| Absorption |
The degree of moisture that will soak into plaster when casting, or into bisque when glazing or decorating with nonfired colors. |
| Accenting |
Refers to the process of emphasizing an area with lighter or darker colors, by shading or outlining. |
| Add-Ons |
Greenware parts that are added to the main casted piece (Example: handles to cups). |
| Adherence |
The ability of a fired or nonfired color to stay in place on a given surface. |
| Aging |
Refers to the process of allowing newly mixed casting slip to set, undisturbed, for several days. This process allows the ingredients to homogenize for best casting qualities. |
| Airbrushing |
The process of applying color with the use of a small air-pressure gun. Used for shading and general decorating. |
| Antiquing |
A decorating process in which you remove applied color to accentuate detail. |
| Antiquing Gels |
Nontoxic, nonfired, water-based colors that can be used to antique over all Duncan nonfired colors. |
| Antiquing Solvent |
A thinner for airbrushing nonfired, oil-based colors. Antiquing Solvent can also be used as a cleaner/conditioner for brushes used with oil-based colors. |
| Applique |
A type of ceramic add-on. |
| Banding |
Refers to applying color to ware in decorative bands. Usually done with the aid of a banding wheel. |
| Banding Wheel |
A hand-operated turntable used in banding and other types of decorating. |
| Binder |
Material, such as gum arabic, added to hold ceramic ingredients together. |
| Bisque |
Fired, unglazed objects of clay. Generally, bisque is clay that has been fired to a kiln setting of cone 04. |
| Blistering |
Refers to the appearance of broken bubbles found on the glazed surfaces of fired ceramic pieces. |
| Body |
The term used to describe any formula of clay. Often called clay body. The composition of any clay body will change depending on where the clay is mined. |
| Casting |
The process of filling a plaster mold with casting slip (liquid clay) to create a clay object. Once the plaster mold is removed, the clay object is known as greenware or unfired clay. (See pouring.) |
| Clay Carbon |
Carbonless paper used for transferring designs onto greenware (unfired clay). |
| Cleaning Greenware |
The process of removing mold seam lines and imperfections from unfired clay objects. |
| Cratering |
Refers to moon-like craters that may appear on a glazed surface. |
| Crawling |
Refers to a glaze defect in which the glaze pulls away or crawls away from the bisque, leaving bare bisque areas. |
| Crazing |
Refers to a glaze defect in which hairline cracks appear on a fired glaze surface. |
| Crosshatch |
A decorating technique that calls for applying alternate coats of color at perpendicular angles. |
| Decal |
A design, printed with ceramic colors on special paper, which can be applied to the surface of ware and fired for permanency. |
| Dipping |
A method of applying glaze by immersing a piece in a container of glaze. |
| Drybrushing |
An effect achieved by applying nonfired color very lightly with an almost dry brush. |
| Dryfooting |
Refers to leaving the bottom of a piece unglazed so that stilting is not necessary. |
| Embossment |
A raised design on a clay piece. |
| Ferrule |
The metal band of a brush just below the bristles. |
| Firing |
The process of maturing ceramic products by varying degrees of heat. Firing usually takes place in a kiln. |
| Flash |
The undesirable transference of a soft glossy sheen onto unglazed ware when high-fired glazed and unglazed ware are fired together. |
| Flashing |
Refers to shiny edges on ware, often produced by overfiring. |
| Flow |
The term used when referring to the running or moving qualities of a glaze. |
| Flowing Coat |
The term used to describe applying color with a well-loaded brush. |
| Foot |
Refers to the bottom of ceramic item. |
| Furniture |
are implements used to make full use of a kiln's capacity (shelves, posts and stilts). |
| Glaze |
A fired finish consisting of a prepared mixture of frit that produces a glass-like surface when fired. |
| Glaze Brush |
A brush with long full hairs for the application of glazes and underglazes. |
| Glaze Butting |
The term used to describe placement of two or more glazes in proximity on the same piece. |
| Glaze Trailing |
Refers to the use of a fine-tip squeeze bottle to trail one glaze over another to create a design. |
| Graining |
The process of creating a wood-grained effect using thinned, nonfired colors applied in long, uneven patterns. |
| Greenware |
The term used for unfired clay articles. |
| Greenware Drill |
A small tool with a threaded point used for drilling holes in dry greenware. |
| Greenware Preparation |
The removal of mold seam lines and imperfections from unfired clay objects. (See Cleaning Greenware) |
| Greenware Saw |
A small tool having a serrated edge for cutting dry greenware. |
| Grit Cloth |
An abrasive cloth used for cleaning greenware or bisque. |
| Grit Sponge |
A square sponge that has an abrasive surface on one side. |
| Hard Bisque |
Ware that has been fired to witness cone 04 or hotter. (See Soft Bisque.) |
| Hard Spots |
Areas that will reject color, and sometimes cause ware to have bare spots. Commonly caused by improper greenware casting. |
| High-Fire |
Refers to ceramic articles or glazes that are fired to witness cone 4 or higher (stoneware and porcelain). |
| Immature Bisque |
Ware that has been fired cooler than witness cone 06. |
| Incising |
Refers to the technique of cutting a clay surface to create a design. |
| Kiln |
A heating chamber for hardening and maturing clay and glazes. |
| Kiln Furniture |
Implements used to make full use of a kiln's capacity (shelves, posts and stilts). |
| Kiln Wash |
A coating used on the tops of kiln shelves and kiln floors to protect them from glaze drippings. |
| Lace Tool |
A long, pointed tool used when applying thin strands of clay. |
