Clay

Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals. Clays
develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay particles, but
become hard, brittle and non–plastic upon drying or firing. Most pure clay minerals are white or light-
coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impurities, such as a reddish or brownish
colour from small amounts of iron oxide.
Clay is the oldest known ceramic material. Prehistoric humans discovered the useful properties of
clay and used it for making pottery. Clay is used in many modern industrial processes, such
as paper making, cement production, and chemical filtering. Between one-half and two-thirds of the
world's population live or work in buildings made with clay, often baked into brick, as an essential part
of its load-bearing structure.

How clay is formed?

Clay is made from feldspar, which is defined as "any group of rock-forming minerals that make up a
large proportion of the earth’s crust." Also, a variety of feldspar is moonstone, which is a stunning
stone. It’s no wonder clay is one of the earliest known building materials on earth. Clay rocks can
contain up to 40 percent of water within them.

Plasticity in Clay
Plasticity refers to how flexible a clay or clay body is. Any particular clay's plasticity is greatly
influenced by the clay's particle size, water content, and aging. It’s also known as "the quality or state
of being plastic; especially: a capacity for being molded or altered."

It is easy to find out how plastic a clay is. Make a coil of the clay and then wrap it around your finger.
A plastic clay will not crack or break. Non-plastic clays will. The firing process for your clay is
extremely important as all clay bodies "mature" at different temperatures. Essentially "mature means
fired to the point for which they were formulated." As "when a clay body is vitreous, it means that
water cannot be absorbed into the clay when it is fired to maturity."
Ball clays are very plastic as they’re made up of very fine particles, which makes them very sticky.
Ball clay is great to shape and very strong, but beware they do shrink a great deal during the firing
process.

What Can Affect Clay’s Plasticity?

Small organisms can grow within clay; these organisms help increase a clay's plasticity. Some
potters believe that mixing clay with water and aging a clay can help increase its plasticity. It’s best to
look at your different types of clay first to assess how plastic you need your ware to be.
It is important not to add too much water to your ceramic ware while you are making it (although it
can be tempting if you are throwing on the wheel) and it’s also important to make sure you don’t dry
your piece out too quickly. If you do this and the water leaves the clay body too quickly, it can crack

Shrinkage of Clay
Clay shrinks both during the drying process and the firing process. Shrinkage in the drying process
occurs due to the loss of water layers. The finer the particle size of the clay, the more water layers;
hence the more shrinkage."When clay is fired above low-fire temperatures, glass begins forming
within the platelets and seeps into the intervening spaces or voids.
As this happens, the platelets shrink, causing firing shrinkage." It's obvious why shrinkage is an
important thing to consider in architectural projects, in which precise measurements are crucial, but
clay shrinkage is also an important consideration in functional ware. Clay shrinkage can impact glaze
fit and poor glaze fit can cause crazing or glaze shivering problems and reduced strength of your fired
wares.

Porosity
Porosity depends on the size, shape, and mixture of grains and particles that compose soil and rock.
For instance, small particles such as clays are able to compact more closely together, reducing the
amount of porosity.
The reasons that clay-size materials have higher porosity (or lower bulk density) than sand-size
materials is because of surface tension, capillarity, and the crystal structure of some clay minerals.

(1) Clay-size particles (<0.004 millimetres in diameter) are so small that molecules of water actually
adhere to the particle surfaces and form cushions between the clay-size particles.

(2) In addition, the pore spaces and pore throats within a dry aggregate of clay particles (commonly
depicted as arranged like a house-of-cards) have an affinity for water. Water will actually "wick" into
the small spaces in between the clay-size particles. [Place your wet tongue against an aggregate of
clay to feel the capillary forces.

(3) Lastly, some clay minerals have water molecules as an integral part of the clay mineral structure
(smectite clays, for instance).

For all the above reasons, clay-size particles have porosities ranging from about 50 to 80% at the
sediment-water interface. In contrast, sand size materials range from about 35 to 42% porosity at the
sediment-water interface.

With burial and compaction, the water between the clay-size particles is driven out and the porosity of
clay- and sand-size materials converges to a similar or comparable value (at burial depths between
5,000 to 8,000 feet).

