When you work in ceramics you pick up the terminology used in the industry, it is difficult to know what they mean unless you're in the know... so in this blog I thought Id explain a few of the top used words and what they mean.
Warping
Clay forms can warp due to a variety of reasons including - uneven stresses when building, uneven drying, uneven support during firing, uneven or excessive heat in firing
Slip
A mix of clay and water, usually the consistency of thick cream
Stoneware
High-fired vitreous ceramic ware, literally as hard and durable as stone. Matures from 1200-1300° F. (cone 5–11).
Wedging
Process of kneading the clay with the hands to remove air bubbles
Ceramic
when clay has had a bisque / biscuit firing and transformed from clay to a hard solid durable matter 'ceramic'.
Oxide stain
A mixture of colouring oxide (such as cobalt, iron, copper) and water. It can be applied on greenware, bisqueware and over unfired glaze.
Earthernware
Low-fired ware, usually still porous after firing—must be sealed with vitreous glaze to be functional
Kiln
A kiln is the equipment you use to turn clay to ceramic. It is essentially like a big oven that fires to very high temperatures. Inside it is essentially a box and you stack up shelves just like in an oven.
Press Mould
A mould, usually made from plaster, into which a rolled out sheet of moist clay is pressed into, the clay takes on the shape of the mould and you can create duplicates.
Resist
A resist is a barrier to prevent adhesion of ceramic materials such as slip or glaze. Resists can be made of various things including - paper, fabric, latex, wax.
If you'd like to know more terminology add a comment or email me with things you'd like to know about.
If you'd like to learn more about ceramics and the processes involved book onto one of my workshops and explore the exciting world of clay!
Katherine :)
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