come in other colors as well.

Answer 18

earthenware

Question 19

high fire, high density clay. usually grey or slightly reddish in color. often has sand or grog for structural support

Answer 19

stoneware

Question 20

white clay bodies, often translucent when high fired. made from kaolins, with a lower plasticity than other clay bodies, often harder to form

Answer 20

porcelain

Question 21

the process by which ceramics becomes dense and hard as particles fuse at increasing temperatures. the point at which clay will be non-porous. firing a clay beyond this point will cause it to melt

Answer 21

vitrification

Question 22

a heavily pigmented slip comprised of small particles of clay which, when applied can create a shiny and extremely smooth surface

Answer 22

terra sigillata

Question 23

materials which have been melted into a glass and ground to be used in glaze formulation

Answer 23

frit

Question 24

usually oxides, these materials can lower the firing temperature of a glaze considerably by lowering its melting point

Answer 24

flux

Question 25

common glass forming oxide used in ceramics, high melting temperature that can be lowered with fluxes. used in clay bodies and glazes

Answer 25

silica

Question 26

naturally occurring minerals derived from rocks, commonly used in both clay bodies and glaze formulas. they work as a flux. they are either potash, soda, or lithium based

Answer 26

feldspar

Question 27

what cone do we bisque fire to in this class?

Answer 27

^08

Question 28

what cone do we fire our glazes to in this class?

Answer 28

^044

Question 29

which are primary clays?

Answer 29

Edgar’s plastic kaolin, china glay

Question 30

which are secondary clays?

Answer 30

ball clay, earthenware