Clay Terms and Processes

Preparing Clay Wedging – a process of clearing air bubbles out of clay by slamming it on a hard surface Kneading - a process of removing the air bubbles from clay by kneading it like dough for bread

Methods of hand-building Coil – a process of building ceramics by rolling clay out into long ropes and coiling it around a flat base

Methods of hand-building Pinching – a process of creating ceramics by taking a ball of clay and creating a hole in the middle, then pinching it around between finger and thumb to create the shape you like

Methods of hand-building Slab – ceramics created by rolling out thick, flat slabs of clay, then constructing them into 3-D forms

The pottery wheel Wheel – the spinning machine that is used to create radial-balanced structures with clay Throwing – the process of building a structure on the pottery wheel

Once the clay is dry… Kiln – a furnace for firing ceramic Firing – the heating of clay or glaze to a specific temperature Glaze – a glassy coating that bonds to ceramic surfaces by heat; this is essentially “paint” for ceramics and adds color to them

Conditions of clay Greenware – unfired clay object

Conditions of clay Leather hard – raw clay when most of the moisture is out but it is still soft enough to carve or adjoin to other pieces

Conditions of clay Bone-dry – unfired clay with no absorbed moisture

Conditions of clay Bisque – clay that is fired once, but unglazed

Conditions of clay Glaze ware – clay that has been glazed and re-fired

Other important terms Slip – clay mixed with water to use as “glue” for your separate clay pieces Score – cutting small notches into the part of the clay which you are going to “slip” in order to create a good, solid hold between pieces