Pottery Making Info

Free monthly newsletter > > Sign Up Here!
exclusive pottery shirts sold here
  • Blog
  • Pottery Shirts!
  • Learn
  • Links
    • Add A Site
    • Top Pottery Sites
    • Pottery Blogs List
    • Pottery Techniques, Tips…
    • Potters and Ceramic Artists
    • Pottery Supplies, Tools…
    • Organizations, Groups…
      • Message Boards, Forums
      • Organizations, Guilds…
      • Social Media Groups
    • Galleries, Shops…
    • Magazines and Publications
  • Reference
    • Articles
    • Pottery Dictionary
    • Pottery Information
    • Pottery Supplies

Pottery Dictionary

Absorption
A numeric representation of a fired ware’s ability to absorb water. (2)
Agateware
A piece made by combining more than one color of clay. (3)
Atmosphere
The environment in the kiln; either oxidation, neutral, or reduction. (2)
Ball Clay
A plastic, fine-grained secondary clay colored by organic matter. (3)
Banding Wheel
A turntable that revolves which allows a piece to be turned easily as it is made or decorated. (3)
Base Recipe
The essential ingredients in a glaze recipe, without colorants, opacifiers, or suspenders. (2)
Bat
A slab of plaster, fired clay, (wood, plastic, etc) used for drying out clay or as a platform for work in clay. (1)
Bisque
1. Ware which has had one firing unglazed and is durable yet porous. (1, 2)
2. The preliminary firing to harden clay prior to glazing. (3)
Blistering
Bubbles and craters caused by gases escaping from a glaze during firing. (3)
Bloating
Blistering of the clay body caused by trapped gasses. (2)
Blowhole
An opening at the top of a kiln to let out heat and facilitate cooling, or to let out steam during the early part of firing. (1)
Blunge
To mix a slip. (1)
Blunger
A piece of equipment with a revolving blade used to prepare casting slip or clay bodies from dry materials. (3)
Bone Ash
The ashes of calcined bones, usually cattle bones, which are high in calcium and phosphorous oxides. (2)
Calcine
To heat to red heat (around 1292°F) or more to remove chemically combined water and volatile matter. (1, 3)
Carbonate
A substance produced when carbon dioxide combines with an oxide. (2)
Chuck
A solid lump of clay (or other similar device) used to hold a leatherhard piece on the wheel as it turns. (3)
CMC
Carboxymethelycellulose, a glaze binder and suspending agent. (2)
Coil
v. To make clay objects by building with ropes of clay. (1)
Colloid
Tiny insoluble particles that are suspended in another substance; halfway between a solutions and a suspension. (2)
Colloidal
Jelly-like, without grain structure. (1)
Colorants
Oxides added to a base glaze recipe to give color. (2)
Contraction
A reversible physical contraction of a material during cooling. (2)
Crackle
Decorative craze lines in a glaze produced deliberately. (1, 3)
Crawling
A condition where glaze pulls away from areas of a pot caused by grease or dust repelling the glaze or glaze shrinkage before it is fired, leaving areas of bare clay body. (2, 3)
Crazing
The formation of a network of cracks in a glaze caused by the glaze contracting more than the clay body. (1, 2, 3)
Cristobalite
Crystalline form of silica that has a high expansion and contraction rate. (2)
Crystalline Glaze
A glaze that contains crystals formed when the kiln firing is held at a specific temperature as it is cooled. (3)
De-air
To remove the air from clay, as in a de-airing pug mill, which removes the air from the clay by passing it through a vacuum chamber. (1)
Decant
To remove the water that has collected at the top when a material settles in a liquid. (1)
Deflocculant
A soluble base that is added to a glaze slurry causing the particles to repel one another. This can keep particles in suspension for a time and makes it possible to use less water to achieve the same fluidity but can cause the glaze to settle into a hard layer at the bottom of the container. (2, 3)
Deflocculate
To disperse the particles in a slip so that less water is required for fluidity. (1)
Dehydration
The loss of water from a clay during firing. (1)
Density
The weight of a material in comparison to water, also called specific gravity. (2)
Dissociation point
The temperature at which a substance breaks down into its constituent parts. (1)
Dunting
Cracking of the clay body which can happen during cooling or heating and can be caused by a weak form, stress from glaze that doesn’t fit, or irregular firing or cooling. (2, 3)
Dry foot
The foot of a pot which has been cleared of glaze. (1)
Earthenware
Pottery or other objects made from fired clay which is porous and permeable. Objects may be glazed or unglazed and often buff, red, or brown in color. (1)
A type of clay…
Engobe
A layer of slip applied to ware to change the color of the body which has a proportion of flux between the fired properties of a slip and a glaze. (1, 3)
Eutectic
1. n. The lowest-melting mixture when two or more substances are combined in certain proportions. (1, 2)
2. adj. Describing the temperature of lowest melting. (1)
Expansion
A reversible physical expansion of a material as it’s heated. (2)
Extruder