At depths greater than about 8,000 feet, the porosity of the sand-size material is commonly greater
than the porosity of the clay-size materials.

Aging of Clay

Aging in clay is achieved by leaving it untouched for a certain time, so it matures and become more
workable. It can be kept in
caves, damp rooms, airtight plastic buckets and plastic bags. In the past it was kept in caves for two
or more years. Aging lets
the dampness penetrate between the particles and gives it a higher plasticity.

Vitrification

Vitrification is the hardening, tightening and finally the partial glassification of the clay. Vitrification
results from fusions or melting of the various components of the clay. The strength of fired clay is
increased by the formation of new crystalline growth within the clay body, particularly the growth of
mullite crystals. Mullite is an aluminum silicate characterized by a long needlelike crystal. These lace
the structure together, giving it cohesion and strength.

Shrinkage happens at the vitrification stage. This is due to diminished size of the particles as they
approach fusion and to the closer arrangement of particles in their glassy matrix. The firing shrinkage
of a clay is usually about the same as the drying shrinkage. Total shrinkage will usually be about 8-
12%.

Clays vitrify at various temperatures depending upon their composition. A red clay high in iron and
other impurities might fire to hardness at about 1000 degrees C (1832 degrees F) and melt to liquid
at 1250 degrees C (2282 degrees F). A kaolin body which is very free from impurities might not melt
until over 1800 degrees C (3272 degrees F)! By mixing the ratios of different types of clays that melt
at different temperatures, clay bodies are developed for different firing temperatures.

Klin

An electric kiln is a heating chamber used to transform materials at high

temperatures.

A kiln hardens ceramic bodies using a process invented thousands of years

ago. Clay, when heated properly, becomes hard enough to form tiles and
vessels. Glazes fired over the clay become permanent decoration. Some of
the most beautiful artwork in the world is made of clay. Porcelain from
ancient China is priceless. Through the magic of heat, ordinary clay
becomes strong enough to last many centuries, as history has proven.
A kiln can fuse pieces of stained glass to form unique colours and patterns. Slump sheet glass into a
mould to form bowls and vases. Bend glass strips over moulds to form glass bracelets. Make glass
earrings and pendants.
Kilns harden ceramic bodies, heat treat steel, melt glass into crucibles, fuse layers of stained glass,
melt enamelling powder onto copper jewellery, fire porcelain dolls, fuse clay silver—the applications
are fascinating and endless.

Cone clay

Cones are pieces of ceramic that help you gauge whether a kiln has reached sufficient temperature
and whether the pottery will have been fired the correct amount. Cones measure 'heat-work', which is
a combination of the temperature reached, and the time it took to become that hot.

These cones are used in the firing of many craft and art bodies, for wall tile, glazes and some
structural clay products. The temperature range is approximately 1600° to 2150°F (890° to 1170°C).

Glaze ware
The state of the ceramic art work after the glaze has been applied and the piece has been fired for a
second time.
Glazing can enhance the fired clay piece both on an aesthetic and a functional level. Visually, ceramic
glazes can be decorative and a great source of colour and texture. Practically, glazes can seal your
clay bodies once fired, making them waterproof and food-safe.

Glaze can serve to colour, decorate or waterproof an item. Glazing renders earthenware vessels
suitable for holding liquids, sealing the inherent porosity of unglazed biscuit earthenware. It also gives
a tougher surface. Glaze is also used on stoneware and porcelain.

Bisqueware
Bisque is greenware that has gone through the first bisque firing. Regardless of how dry greenware
becomes, it can still be transformed back into soft clay by introducing it back to water. It is absorbent
and will readily lose its fashioned shape if it is made wet again

Bisqueware is clay pottery that has been fired in a kiln or pottery oven. You can use acrylic paint on
bisqueware, or you can paint it with an underglaze to fire in a kiln again. The advantage of using an
underglaze and glaze is that the bisqueware becomes food safe and able to hold water

Leather hard stage of clay

Leather hard clay is partially dried clay. Because it still has around 15% water content, it can still be
worked. However, it is firm enough that it does not distort when handled. Leather hard clay is
versatile and can be trimmed, scored, smoothed, burnished, painted with slip or underglaze, and
joined.

