Clay Vocabulary

4. Unglazed clay, fired once at a low temperature.
5. Quality of clay that allows it to be manipulated and still maintain its shape without cracking or sagging.
6. To bake in a kiln. Firing is a term used for “cooking” clay.
8. Unfired pottery that is bone-dry, a state in which clay forms are the most fragile.
9. Not shiny.

1. Refers to clay that is dry enough but still damp enough to be joined to other pieces or carved without distortion. Clay in this state resembles leather. Hard to bend and soft enough to be carved.
2. Refers to clay which is ready to be fired. All the moisture is gone from the clay. Clay is VERY FRAGILE at this stage.
3. Enclosed containers of various sizes- built of refactor brick and heated by electricity, gas, oil, or wood to temperatures from 1500 F. to 2340 F. in which ceramic ware is fired. Also called the “oven” for firing clay.
4. FIRING The process of firing unglazed clay to a low temperature to harden the clay and drive the physical water from it. The approximate temperature of this firing is 1815 F.
6. Three-dimensional shape and structure of an object.
7. Indenting a line into a flat surface.