Wedging is the process of kneading clay. It is important to remove all air bubbles and blend evenly.
Adding small amounts of clay to water creates slip, a mixture with the consistency of mayonnaise. Slip is used for attaching pieces together, decorating and casting. Slurry is a very thick slip. Pugging is mixing clay and slip.
Firing is the process of heating clay to a specific temperature to preserve the piece. Firing range refers to the temperature at which clay cooks or glazes melt.
A kiln is like an oven for firing clay. It is a furnace made of clay refractory bricks. Kiln shelves are used for firing multiple pieces. Stacking is loading the kiln to maximum capacity. Firebricks are insulation bricks that hold the heat of the kiln at high temperatures. Cones are placed in holes in the kiln to detect temperatures. They bend at specific temperatures and inform the potter to turn the kiln off.
Glazing adds color to already fired clay with a very thin coat of glass. It is silicate coating that is made by heat fusion of inorganic materials. Dry-footing is the act of spreading the bottom of the piece with clay to keep it free of glaze. Glaze firing is the final firing of the clay, to set the glaze. Glazes come in opaque, gloss and transparent.
A potter's wheel is a mechanized device with a rotating table used to create pottery. Throwing is the act of making shapes on a potter's wheel and centering is pushing the clay into a symmetrical form while on the wheel.
Bisque firing is the first firing with no glazes. The pottery is called greenware before it is fired.
Slabs are pieces of clay that have been rolled into flat sections. Coils are pieces of clay rolled into a cord-like shape, used for decorating or making coil pots. Pinching is the act of squeezing clay together to manipulate it into specific forms. Compressing is the act of pushing the particles of the clay closer together.
A rib is a tool used to help throwing clay on the wheel. Calipers are tools used to measure the diameter of round pieces, usually in ceramics. An anvil is used to support the inside of a piece while the outside is being worked on. A burnishing tool creates a hard, leather surface when run along a fired vessel.