Greenware

Greenware is the term given to clay objects when they have been shaped but have not yet
been bisque fired, which converts them from clay to ceramic. Greenware is unfired pottery. It is very
fragile.

Greenware may be in any of the stages of drying: wet, damp, soft leather-hard, leather-hard, stiff
leather-hard, dry, and bone dry. At this stage, it is still possible to work the object by adding more
clay, or wetting it so it softens and then reshaping it. Greenware should not be used as-is before firing
in the kiln.

Slip (Clay Slurry)

A slip is a clay slurry used to produce pottery and other ceramic wares. Liquified clay, in which there
is no fixed ratio of water and clay, is called slip or clay slurry which is used either for joining leather-
hard (semi-hardened) clay body (pieces of pottery) together by slip
casting with mould, glazing or decorating the pottery by painting or dipping the pottery with
slip. Pottery on which slip has been applied either for glazing or decoration is called the slipware.

Aging In Clay
Aging in clay is achieved by leaving it untouched for a certain time, so it matures and become more
workable. It can be kept in caves, damp rooms, airtight plastic buckets and plastic bags. In the past it
was kept in caves for two or more years. Aging lets the dampness penetrate between the particles
and gives it a higher plasticity

Wedging of Clay

Wedging prepares the clay for optimal use. Wedging makes the clay more pliable, ensures a uniform
consistency, and removes air pockets as well as small hard spots in the clay before you use or reuse
the clay for a project. When reclaiming clay, wedging ensures all the clay is incorporates together.
Wedging the clay before throwing makes the clay more supple. There are a few different ways to
wedge clay.

Types:
 Kneading- essential to even out the clay body and remove air bubbles which can cause bloating
or explosions during firing
 Spiral Kneading- useful for larger amounts of clay, a cut through the clay mass will show a
developing spiral.
 Ox-Head Kneading- easier of the two methods demonstrated, rocking and pushing it makes it
become smooth and thoroughly mixed with no air bubbles.

Firing cycle
There are 3 main stages of firing clay. The first stage is the drying
process. Clay needs to be bone dry before it’s fired. The second
stage is bisque firing. During the bisque fire soluble greenware clay is
transformed into ceramic material. The third stage is the glaze fire.

The Stages of Firing Clay

Drying clay properly is essential for firing successfully. Therefore,

before you turn your kiln on, it’s important to understand a bit about
the drying process.

Stage 1 – Drying Clay

The clay is let to dry out thoroughly before it’s fired. When clay is completely dry, it is called bone dry
clay
. This refers to when clay is as dry as it can be before it is fired.
It’s important that clay is dry before you fire it because damp clay can explode in the kiln
. This is because when moisture reaches the boiling point of water at 212F (100C), it turns to steam.
When water turns to steam, it expands rapidly.
When you make pottery, it’s a good idea to avoid trapping bubbles of air in the clay. But, air pockets
do sometimes form in your pottery. And if water turns into steam and expands quickly into those air
pockets, it can cause pot to explode.
The way to avoid this is to ensure that your pots are as dry as possible before firing them.

Stage 2 – Bisque Firing Clay

Once the pottery is bone dry, it is normally fired two times. The first firing in the kiln is called the
bisque fire. This is sometimes called biscuit firing.
Bone dry pottery, that has not been fired, is still raw clay. Bone dry clay is:
Fragile – it breaks very easily. If it gets gently knocked by accident, it will shatter and details like
handles will break off easily.
Soluble – if you submerge bone dry clay in water it will dissolve and return to its plastic workable
state.
For those reasons, bone dry clay is not very practical or useful.
During a bisque fire, pottery is turned from clay into ceramic. Ceramic materials is:
Hard and brittle – bisque fired pottery is much stronger than bone dry clay. Forexample, you can pick
up a bisque fired mug without worrying that the handle will break off.
Non-soluble – this means that if you submerge bisque pottery in water, it will absorb water, but it
won’t dissolve. Wet bisque stays intact, unlike unfired clay, which dissolves, or ‘slakes down’ in the
water.

