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CERAMICS
Bisque. Preliminary Firing to harden the ware for glazing.Burnishing. Dry polishing of a hardened unfired piece to produce a glaze like surface which may be fired.
Casting. A method of reproducing in quantity by using liquid clay and molds.
Celadon Glazes. A gray-green semi-opaque to opaque glaze (reduction fired.)
China Paint(ing). A low fire glaze decoration applied to already glazed and fired whiteware or porcelain.
Clay Body. A composition of various ceramic materials.
Coiling. Building the walls of pottery with rope-like rolls of clay, then smoothing the joints.
Cone. Thin, finger-length pyramid of ceramic material made to bend and melt at prescribed temperatures, providing a visual indication of temperature in the kiln.
Crackle Glaze. One featuring minute, decorative cracks, sometimes accented by rubbing color.
Crystal(line) Glazes. Those featuring clusters of crystal-like shapes or colors within a more uniform, opaque glaze.
Earthenware. Tan or reddish pottery fired at a low temperature. In an unglazed form, its porosity prevents it from holding liquids.
Flameware. A flameproof ware, as distinct from ovenware.
Glaze. The glassy surface coating of pottery. Many varieties are available.
Hand Built. The finished object is assembles by hand. It may include wheelthrown, cast, coiled and/or slab elements.
Inlay. A technique of decoration in which the object is incised with a design, a colored clay is pressed into the incisions, and the piece is then scraped to confine the colored inlay to the incisions.
Low Fired. Clay fired at a temperature sufficient to fuse it into a solid mass, but too low to make it completely non-absorbent.
Low Fire Glazes. Low-temperature finishes, usually associated with bright and shiny colors.
Luster. A metallic or iridescent effect resulting from the application of a thin film of metallic oxide.
Mat(te). A non-gloss or dull-surface glaze.
Oxidation (or Oxidation Fired). Firing ceramic ware at high temperatures and without adjusting the atmosphere inside the kiln. It results in lighter, brighter colorations of glazes.
Porcelain. A hardy clay body which is glasseous white and sometime transparent.
Raku. Porous earthenware originally made in Japan and associated with the Tea Ceremony. It often has a scorched look: a result of the rapid cooling in combustible materials.
Ram Pressed. Clay pressed into a mold by a machine allowing multiple reproduction of the same design.
Reduction.(or Reduction Fired). Firing ceramic ware at high temperatures and in the presence of added carbon to reduce the percentage of oxygen in the kiln. This produces muted and subtle color variations.
Saggar. A clay box in which pottery is fired to protect the ware from flame and ash.
Salt Glaze. A hard, glassy glaze resulting from the vapors created by the introduction of salt into the hot kiln atmosphere. It frequently results in an orange-peel texture.
Sawdust-Fired. A primitive firing technique in which slow-burning sawdust produces subtle gradations of color.
Slab Built. Ceramic ware formed from flat pieces or slabs rolled for that purpose.
Slip Casting. Producing objects using plaster molds and liquid clay (slip). This method allows for multiple reproduction of the same design.
Slip Glazes. Watery clay used for decorative effects and applied by pouring, dipping, brush and spray.
Stain. Any oxide or prepared pigment used for coloring bodies, slips or glazes.
Stoneware. Natural clay, or blend of clays, which is fired over 2100 degrees Fahrenheit for little or no absorbency. It differs from porcelain principally in color, being gray, tan or reddish.
Terra Cotta. Hard, unglazed, brown-red earthenware clay, most often used for ceramic sculpture, including small figures and architectural ornaments.
Underglaze. Pigments applied to the raw clay or bisque and covered with a transparent glaze, having the advantage of permanence.
Wax Resist. Decoration by applying warm wax to pottery or a layer of glaze so that a successive layer of glaze will not adhere to the wax decorated area.
Wheel Thrown. Forming of pottery by the action of the potter's fingers and hands against clay centered on the revolving platform of a potter's wheel.
Whiteware. Generic term for white clay bodies usually high in kaolin.
FIBER
Appliqu». Stitchery in which a design is created by sewing pieces of fabric or other materials to a fabric background.Batik. (1) A method of applying dye to cloth which is covered in part with a dye-resistant, removable substance such as wax. After dying, the wax is removed, and the design appears in the original color against the newly colored background. (2) The cloth itself.
Faille. A woven cotton, rayon or silk fabric showing a slight ribbing.
Felting. (1) Fabric made of unspun wool (sometimes with fur and other natural or synthetic fibers) which is matted together with moister, heat and pressure. (2) A fabric resembling this, such as highly napped cotton.
Hand-screened. Stencil-printed cloth to which one or more colors are applied by hand through stretched, fine-meshed ''screens'' of silk or organdy. The mesh is blocked where color is not wanted.
Harness. The frame of a loom upon which the heddles are placed. Warp threads are drawn through the eyes of the heddles, which move up and down as the shuttle with the weft yarn passes by. The movement of the heddles determines the pattern.
