Ceramics Vocabulary

5. the reduction in size of the clay mass that occurs when water in the clay evaporates during drying and firing.
8. a way of imporving the workability of clay by reforming the mixture to make it more homogenous and even in texture while eliminating air bubbles.
10. heating pottery or clay sculpture to a temperature high enough to render it hard and durable.
11. ceramics ware that has gone through the first firing at a relatively low temperature and still maintains its porous state.
14. the stage between plastic and bone dry when clay has dried but may still be carved or joined to other pieces.
16. stage of drying when moisture in the clay body has evaporated so the clay surface no longer feels cold.
17. handbuilding technique that involves shaping clay into a broad, flat piece

1. scratching the edges of clay before joining them together.
2. attaching rolls of clay together to form pottery
3. a coating of glass that is fused to the surface of ceramic piece
4. making clay forms by a non-mechanical process, such as pinching, coiling and slab building.
6. a structure built to fire clay at high temperatures
7. a support or frame used when sculpting clay, usually removed before firing.
9. unfired pottery or sculpture
12. a fluid suspension of clay in water used in joining them together
13. the property of clay that allows it to change shape without tearing or breaking.
15. the base of a pot upon which it can stand