Clay Vocabulary

There will be an upcoming quiz over the following terms:

Slip – A mixture of mostly water and clay.

Plastic Stage – When clay is very soft and stretches without cracking.

Leatherhard Stage – The best stage to attach pieces of clay together- the clay is firm, but carvable.

Greenware Stage – Also known as “bone-dry”; clay cannot be worked at this point.

Bisqueware – clay has been fired once. It has been permanently changed and cannot be reclaimed. This stage is when you apply glaze.

Glazeware – After the clay has been fired the second time and the glaze has turned to a finish.

Glaze – This is applied to a piece of bisqueware and then fired to create a glossy or smooth surface to a ceramic piece.

Kiln – A piece of equipment that is used to heat clay to a high temperature; the clay becomes very strong and permanently changed from the heat.

Wedging – similar to kneading dough; this process works out air bubbles and creates a consistent clay body. It can also be used to remove excess moisture from clay.

Scoring/Slipping – This technique is used to attach two pieces of clay together. First you scratch each piece of clay where they will connect, then you apply this liquid clay solution to ensure the pieces stay together.

Coil method– A way of handbuilding that involves rolling out thin long pieces of clay and spiraling them up to form a vessel.

Pinch method – a way of handbuilding that involves gently and continuously pressing your thumb on the inside of a ball of clay with your fingers cupped around the outside.

Slab method- a method of handbuilding that can be done with a rolling pin; you roll out thin sheets of  clay and cut them into sections to create sections of the vessel.

Potters Wheel – a device used to create clay pots that can spin at very high speeds.

Bat – A wooden or plastic disc or square that clay is placed on while working on a project.

Reclaim – the process of taking unwanted greenware, slip, and very dry clay and returning it to a consistent plastic stage clay body.