Ceramics Vocabulary

Across

5. Reaching the temperature that produces the most serviceable degree of hardiness.
6. The surface quality of a work.
8. process for creating pottery using a liquid clay body slip that is poured into plaster molds and allowed to form a layer, the cast, on the inside walls of the mold.
10. The top edge of a ceramic vessel.
15. process of creating pottery on a potter’s wheel.
17. Any object pressed or rolled into clay to create a texture or design.
21. All clay objects shrink while drying and again while firing. Fired clay can lose up to 20% of its original size.
24. Anything made from clay that has not been fired in a kiln.
25. Raised surface design on a clay piece
26. process of smoothing the outer edge of green-ware.
28. The base of a vessel. Also, the edge of the base that keeps the bottom of the vessel off the surface of a table, etc.
30. A rotating platform on which work may be turned.
33. Unintentional fissures or cracks that form in a glaze. This is caused by the glaze shrinking more than the clay during the cooling process.
36. The process of kneading and rolling clay to remove air pockets, stretch silicone modules, and make clay smooth and consistent.
37. stage: Moist and elastic to the touch; clay that is easily manipulated.
38. The process of roughening up the edges of clay with a tool in order to join two pieces of clay together.
39. Clay construction processes that include pinch, coil, and slab building.
41. Polishing leather-hard clay by rubbing the surface with a smooth stone or the back of a spoon etc.
43. When the clay begins to dry, stiffen and shrink, but it is still somewhat moist. It is the best time to carve into the clay. During this time, it is impossible to add any more clay to the vessel of structure.
44. Enclosed air spaces within clay that must be removed for they may cause ceramic work to explode or crack.
46. All shelves and stilts used inside the kiln.
48. A granular material that is added to clay to give it strength, reduce shrinkage and cracks, and add texture.
49. The crack formed where two pieces of clay are joined.
51. A dull, no-shine glaze.
52. Term for clay that comes from the Greek word “keramos” meaning “earthen vessel”.
53. A product of geological weathering of the surface of the earth. It is cheap, abundant, and temperamental.
54. a design technique in which thick, liquid clay is applied onto a wet or leather-hard clay surface using an applicator or squeeze bottle.
55. Clay vessels or objects that have been fired to Bisque by firing them until the clay is completely dehydrated.
56. A block of Plaster of Paris on which clay is wedged. The absorbent material will soak moisture out of the clay as the clay is wedged.

Down

1. Gently beating the clay shapes to strengthen the walls, joints, and create texture. This helps refine the shape of the clay.
2. The three-dimensional shape and structure of an object.
3. Learning to construct vessels made of clay.
4. Firing clay until it is dehydrated, and the chemically combined water has been driven out.
7. Surface decoration made by scratching, cutting, or carving lines into clay at various depths.
8. Liquid clay used to glue two pieces of clay together.
9. The process of winding long ropes of clay on a base to build a ceramic vessel or object.
11. Method of pulling and pinching clay in order to shape a vessel or object. It is the oldest form of ceramic hand building.
12. A transparent glaze used over under-glaze.
13. To render the vessel waterproof and to enhance its aesthetic appeal. It is a continuous layer of glass or glassy crystals on the surface of a ceramic piece.
14. The process of loading pots into the kiln.
16. A hollow container, especially one used to hold liquid, such as a bowl or vase.
17. A piece of broken pottery
18. Purposefully leaving off or removing the glaze from the bottom of the vessel so the vessel will not stick to the kiln or stilts.
19. A colored decoration applied on unfired or bisque ware before the glaze is applied.
20. pottery with a white, fine-grained body that has a high level of mechanical resistance, low porosity and high density, which, on a daily basis, provide it with durability, soft touch, and beauty. It is usually translucent, as distinguished from earthenware, which is porous, opaque, and coarse.
22. The heating of clay or glaze to a specific temperature.
23. dense pottery fired at high temperatures to make it resistant to liquids, or non-porous. It is made from clay but is more durable than earthenware. Stoneware gets its name from its stone-like qualities.
26. The shaving and trimming of leather-hard clay from the lip, walls, or base of pots. This is done with a metal shaving tool.
27. A sharp instrument used to cut, pierce, and incise designs on clay.
29. Clay that is dry enough to fire.
31. The amount of shine on a burnished or glazed vessel.
32. Hand building process where clay is rolled into thin sheets to make different shapes.
34. A smooth, wooden tool used in throwing and while making handheld pottery.
35. The ability of a material to be modeled.
40. To fire clay vessels in a kiln until the glaze has matured. A cycle during which glaze materials are heated sufficiently to melt and form a glass surface coating.
42. soft white clay that is an essential ingredient in the manufacture of porcelain and in the decoration of face jugs. It is widely used in the making of paper, rubber, paint, and many other products.
45. Placing a slab of clay into or over an existing bowl, plate, or plaster mold to create a shape in that form.
47. pottery made of clay fired to a porous state which can be made impervious to liquids by the use of a glaze. Ex: terra cotta
50. The oven in which clay is fired to bisque or maturity. They can be electric (like ours), gas, wood, or trash burned.