CLAY






What
is
Clay
 Clay
is
rock
that
has
been
broken
down
by
the
natural
elements
of
erosion.
It
is

broken
down
into
tiny
particles.




These
clay
particles
are
made
up
of
alumina,
silica
and
chemically
combined

water
and
are
often
found
as
dry
powders
in
the
earth.



Clay
deposits
are
found

1
‐100
feet
deep
in
the
earths
crust



A unique quality of clay is its plasticity. The smaller the particle size the greater the
plasticity of the natural clay type. The structure of a clay particle is flat, shingle-like,
and hexagonal. The particles are positive and negatively charged and slide to give
support to one another.


Clay
Body
 Clay
on
its
own,
is
not
what
we
work
with.
The
plastic
clay
that
we
make
objects

out
of
is
considered
a
clay
body.
A
clay
body
is
chosen
for
desired
qualities.
One

clay
body
can
be
very
different
from
another.



Clay
body
consists
of
Clay,
Filler,
Flux.
Usually
the
different
dry
powders
are

mixed
in
a
clay
mixer
or
pugmill
but
sometimes
they
are
found
together
in
the

earth
–
thus
creating
a
clay
that
can
be
dug
from
the
earth
in
the
plastic
state

and
used
to
make
objects.




 Clay
 Chosen
for
its
color
and
plasticity.
(body)




 Flux
 Lowers
the
hardening
temperature
of
clay.
It
is
the
binder
that
“melts”
the

particles
together
(glue)




 Filler
 Makes
the
clay
stronger
by
decreasing
the
shrinkage
of
the
clay






*Fillers
that
burn
away:
sawdust,
straw,
nylon
fibers






*Fillers
that
stay
in
the
clay:
grog
(fired
&
ground
up
clay),
sand,









fiberglass

(bones)



3
main
classifications
 There
are
many
more
types
of
clay
than
this,
but,
here
are
the
main
3




 Earthenware
 This
is
a
low
fire
clay
body
generally
firing
between
cone
05‐01.






*Very
porous
/
open
clay
–
weaker
than
high‐fire
at
maturity.











Must
be
glazed
to
prevent
water
leaking






*Terra
cotta
fits
in
this
category






*
Usually
red
but
can
be
white






*
Iron
oxide
is
the
source
of
red
in
red
earthenware.
Iron
has
a














very
low
melting
point
and
is
rarely
found
in
high‐fire
materials




 Stoneware
 This
is
a
mid‐range
to
high‐fire
clay
body
generally
firing
between
cone
5‐10






*Very
sturdy
clay
that
becomes
waterproof
at
its
maturing









temperature.
Do
not
need
to
glaze






*Usually
buff
or
grey
in
color
once
fired






*Easy
to
use
–
good
for
throwing
and
sculpture




 Porcelain
 This
is
a
high‐fire
clay
body
generally
firing
between
cone
8‐12






*
Extremely
small
particles
so
it
shrinks
and
cracks
very
easily






*White
in
color
due
to
its
purity







*Once
fired
to
its
maturity
it
becomes
glass‐like
and
waterproof






*Finicky
and
hard
to
work
with
but
the
results
of
porcelain
are








unmatched
by
any
other
clay
body




 

Stages
of
Clay
Bodies
 




 Greenware
 ALL
unfired
clay
is
considered
greenware
–
or
often
called
“green”.
This
term
is


 used
often.
So
if
your
work
has
not
been
in
a
kiln]
it
is
considered
green.




 Slip
 liquid
clay






*Used
as
a
‘glue’
to
attach
wet
and
leatherhard
clay
together






*
Can
be
colored
and
applied
to
surface
of
clay.






*Slip
is
a
clay
therefore
it
will
not
stick
to
kiln
shelves
or
to










another
clay
object
in
the
firing






*Engobes
and
underglazes
also
fit
in
the
slip
category









More
information
on
slip
can
be
found
in
the

“ALL
ABOUT
SLIPS
AND












GLAZES”
material
sheet.




 wet
 soft
and
plastic
–
easy
to
form.
This
is
what
we
build
with
in
the
soft
slab,
coil,

pinch
and
wheel‐thrown
methods
of
building.
(greenware)




 leather‐hard
 Stiff
but
still
workable.
Same
color
as
wet
clay.
Great
for
slab
building
and

surface
decoration.
(greenware)




 Bone
dry
 Dry,
no
longer
cold
to
touch.
Color
changes
to
lighter
shade
than
when
wet.
No

longer
workable.
Most
fragile
state.
Ready
to
fire
(greenware)




 Bisque
Ware
 Clay
has
been
fired
once
at
a
low
temp.
Usually
between
cone
010
and
04






*Bisque
releases
all
the
water
and
brings
the
object
to
a
state









that
glaze
can
be
applied




 Vitreous
or
 Clay
has
been
fired
to
its
maturing
temperature.
The
physical
and
chemical

Vitrified
 water
has
been
fired
off
and
it
is
at
its
strongest
state.






*Usually
glaze
has
been
applied
at
the
bisque
state
and
the









object
is
fired
to
a
higher
temperature
melting
the
glaze
and









bringing
the
clay
body
to
its
maturity
–
thus
vitrified.



Plasticity
 Plasticity
is
the
ability
to
easily
shape
clay.



Clay
with
smaller
particles
such
as
porcelain,
are
easier
to
shape
whereas
larger

particle
clays
are
harder
to
shape.




 Laws
of
 *Small
particles

 *
Large
particles

plasticity
 






more
plasticity
 






less
plasticity








more
shrinkage
 






less
shrinkage








more
cracking
 






less
cracking



Shrinkage
 Clay
shrinks
as
the
water
evaporates
from
it
or
water
is
removed
by
heat.




The
heat
of
the
kiln
also
draws
the
clay
particles
closer
together.



The
smaller
the
particles
of
clay
(the
more
plastic)
the
higher
the
shrinkage.

Clay
shrinks
up
to
14%



Clays
with
large
particles
and
fillers
such
as
grog
shrink
less




Most
shrinkage
occurs
between
wet
and
leather‐hard
stage
(5%‐7%)
and

bisque
to
vitrified
(5%‐7%)