Ceramics Study Guide

Clay -Decomposed matter and igneous rock

Hazards

-Silicosis- lung cancer caused by silica dust

-Silica dust caused by dry clay is harmful should wear small particle mask for protection

-Toxic fumes are omitted from the kiln during glaze fires. Studio needs proper ventilation.

Kiln/Firing Processes

Fire- Processes of heating ceramics to maturity.

Kiln Wash- Clay slip applied to kiln shelves to prevent fusing of pottery during the fire.

Types of kilns- Gas Kiln (down draft/up draft), Electric Kiln, Wood Fired, Salt, and Raku Kiln

Cone- cone is the unit in ceramics for measuring heat.

Bisque Fire- Heating pottery to a high enough cone to solidify the clay in preparation for glazing.

Glaze Fire- Heating glazed pottery to maturity. The type of kiln you are firing in will effect the outcome of your glaze.

Building Techniques

-Coil- Building with long rolled out strands of clay

-Slab- Building with flat pieces of clay

-Pinch- Building by continuously pinching clay to form pottery or sculpture

-Wheel Thrown- Using a spinning device used to manually shape clay

-Modeling- Shaping clay manually into an object by pressing and pinching the clay

-Molding- Creating ceramics by pouring slip into a plaster cast (used in mass production of ceramics)

-Score and Slip- Process of attaching two pieces of clay together (score is roughing the surface and slip is the second stage of clay that can be used like a bonding agent to attach moist clay)

-Join- Where two pieces of clay meet