| Leather-Hard |
The term used to describe clay items that are damp but firm enough to handle without losing their shape. |
| Liner Brush |
A brush used for fine lines and design work. |
| Loading |
Refers to completely filling a brush with color. |
| Luster |
An overglaze that imparts an iridescent surface to the ware. |
| Majolica Technique |
Refers to applying underglazes in a design over an unfired, nonmoving glaze. |
| Maturing Point |
The temperature needed to mature glaze or clay. |
| Modeling Clay |
Prepared clay used for hand modeling. |
| Mold |
A hollow plaster-of-paris form in which articles are reproduced using clay slip. |
| Nonmoving Glazes |
Ceramic glazes that move or flow very little in the glaze firing. |
| Nontoxic |
The term used to describe paint products conforming to U.S. standard ASTM D-4236 to contain no materials in sufficient quantities to be toxic or injurious to humans. |
| Opaque |
Refers to nontransparent color. |
| Overglaze |
A decorative finish applied over a fired glaze surface and made permanent by firing. |
| Overglaze Compatible |
A glaze that will accept overglazes for a third firing. Glazes that contain copper for added color are not overglaze compatible. |
| Palette Knife |
A flexible knife with no sharp point used for mixing or stirring color. |
| Pinholes |
Tiny holes penetrating a glazed surface. |
| Plasticity |
Refers to the pliability of modeling clay. |
| Porosity |
Refers to the permeability of fired or unfired clay. |
| Posts |
Columns of refractory material used to support shelves inside the kiln. (See Furniture, Kiln.) |
| Pouncing |
A technique in which you apply color with quick up-and-down movements with a brush or sponge. |
| Pouring |
The process of filling a plaster mold with casting slip (liquid clay) to create a clay object. Once the plaster mold is removed, the clay object is known as greenware or unfired clay. (See Casting.) |
| Pyrometer |
An instrument that indicates temperature in the kiln. |
| Rolling Consistency |
Refers to the consistency to which glazes are thinned for rolling inside ware. |
| Rolling Glaze |
A method of covering the inside area of ware by rolling thinned glaze inside. |
| Running |
Refers to the fluidity of a glaze at the point of maturity before cooling and hardening. |
| Score |
Refers to the process of scratching tiny criss-cross lines on areas of greenware that will be fastened together with Duncan's Patch-A-Tatch or clay slip. |
| Scrub-coat |
A priming coat of thinned opaque underglaze or glaze. |
| Sea Wool Sponge |
See Wool Sponge |
| Sealers |
Spray or brush-on coatings for use over nonfired colors to protect the surface and enhance the colors. |
| Seam |
A ridge formed in greenware where mold pieces join. |
| Sgraffito |
Refers to the process of creating a design in ware by gently scratching through applied color to reveal the color or the clay body beneath it or to create carved designs. |
| Shelf Supports |
are columns of refractory material used to support shelves inside the kiln. (See Posts, Furniture, Kiln.) |
| Shelves |
are flat slabs of special high-temperature materials on which ware is placed inside kilns. (See Furniture, Kiln.) |
| Shivering |
occurs when the glaze or underglaze and the clay body are incompatible. The clay body shrinks more than the color, causing the color to peel or break away. |
| Shrinkage |
The reduction in size of a clay object as a result of firing. |
| Silk Sponge |
Used for decorating. It has short hairs on its surface and is soft when wet. |
| Slip |
The term used for clay in liquid form. |
| Slip Trailing |
The process of applying slip in an applicator bottle to flow on design for a raised effect. |
| Smoking |
Refers to the greying or discoloration of a glaze, caused by underfiring. |
| Soaking |
The process of holding a certain temperature in the kiln chamber for an extended period. |
| Soft Bisque |
Ware that has been fired to witness cone 06-05. (See Hard Bisque.) |
| Solvent |
A dissolving agent used in antiquing and to clean brushes used with oil-based colors. |
| Spattering |
A method of applying small flecks of color to ware, usually with a bristle brush. |
| Sponging |
Refers to the use of a sponge to apply colors directly to the surface of a piece. |
| Staggering |
Refers to the process of applying separate successive coats of glaze by fractions of an inch to prevent glazes from flowing together. |
| Stencil |
Refers to the process of using paper perforated with a design through which color can be brushed or sponged onto a surface. |
| Stilts |
are supports used to separate a glazed article from a shelf during firing. (See Furniture, Kiln) |
| Stippling |
A method of applying color by pouncing the tip of a brush loaded with color against the ware. |
| Terra-Cotta |
A natural low-fired clay. Terra-cotta is also a color name. |
| Thermal Shock |
Refers to extreme temperature change, usually caused by removing fired pieces too soon from the kiln. |
| Tint |
The process of lightly apply diluted colors over a base coat or coloring a product with another product. |
| Tipping |
Touching tip of loaded brush with other colors for muted shading or accenting. |
| Translucent |
Refers to transparent color, allowing color underneath to show. |
| Underglaze |
A ceramic color used under a glaze. |
| Utility Items |
Functional, rather than purely decorative items. Examples of utility items would be plates, vases, pitchers, bowls and planters. |
| Viscosity |
Refers to the rate of resistance to flow. |
| Vitreous |
The term used to describe an impervious or waterproof surface. |
| Wash |
The term for a color and water solution used for shading and antiquing. |
| Water-Based Antiquing Gels |
Nontoxic, nonfired, water-based colors for antiquing over all Duncan nonfired colors. |
| Wool Sponge |
An open textured sponge and soft when wet. |