Ikat. Yarn which is either tie-dyed or painted before being woven into fabric.
Overshot. A distinct weaving pattern or the technique for achieving it. It involves a special loom threading and the use of heavy yarn (alternating with finer yarn) in the weft or narrow direction.
Plangi. Woven fabric pattern-decorated by tie-dying: that is, by tying or knotting parts of the fabric so that it will not absorb the dye.
Resist (Resist Dye). Patterning of yarn or textile by covering certain areas, usually with liquid wax, before dyeing.
Tapestry. A weft faced fabric, often with slits where colors meet.
Trapunto. Decorative quilting in which the design is outline-stitched in two layers of fabric, then padded heavily between to form a high relief.
Warp. The yarn which runs the long way in cloth made on a loom. It is under tension during weaving and is usually stronger than the ''weft'' or ''fill'' yarns which run across it.
Weaving. The process of making fabric by interlacing a series of warp yarns with the weft yarns at right angles.
Weft-faced. A tapestry weave in which the yarn running the short way is dominant in the design.
GLASS
Batch. A quantity of raw materials mixed in proper proportions and prepared for fusion in the glass furnace.Cameo/Intaglio. A technique in which the finished glass form is covered with another coating of glass of a different color into which is carved or etched a design which exposes the base color.
Cased Glass. Glass completely covered (through blowing or dipping) by other, usually differently colored, glass. Outer layers can be partially cut away to reveal color(s) of the previous ''castings'' beneath.
Copper Foil Technique. Joining glass by applying adhesive copper tape to each piece and soldering the copper together.
Enameled Glass. Decorated with particles of translucent, usually colored, glass or glass-like material, which fuses to the surface under heat. Multi-colored designs as well as monochrome coatings can be created.
Etched Glass. Glass decorated or otherwise marked by the use of hydrofluoric acid. The glass is first covered with an acid-resistant wax or gum, the design is drawn through the resist with a point and the exposed glass is etched by the acid.
Free Blown (Freehand Blown). Glassware shaped by air pressure, such as mouth-blowing through a metal tube (''pipe'') to which molten glass adheres.
Fumed Glass. Glass with an iridescent surface.
Graal Technique. Glass which is ''blown twice.'' Glass is made with a color overlay which is then cut, etched or sandblasted with a decoration. The piece is subjected again to the heat of the furnace to impart fluidity and smoothness to the design and then encased in lead crystal.
Hot Glass. Glass worked in its molten state directly from the furnace, usually in three dimensions. The term is used in opposition to ''Stained Glass,'' which is usually flat worked cold.
Lamp Work. The technique of manipulating glass by heating it with a small flame.
Leaded Glass. Glass containing a percentage of lead oxide, which increases its density and improves its ability to refract and disperse light. It is used for ornaments, decorative and luxury tableware.
Off-Hand Blown Glass. That which is shaped and finished by blowing and with hand tools rather than by using molds.
Sand-Blasted Glass. Glass whose surface is blown with fine sand under high pressure. It results in a roughened, non-transparent surface (commonly called ''frosted''). Deeply engraved patterns can also be produced by using protective stencils.
Slumped Glass. Pre-cast glass, such as plate glass, which is heat-softened and molded over forms.
Soda-Lime Crystal. A type of glass not particularly resistant to heat and used in windows and bottles.
Surface Decoration. Many chemical and physical substances are applied to hot glass during the blowing process, often by rolling the hot glass over a table on which a substance has been sprinkled. Commonly used are powdered or crushed glass and silver nitrate.
LEATHER
Boiling. A water-forming technique in which leather is immersed for a short time in boiling water, causing the leather to bend and pucker. When dry, the leather is extremely hard, though fragile.Carving. A decorative technique in which the surface of the leather is cut with a swivel knife and the background is depressed using modeling tools or stamps . Also called incising.
Chrome Tanning. A tanning process using salts of chromium to make leathers that are especially supple and suitable for bags, garments, etc.
Cuir-Bouilli. (''kweer-boo-ee'') Literally, boiled leather. A general term for leather that is water-formed.
Embossing. A decorative technique in which a design is raised in relief, working with modeling tools on both hair (grain) side and flesh (inner) side.
Flesh Side. The side of the leather that was closest to the musculature of the animal; the inner side.
Glue Resist. A decorative technique in which a removable glue is applied to the leather before it is dyed. The dye cannot penetrate the glue protected areas.
Laminating. A technique of bonding layers of leather together under pressure for strength, thickness or visual effect.
Saddle Stitching. A two-handed stitching technique using a needle at both ends of a single thread. It produces a uniform stitch on both sides of the leather.
Stamping. A technique of using handmade or commercial metal stamps on damp leather to create a pattern or to depress the background of a carved piece.
Split. The inner layer of the leather cut from the top grain portion.
Suede. A type of leather in which the flesh side is buffed smooth. Suede splits are buffed on both sides.