Equipment that forces clay through a die. (3)
Extrusion
The process of making shapes by forcing clay through dies. (1)
Fat clay
A clay body that is highly plastic. (1)
Feldspar
A group of minerals containing alumina, silica, potassium, sodium and calcium. (3)
Fettle
To finish or smooth the surface of leatherhard clay. To trim off spare clay at a seam from cast or jiggered pieces. (1, 3)
Filler
A material of little or no plasticity which helps to promote drying and control shrinkage in clay bodies or engobes. (1)
Fit
How well the expansion and contraction rate of a clay body and glaze match each other. (2)
Flashing
The impingement of flame on a pot in the kiln which often causes discoloration of the body or glaze due to volatile materials being present. (1, 2)
Flocculate
To thicken. (1)
Flux
An oxide which causes or promotes melting or ceramic fusion when combined with other oxides and heated. (1, 2, 3)
Footring
The base of a piece of pottery which is often left unglazed for mid-fired or high-fired pieces. (3)
Formula
An expression of the chemical composition of a glaze. (2)
Frit
A precise mixture of ceramic oxides which are melted together into a glassy state, quickly cooled, and then finely ground; Usually used in glaze recipes as generally insoluble sources of oxides. (2)
Gallery
The shelf on a pot rim that secures a lid and prevents it from falling out when the pot is tilted. (3)
Glass Former
An acidic oxide that retains its amorphous structure when cooled to a solid state instead of re-forming into a crystalline structure. (2)
Glaze
A glass layer that fuses to a clay piece during firing. (2)
Glaze Fault
An unwanted feature in a glaze including pinholing, crawling, or crazing. (2)
Greenware
Unfired pottery or clay piece that is finished but not dry enough to fire. (1, 2, 3)
Grog
Clay which has been fired and then ground into particles of various sizes and when added to a clay body provide texture and workable strength and reduce shrinkage. (1, 3)
Heat Work
The temperature that a ceramic piece has been heated to along with the time it has to absorb the heat. (2, 3)
Hydrometer
A device for quickly measuring density or specific gravity. (2)
Jiggering
Forming a pot between a revolving mold which shapes the inside and a template which shapes the outside and foot. (1)
Jollying
Forming a pot between a revolving mold which shapes the outside and a template which shapes the inside. (1)
Kaolin
A clay with few impurities, pure white in color, highly heat resistant and low plasticity. (3)
Kaolinization
The formation in nature of kaolin from feldspar. (1)
Kiln Wash
A mixture resistant to heat, usually kaolin or flint, which is applied to kiln shelves and saggers to prevent glaze from adhering. (1)
Leather hard
Clay dried enough to be stiff and nonplastic, but still damp enough to be joined to other pieces with slip, cut and burnish. Cool and damp to the touch. (1, 2, 3)
Line Blend
A glaze test that uses proportional variations of one or more materials. (2)
Lustre
Metallic surfaces on glazes derived from precious metals. (3)
Luting
Joining leather hard clay by slip. (1)
Maiolica
Decorated tin-glazed ware traditionally low fired with lead glaze made opaque by adding tin. Color decoration is added on top of the unfired glaze. (3)
Mature
Fired to a tight, hard, serviceable structure. (1)
Melting Point
The point at which a material changes from a solid to a liquid state. (2)
Neutral Atmosphere
The atmosphere in a kiln that has a perfect balance of oxygen and fuel for complete combustion, not oxidation or reductions. (1, 2)
Opacifier
A material that makes a glaze opaque. (2, 3)
Open
To make a clay more open or porous in structure by adding fillers or grog. (1)
Oxidation
A chemical reaction caused by heat in which oxygen atoms combine with other molecules or atoms. (2)
Oxidation Atmosphere
An atmosphere in a kiln where there is more oxygen present than is needed to burn the fuel. (2)
Oxide
Any element combined with oxygen. (1)
Oxygen Probe
A device placed in the kiln during firing to indicate the atmospheric conditions. (2)
Pinholing
Small bubbles in a glaze caused by gasses released from the clay body or glaze. (2, 3)
Plasticity
The workability of a material allowing it to be shaped without cracking and ability to hold the shape and can be adjusted by increasing water content, weathering, ageing, or adjusting the proportion of ingredients. (1, 2, 3)
Porcelain
Pottery or other objects made from a white, vitrified, and translucent body. (1)
Porous
The capacity to absorb water. (3)
Pottery
Objects, and especially vessels, which are made from fired clay. Including earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. (1)
Pug Mill
Equipment that compresses and mixes plastic clay to a homogeneous state. (3)
Pyrometer
A mechanical device for measuring the temperature in a kiln. (1)
Pyrometric cone
A pyramid shaped device that melts when specific conditions of temperature, time period, and rate of rise are met; used to measure heat work. (1, 2)
Quartz Inversion
Approximately 1% expansion or contraction of quartz at 1063°F. (2)
