Clay Terms
1. Clay- fine-grained earth that can be molded when wet, and is dried
and baked to make bricks, pottery, and ceramics.
2. Stages of ceramic dryness:
i. Plastic: Wet, fresh, manageable
ii. Leather hard: Some moisture remains, clay holds its formed
shape. Still accepts additional parts.
iii. Bone dry or Greenware: No moisture left; chalky dry. You
cannot add clay to this clay at this stage. Must be at this stage
to fire.
iv. Bisqueware: clay that has been fired once.
v. Glazeware: clay that has glaze applied and is waiting to be
glazed fired.
3. Slip: clay and water combination to help attach 2 pieces of clay
4. Score: scratching the surface in order to attach it to another piece of
clay
5. Kiln: A high temperature oven to bake the clay to bisqueware and
for glazing.
6. Clay Building Techniques:
i. Coil: rolling the clay into snake like coils to create a pot, cup or
other structure
ii. Slab: Flat pieces of clay used to build a structure
iii. Pinch: using the thumb and fingers to pinch the clay into a pot
or bowl.