ARABIC—A gum used with paint and glaze as i binder.

ARMATURE—A wire-skeleton shape used to build figures on.

BAFFLE—A device used to protect the ware in the kiln.

BALL CLAY—A plastic clay used in the manufacture of stoneware, pottery and cbinaware.

BALL MILL—A jar filled with porcelain pebbles that is rotated in order to grind glazes and colors.

BAT—A flat form of plaster on which ceramic pieces are dried.

BENTONITE—Material that is used as an agent to make clay plastic.It isalso used as a suspension agent for glazes.

BISCUIT—An unglazed piece of clay that has been fired.

BISQUE—Clay ware that has been fired in the kiln without glaze.

BLANK—Either bisque or greenware un decorated.

BONE CHINA—A believed-to-be stronger porcelain made without feldspar and using bone ash instead.

BLUNGER—A machine with an agitator that is used to churn clay into slip.

BODY—The actual composition of a clay.

CALCINED—A term used in referring to oxides and clays that are fired in a kiln.

CARBONATES—Used to color slip and glazes.

CASTING—-Pouring slip into molds and making greenware.

CERAMICS—The art of using clay or earth bodies and firing them into various per­manent forms.

CHAMFER—To remove the sharp edges from a mold in order to reduce chipping.

CHINA—Once used to describe a particu­lar ware from the country of its origin (China), but now in general use to de­scribe dinnerware.

CONE—A three-sided pyramidal form of clay and chemicals made to bend at a specific temperature.

CRACKLE—An intentional effect that is given to ware to heighten its age or give a particular design of cracks and lines.

CRAWLING—A glaze defect in which lumps appear.

CRAZE—A split in ware due to imperfectjoining of clay and glaze.

DECAL—A printed design that can be transferred to ceramics.

DEFLOCCULATE—An additive to slip that prepares it for casting.

DRAWING—Taking fired ware from the kiln.

DRY-FOOT—Leaving the base of any item unglazed.

EARTHENWARE—A porous pottery that is opaque and has been low-fired.

ELECTROLYTES—Chemicals (soda ash and silicate of soda) used to make slip more fluid for casting.

EMBOSSING—Decorating jewelery and pottery with raised designs.

ENGOBE—A slip or liquid clay used for decorating.

FELDSPAR—Fusible rock that can be added to clay.

FETTLE—The process of removing all mold marks from greenware.

FIRING—Applying heat to ware.

FIT—Usually refers to the relation or affinity of the glaze and the clay body.In firing all bodies shrink so it is neces­sary to use materials that will shrink to­gether.If the glaze and clay body shrink in different proportions they will crack.

FLINT—A silica-quartz.

FLOCCULATE—To make clay plastic by the addition of an acid.

FLUX—An ingredient such as lead, lime or borax used to glaze at a given tempera­ture.

FOOT—Base of any ceramic item.

FRIABLE—That which will crumble eas­ily-

FRIT—Glass that is finely ground and used as a glaze ingredient.

FRITTING—Firing ingredients to a high temperature.

GLAZE—A definite substance of glasslike composition.

GLOST—An English way of saying glaze.

GREENWARE—Clay that is as yet unfired.

GROG—Small particles of sand, bisque or quartz that are added to a clay body to give it strength.

GROUT—Filling the cracks of adjoining tiles with cement.

JIGGER—A partly or wholly automatic device that looks like a potter's wheel and is used to make plates by lowering an outline device onto the back of a re­volving mold.

JOLLY—Like a Jigger but used in theproduction of cups.

KAOLIN—A clay.