’10-11 School Year
Ceramics Vocabulary
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
56.
57.
58.
Kneading: the eastern method of mixing clay.
Shrinkage: size reduction caused by evaporation.
Ball Clay: very plastic found in swamp area mixed with organic matter.
Slip: the first stage of clay, thinned with water.
Kaolin: primary, non-plastic, white clay.
Primary Clay: initial clay found in the earth.
Clay: 60% silica, 15% alumna a mixture of organic & inorganic.
Pinch method: using ones thumb & fingers to press clay into a form.
Grog: crushed bisque ware added to clay to prevent cracking during drying.
Wedging: mixing to remove unwanted air pockets & create on even consistency.
Transparent: the ability to the clay through the clay.
Opacifier: with a glaze covers the clay light does not penetrate the glass surface.
Matt: the surface, which is not yet shinny but flat in appearance.
Glaze: a glass like coating used to seal & protect.
Glaze fire: ceramic work removed from the kiln with a shine coating.
Bisque: the stage of clay after it has been fired one time.
Leather hard: partially dried clay it can be carved.
Green ware: dried clay not yet fired.
Under glaze: colored decoration applied to clay like paint that fires flat.
Plasticity: one stage of clay, which is workable it can bend without cracking.
Translucency: the ability to see through glaze
Flange: To make a close fit & prevent the cover from falling off
Guide sticks: sticks to help the straight cutting of slabs
Slab: an even thickness shape of clay
Warp: distortion of a clay shaped caused by uneven stresses during shaping drying or firing
Foot: a depression in the base of a clay pot keep it stable during firing
Patch Method: a type of coil construction using flat bands of clay
Thumbnail sketches: series of drawings created to formulate ideas
Extrude: creating a shape like a coil by pushing it through a die
Texture: the surface of an object
Asymmetrical: an object whose sides are different
symmetrical: a form which is the same on each side
Organic Form: a shape free of formula design it is symmetrical
Template: a pattern used to form a pot so it is symmetrical
Coil Construction: the use of bands of clay to create ceramic pots
Blebbing: are caused from improper kneading, raised bumps on the surface of the ware.
Bloating: looks like blebbing but caused by insufficient oxygen in the kiln.
Crazing: appearance of cracks all over the glaze fired ware, caused by equal contraction between the clay and
glaze.
Crawling: also known as beading, areas of the clay left bare caused by contraction of the glaze.
Peeling: when glazes have been applied to heavy or have not been washed prior to glaze being applied.
Bubbles: when glaze is fired too rapidly, gasses try to escape yet get trapped in the glaze.
Blistering: known as cratering, small holes pop and sharp edges are on the surface of the glaze.
Running: glazes that slide down the surface of the ware, caused by glaze being applied too thick.
Matt Glaze: a fully matured glaze that is smooth but without gloss.
Kiln Furniture: equipment that is used in the kiln to hold ware during firing.
Stacking the Kiln: efficiently loading the kiln with the maximum amount of ware.
Electric Kiln: a furnace used for firing ceramic wares and sculpture, the easiest of all types in regulating the temp.
Bisque ware: the stage of clay after it has been fired one time.
Cracks: also known as exploding, these are caused by rapid water removal when firing.
Shrinkage cracks: this occurs in tall ware when the kiln is not heated evenly.
Centering: the most important and second step in throwing.
Slip casting: pouring watered down clay into a mold.
Wheel: where you throw clay pots.
Mold: used to create the same ceramic object several times.
Collaring: to make a thrown pot narrower.
Plasticine: an oil based clay it never dries nor hardens
Trimming: cutting the top of a pot with a pin tool.
Pulling: to make a thrown pot taller.
’10-11 School Year
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
Weld: to join two slabs of clay together.
Bag form: slabs of clay wrapped around newspaper.
Bone dry: the lack of moisture, green-ware.
Sgrafitto: scratching through an added surface to see the clay below.
Score: to scratch the surface of clay for welding.
Drape Mold: laying a slab of clay over an object to create a pot.
Bat: used to remove a pot from the wheel without touching it.
Press mold: pushing plastic clay into a plaster mold to create an object.
Case mold: created by using a previously used mold.
Pattern: initial object created to make your mold.
Bevel: to cut at an angle.
Deflocculant: an electrolyte that allows the clay particles to float in slip, used in slip casting.
Moisturizing oil: a barrier between the mold and the plaster, which allows the plaster to be removed easily.
Foot ring: a ring the thickness of the wall of the pot and ¼- 1/2 “ deep.
Throwing: Creating a ceramic pot using the wheel.
Throwing off the Hump: Process of making a pot off the top portion of clay on the wheel.
Pot Lifters: Used to take a piece off the wheel.
Cylinder: The 5th step in throwing a pot with even sides.
Plaster: white powder made of gypsum, used for making ceramic molds.
Piece Mold: a hollow or negative container that consists of at least two pieces, which can be removed without
damaging the cast or mold.
79. Slip Casting: the process of pouring slip into a mold to create a hollow positive object.
80. Pouring Slip: filling the mold with slip, when the clays thickness is 1/4 th inch thick pouring the excess slip out.
81. Incising- cutting through the clay or cutting away a portion of the clay to see through the clay area (it is a hole)
82. Burnishing- polishing the clay with a smooth metal tool (the back of a spoon) to polish the clay- left at the bisque
ware.
83. Piercing- also known as Incising!