Bisque Firing Temperatures

Usually, potters will bisque fire their clay to a target temperature in the range of 1823-1940F (995-
1060C). Pottery is normally bisque fired in this temperature range regardless of what type of clay is
being used.
By adjusting the bisque firing temperature, a bit, potters can change the properties of the bisque
pottery a little. But, bisque firing is almost always a‘low fire’ process.
Once clay has been bisque fired, it’s ready to be glazed.
Pottery glaze is made up of ceramic materials suspended in water to form a liquid. You apply liquid
glaze to bisque ware and then it goes into a glaze firing.
Glaze firing is the last of the stages of firing clay. So, let’s take a look at glaze firing now.

Stage 3 – Glaze Firing Clay

There are two main purposes of glazing pottery

. The first is decorative. Glazing can give potter a range of colours, textures, and finishes. The
seconds functional. Glaze coats the pottery in a layer glassy layer that makes the pottery water-
resistant and sometimes waterproof.

Pottery glaze is applied to bisqueware in a liquid form. It can be applied by painting, pouring, dipping,
and airbrushing. When glaze is applied to bisqueware, it dries out quickly. The reason is that the
bisque ware is very porous and draws the water out of the glaze quickly.
As the glaze dries on the pot a layer of the glaze materials adheres to the surface. Several layers of
glaze normally need to be applied to a piece of bisqueware. Though the number of layers varies
according to how it’s applied and the kind of glaze used.
Once the glaze has dried on the pot, it’s ready for its second firing. This is called the glaze fire, or
sometimes glost firing. During the glaze fire, the ingredients in the glaze transform.
Some of the materials in glaze are known a glass-formers. Once they reach a certain temperature,
they melt and form liquid glass. This liquid glass coats the pot, and as the kiln cools, the glaze
hardens again to form a glazed surface.

Glaze Firing Temperatures

The temperature that you glaze fire your pottery at depends on the kind ofc lay you have used. If
you’ve used earthenware clay, then the glaze firing will usually be around the same temperature as a
bisque fire.
In fact, often when glazing earthenware, the glaze fire might be a slightly lower temperature. In a
glaze fire, the clay itself continues to mature. Sometimes carbons and impurities in the clay are not
fully burned out in the bisque fire.
If the temperature of the glaze fire is higher than the bisque fire the burn out process continues.
These impurities can form gases as they escape the clay body, and these gases can cause defects
in the glaze. The defects include blisters in the glaze, little pinholes in the texture, and a cloudy finish
.
If the glaze fire temperature is below the bisque fire temperature, you can avoid these glaze defects.
So, often it’s recommended when glazing earthenware to bisque fire at to around 1940F (1060C).
And to glaze fire just below this temperature, at around 1823F (995C).
Like clay, glaze also matures. And glazes suitable for earthenware clay melt at lower temperatures
than stoneware glazes.
If you have made your pots out of stoneware clay, then you need to select a different type of glaze.
For stoneware clay, you need a mid or high fire glaze. This means choosing a glaze that matures at a
higher temperature.

Types of Clay used in construction:

For those with more specific needs, we stock a wide range of useful materials (e.g. naturally
pigmented clays or even our standard ceramic mixes).
 The Brick Clays.
 Fired clay.
 Porcelain clay.
 Stoneware clay.
 Earthenware clay.
 Mudwall clay.
 Claywall.
 Burnt Clay.
Uses of clay in construction

Clay is used around the world as a construction material, most commonly baked into brick or roof
tiles. The relative ease with which clay can be extracted from the ground and processed – e.g. by
adding water to change its shape, or increasing its strength by adding straw, sand, etc. – means that
it can be considered 'sustainable'. In addition, it provides relatively good thermal
insulation and thermal mass.

Clay is also an important ingredient in composite materials such as adobe, cob, rammed earth, wattle
and daub, clay plaster, clay mortar, ceramics, and so on.

Clay has good robustness, stability and durability. It is fire-resistant and capable of withstanding
seismic activity, giving it a potential lifespan of 100 years or more