Tooling. General name given to several related techniques of working vegetable-tanned leather to create effects of low relief: carving, stamping, embossing, etc.
Top-Grain. The outer surface of the hide, still possessing the original grain surface; the hair side.
Vegetable Tanning (or Oak, Bark Tanning). A tanning process using extracts of tannic acid, that makes strong leathers suitable for belts, bags, etc., and that can be water-formed.
Water-Formed (Wet-Formed). A technique in which leather is dampened to make it more pliable, and worked freehand or over a mold or last. When dry, the leather will retain its shape.
METAL
Base Metal. Any metal other than a precious metal, such as copper or zinc.Casting. The process of pouring molten metal into a hollow mold. The cast metal duplicates the object (wood, hard wax, etc.) originally impressed in the mold material. Some processes permit more than one reproduction.
Champleve. (''shahm-pleh-VAY'') Enamel work in which transparent or opaque enamel is fired into etched or carved areas, leaving the metal partly exposed.
Chased. Metal whose surface is patterned by striking with a hammer or other non-cutting tool. Applied to one surface of the metal only, this process is often combined with repousse to achieve greater detail.
Cloisonn». Enameling in which the colors are separated by thin metal ribbons or wires to maintain the pattern and keep the melting colors from running together.
Constructed. (1) Hand made in parts and assembled to form a whole. (2) Not cast.
Electroformed. Creation of a metal object by electrically depositing metal on a master form of wax. After the wax is removed, a metal shell remains.
Electroplated. Coated with a thin layer of (usually precious) metal by passing an electric current through a chemical solution containing a source of the metal.
Enamel. A usually opaque vitreous composition applied by fusion to the surface of metal, glass or pottery.
Epoxy. A plastic coating applied to the surface of metal which may look like enameling.
Fabrication. Making a object in parts and assembling it to form a whole.
Forged. Metal shaped, usually by hammering, while at a red or white heat in blacksmithing, but usually cold in jewelry.
Granulation. Tiny balls of metal heat-fused to a metal surface without the use of solder.
Grisaille. (''grih-ZI'') Enameling made by firing various layers of fine, white opaque enamel on an opaque black background.
Holloware. Vessels, such as bowls and pitchers.
Lapidary. The art of cutting, polishing and engraving precious stones.
Lost Wax Casting. A one-time reproduction process in which an object (as of wax) is impressed into sand or surrounded with a special plaster to make a mold. The wax is burned out, and molten metal takes the form of the ''lost'' wax.
Married Metal. Patterns or imagery developed by joining various colored alloys, such as of bronze, copper, and silver adjacent to one another.
Oxidize. Natural darkening and coloring of metal when exposed to oxides in the air. Can be accelerated or controlled for effect.
Patina. (1) A Surface coloring, usually brown or green, produced by oxidation of bronze or can be produced artificially for decorative effect. (2) The substance used to produce the effect. (3) A surface luster occurring from age or use.
Plique-A-Jour. (''PLEEK-ah-ZHOOR'') Enameling in which transparent enamels fill small openings in metal, suggesting stained glass windows.
Raised. Hammering a flat sheet of metal into a container-type form.
Repousse. (''reh-poo-SAY'') A design raised in relief on a metal surface, or the process of hammering (on both sides) to achieve it.
Resin. A plastic which may be bonded to metal or cast in molds.
Reticulated. A metal surface delicately wrinkled by a special heating process.
Sand-Cast. To produce a casting by pouring molten metal into sand molds.
Scrimshaw. Whalebone or similar material having intricate scenes or designs engraved on its surface. Ink is then rubbed into the engraved lines for contrast and definition.
Wrought. Shaped by beating or hammering, often elaborately, for decorative effect. Wrought iron is also a low-carbon metal which can be elongated without breakage and is resistant to corrosion.
WOOD
Band Saw. A power saw employing a continuous loop of toothed metal band.Burl. A some-shaped growth on the trunk of a tree.
Holtzapffel Lathe. A traditional woodturning machine with carving attachments powered by the lathe instead of by hand; used for ornamental or decorative work.
Jig Saw. A narrow saw mounted vertically in a frame for cutting curves or other difficult lines.
Laminated. Composed of layers bonded together for strength, thickness or decoration.
Marquetry. Decorative patterns formed when thin layers of wood (and sometimes other materials such as ivory) are inlaid into the surface, usually of furniture.
Mortise. A notch, hole, groove or slot made in a piece of wood to receive a tenon of the same dimensions.
Router. A machine with a vertical, drill-like cutter for cutting designs into wood or for decoratively edging it.
Spalted. Naturally decayed wood with distinctive markings; used for its decorative effect.
Tenon. A projection on the end of a piece of wood.
Turned. Wood shaped by tools while it revolves about a fixed axis, such as a lathe. Cylindrical forms (dowels, rungs) and circular designs are made in this way.
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