Vocabulary Flashcards
Ceramic
Having to do with clay or glass or the making of objects from clay or glass.
Slip
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.
Score
to draw or make lines into clay
Slip/Score Technique
method used in hand building to connect two pieces of clay
Wedging
Is the process of kneading the clay so as to remove air pockets and create uniform consistency of clay.
Coil Method
One of the oldest ways of forming pottery. Long strands 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.
Stoneware
high-fire clay. Stoneware is waterproof even without glaze; the resulting ware is sturdier than earthenware.
Slab
a flattened out piece of clay.
Bone Dry
Clay that is completely dried but not yet fired
Greenware
A term used to describe un-fired clay objects in general
Bisque Ware
Clay objects that have been fired for the first time and without any glaze applied to them
Glaze Ware
bisque ware that has been glazed then fired
Fettling Knife
Is a special knife-like tool with a fairly flexible blade for cutting into moist and leather-hard clay
Loop Tool
A special tool with a wooden handle and a wire loop at one or both ends
Sprigging-On
A term used to describe the technique of adding small clay forms as decoration on the surface of pottery forms; also called applied decoration.
Incising
Is a decoration technique, created by carving lines into the clay or carving small areas out of the clay but not perforating it
Kiln
A furnace designed specifically for heating clay to the temperatures necessary to make it permanently hard and stone-like.
Element
The heating coils of an electric kiln. (Tired or burned-out elements refer to elements which carry too little or no electrical current for producing heat).
Firing
Clay is hardened by heating it to a high temperature, fusing clay particles.
Glaze
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. (It can be colored, opaque, translucent, or matte).
Slip Clay
Clay in liquid form
Bat
A plaster disk or slab for clay work
Casting
A clay form made from a mold (may also be called “plaster castings”
Casting Slip
Is liquid clay used in the process of forming objects with molds. Also called “slip”
China
A term which usually refers to the bone china of England, but also is associated with vitreous white wares and porcelain.
Conditioning Coat (glaze or under-glaze)
Is a thin coat of color that will soak into the green ware or bisque ware
Cone
A mixture of ceramic materials that is designed to soften and bend when the proper mixture of time and temperature is reached in the interior of the kiln.
Cone Plaque
A small clay cone holder used when cones are placed on the shelf of the kiln to stand