Clay body: a mixture that can include clays, fluxes, fillers, aggregates, and colorants.  Wedging: a process by which the clay is kneaded by hand to remove air pockets. Vitrification: glass-like melt within the clay; a vitrified clay holds water with out glaze. Fireclay: the main ingredient in a typical stoneware clay body. Refractory: resistant to high temperatures; will not melt or slump. Plasticity: the ability of clay to stretch, take on a new shape, and retain the shape. Goldart: a finely milled fireclay that has slight roughness and no iron specks. Redart: earthenware clay with 4% iron oxide.  Very plastic and not very refractory. Feldspar: a flux or melting agent that helps bind together the fired clay particles. Ball clay: adds plasticity. Grog or sand: non-plastics used to reduce shrinkage in drying and firing. Kaolin = china clay: a refractory clay no iron or other coloring oxides. Kiln Types: Electric kiln - runs from electricity and results are quite consistent. Gas kiln - runs from gas and can be fired easily with two atmospheric burners. Oil kiln - is usually located where natural gas is not available.  The oil kiln produces a hotter flames. Wood kiln - runs off of wood such as pine, fir, and hemlock burn faster and may result  in a faster heat rise.

Work Area: The ceramics lab is open 24 hours a day.  The lab offers ten wheels, pug mill, slab roller, coil extruder, clay mixer, gas kiln, electric kiln, glaze area, and a spacious working space. Glaze terms Silica - also can be called flint, is the essential glaze ingredient because of its unique property that it does not easily recrystallize when cooled after melting. Flux - a compound that lowers the melting point of another compound. Refractory or stabilizer - helps to form a stronger glaze that will better withstand the wear of normal use and stiffens the molten glaze. Glaze types High-fire - are compound to fire in extreme temperatures and unites the glaze to the body of clay. Medium-fire - combine the smooth, glossy surface and potential for bright colors of low fire glaze with the more durable heat and shock resistance of higher-firing glazes. Low-firing - are subdivided into lead-free or lead-containing glazes. the bright, shiny colors of commercial low-firing glazes, but matte surfaces, burnishing, and terra sigillata all can add variety. Alkaline - are high in the alkalies sodium, potassium, or lithium and encourage bright color effects, particulary turquoise-blue from copper. Lead - a low fired glaze which is very toxic that gives a bright and glossy surface. salt - also called vapor glazing as the primary glaze on the outside of the ware is formed by sodium vapors blowing through the kiln. Raku - are usually applied to stoneware bodies containing a high proportion of grog, usually 30 percent of the body, in order to withstand the rapid heating and cooling.