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Kellerton Ceramics is a Partner between Husband
& Wife. Gillian & David Nash. Pottery, vessels and other
articles made of clay that is permanently hardened by firing in a
kiln. The nature and type of pottery is determined by the
composition of the clay and the way it is prepared; the
temperature at which it is fired; and the glazes used. It is
distinct from porcelain in being porous and opaque; fired at a
temperature lower than that required for porcelain, it does not
undergo vitrification.
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II. Types, Procedures, and TechniquesPrint section Earthenware
is porous pottery, usually fired at the lowest kiln temperatures
(900°-1200° C/1652°-2192° F). Depending on the clay used, it
turns buff, red, brown, or black when fired. To be made
waterproof, it must be glazed. Nearly all ancient, medieval,
Middle Eastern, and European painted ceramics are earthenware, as
is much contemporary household dinnerware. Stoneware, water-resistant
and much more durable, is fired at temperatures of 1200°-1280°
C (2191°-2336° F). The clay turns white, buff, grey, or red and
is glazed for aesthetic reasons. (Pottery fired at about 1200° C/2192°
F is sometimes called middle-fire ware; its earthenware or
stoneware traits vary from clay to clay.) Stoneware was made by
the Chinese in antiquity and became known in northern Europe
after the Renaissance. A. Preparing and Shaping the ClayPrint
section The potter can remove some of the coarse foreign matter
natural to secondary clays, or it can be used in various
quantities for different effects. A certain amount of coarse
grain in the clay helps the vessel retain its shape during
firing, and potters using fine-grained clays often “temper”
the clay by adding coarser materials such as sand, fine stones,
ground shells, or grog (fired and pulverized clay) before
kneading the clay into workable condition. The plasticity of clay
allows pottery to be shaped in several traditional ways. The clay
can be flattened and then shaped by being pressed against the
inside or outside of a mould—a stone or basket, or a clay or
plaster form. Liquid clay can be poured into plaster moulds. A
pot can be coil built: clay is rolled between the palms of the
hands and extended into long coils, a coil is formed into a ring,
and the pot is built up by superimposed rings. Also, a ball of
clay can be pinched into a desired shape. The most sophisticated
pottery-making technique is wheel throwing. The potter's wheel,
invented in the 4th millennium BC, is a flat disc that revolves
horizontally on a pivot. Both hands—one on the inside and
the other on the outside of the clay—are free to shape the
pot from a ball of clay that is placed at the centre of the
rotating wheel head. Some wheels are set in motion by a stick
that fits into a notch in the wheel (often activated by an
assistant); called a handwheel, this is the classical wheel of
Japanese potters. In 16th-century Europe, with the addition of a
flywheel separate from the wheel head and mounted in a frame, the
potter could control the wheel by kicking the flywheel. A kick
bar, or foot treadle, was added in the 19th century. In the 20th
century the electric wheel with a variable-speed motor has
allowed greater and more regulated rotating speed.
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