Raku
A low-fire technique where fired work is removed from a red-hot kiln and reduced in combustible material. (3)
Recipe
The list of ingredients in a glaze or clay body. (2)
Reduction
A chemical reaction where oxygen is removed from oxide molecules. (2)
Reduction Atmosphere
The atmosphere in a kiln during firing where there is less oxygen than needed for complete combustion of the fuel. (1, 2)
Refractory
Resistant to heat, a material that can withstand high temperatures. (1, 3)
Respirator
A breathing device used to prevent the inhalation of harmfu materials. (2)
Rib
A smooth wooden, plastic, (metal) tool used to apply even pressure when throwing. (3)
Sagger / Saggar
A refractory box or container which protects ware from flames and ashes or creates a local atmosphere for the ware during firing. (1, 2)
Salt glaze
Glazing by the vapors from salt in the kiln. (1)
Sgraffito
The decorative process which employs a scratched line through a layer of slip to expose the clay body beneath. (1, 3)
Shards
Pieces of broken pottery. (1)
Shivering
When a glaze contracts less than the clay body which causes the glaze to fall or pop off the piece. (2)
Short
Nonplastic, poor in working properties. (1)
Shrinkage
Reduction in the size of a clay body as it is dried or fired. (2)
Sieve
1. v. To remove impurities or large particles by putting a glaze through a metal screen which comes in various mesh sizes. (2)
2. n. The device used to complete this task which has a specific mesh size.
Silica
The primary glass former in glazes. (2)
Sinter
1. To fire to the point, around 1112°F, where cohesion of materials begins.(1, 3)
2. Particles that hold together through partial melting or mutual adhesion. (2)
Slake
To moisten dry clay or dry glaze materials by submerging in water. (1, 2)
Slip
A fluid suspension of clay or other materials in water. (1)
Slurry
A mixture of glaze ingredients or clay and water. (1, 2)
Soak
To hold the kiln at one temperature for a period of time. (1)
Soluble
Capable of being dissolved in water. (1)
Specific Gravity
In ceramics, a number that represents how much heavier a liquid is than water. (2)
Sprig
A relief decoration added to a clay surface, usually thin slabs formed in a mold. (1)
Stabilizer
An oxide that keeps a glaze from running down the pot when combined in proper proportion to a glass former and a flux. (2)
Stable Glaze
A glaze that does not exhibit glaze faults or a glaze that does not leach toxic components. (2)
Stain
A coloring pigment, often referring to a commercially prepared coloring stain in which oxides have been fritted together and ground. (2)
Stilt
A three-pointed, heat resistant support used to lift low-fired ware off the kiln shelf during firing.
Stoneware
Pottery or other objects made from fired clay which is dense and vitrified, opaque and fired to at least 2200°F. (1)
Surface Tension
The attractive force on the surface of a liquid or molten glaze. (2)
Terra Sigillata
A decorating slip which has very fine particles. (3)
Throw
To make pottery by hand on a wheel. (1)
Tooth
Toughness in a clay body; course grain structure. (1)
Toxicity
How poisonous a material is considered. (2)
Triaxial Blend
A systematic method of testing three variables in a glaze at once. (2)
Underglaze
Decorated color applied under a transparent glaze. (3)
Unity Molecular Formula
A theoretical method of considering on a molecular level the oxides that make up a glaze and their relationships to each other. (2)
Viscosity
The relative resistance of a liquid to stirring or movement often describing glaze when it is fired. (1, 3)
Vitrify
To fire to the point of glassification (or vitrification). (1, 3)
Volatile
Materials that change from a liquid to a gas during firing. (2)
Wash
A mixture of oxide or stain and water that is applied to a ceramic piece or glaze coat to color it and sometimes includes a flux to help it fuse to the clay or glaze during firing. (2)
Wedge
To knead or mix plastic clay by cutting or rolling. (1)
Wood Ash
Ashes produced from burning wood. (2)

References

  1. Clay and Glazes for the Potter Third ed. by Daniel Rhodes
  2. The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes by John Britt
  3. The Practical Potter by Josie Warshaw
Share this page...
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Top Pages

Learn To Make Pottery
Pottery Gift Ideas
Pottery Links
Pottery Supplies Guide

Search This Site


Categories

Pottery Ads

Learn Something Creative!

Creative Bug offers a variety of great classes and workshops. Start with a free trial now!

Meet Diana Fayt

Watch creative classes online from the world's top experts at CreativeLive.com

Other Great Pottery Sites

Expert Clay
PotteryShirts.com
cone6glaze (coming soon)

 

Connect

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Contact
  • Feed
Contact
About
Privacy Policy
Advertise on This Site
Newsletter

An ‘Art by Fuzzy’ Production

Brandon "Fuzzy" Schwartz is a full time teacher, dad and husband and a part time potter, designer and photographer.

All content Copyright © 2023 Brandon Schwartz. Thanks for your support!