The Ten Golden Rules of Ceramics
· Clay must be thoroughly covered up with a plastic bag to keep it from drying out. This applies to works in progress and moist clay.
· Clay dust can be harmful if you are exposed to it for long periods of time, so keep your area clean, clay scraps off the floor and clean with water and a sponge.
· Clay can be no thicker then your thumb.
· In order for clay to stick together it MUST be scored and slipped together while the clay is moist or leather hard.
· Wedge clay to remove air bubbles, achieve uniform consistency, and to line up the particles of clay.
· Trapped air can cause clay to explode. So hollow out sculptural forms and put needle holes from the bottom so air can escape.
· Don't glaze the bottom of a piece.
· Always wash the piece before glazing.
· Always handle your project with two hands at all times. In other words BE CAREFUL it’s your hard work.
· NEVER HANDLE ANOTHER PERSONS WORK EVEN IF IT LOOKS COOL!
Ceramics Vocbulary
CERAMIC: Having to do with clay or glass or the making of objects from clay or glass.
SLIP: clay that has been watered down; acts as a glue in slip/score technique.
SCORE: to draw or make lines into clay.
SLIP/SCORE TECHNIQUE: method used in hand building to connect two pieces of clay together.
WEDGING: The process of kneading the clay so as to remove air pockets and create uniform consistency of clay.
COIL: rope-like form of clay.
SLAB: a flattened out piece of clay; you may use a rolling pin or slab roller to achieve a slab of clay.
BONE DRY: Clay that is completely dried but not yet fired.
GREENWARE: A term used to describe unfired clay objects in general.
BISQUE WARE: Clay objects that have been fired for the first time and without any glaze applied to them.
GLAZE WARE: bisque ware that has been glazed, then fired.
FETTLING KNIFE: A special knife-like tool with a fairly flexible blade for cutting into moist and leather-hard clay.
LOOP TOOL: A special tool with a wooden handle and a wire loop at one or both ends, used for carving and hollowing out clay forms.
KILN: A furnace designed specifically for heating clay to the temperatures necessary to make it permanently hard and stone like.
FIRING: The process by which clay is heated in a kiln.
GLAZE: Glass-forming chemicals, usually with colorants added, that applied in liquid form to bisque ware and fired in a kiln, form a pleasing, usually glossy coating to the surface of the clay