Clay and Glazes for the Potter

My purpose in writing this book has been to present in as clear and understandable form as possible the important facts about ceramic materials and their use in pottery. 


The ceramic medium has a rich potential. It is so various and adaptable that each culture and each succeeding generation finds in it a new means of expression. As a medium, it is capable of great beauty of form, color, and texture, and its expressions are unique not only for variety but for permanence and utility as well. To make full use of the medium, the ceramist or potter not only needs skill, imagination, and artistic vision, but he also needs to have a sound knowledge of the technical side of the craft. This knowledge has not been easy to come by, and many of those seriously engaged in pottery have learned through endless experimentation and discouraging failures. It is hoped that the present work will enable the creative worker to go more directly to his goal in pottery, and that it will enable him to experiment intelligently and with a minimum of lost effort. While technical information must not be considered as an end in itself, it is a necessary prerequisite to a free and creative choice of means in ceramics. 


None of the subjects included are dealt with exhaustively, and I have tried not to overwhelm the reader with details. The information given is presented in as practical form as possible, and no more technical data or chemical theory is given than has been thought necessary to clarify the subject. 


This work is organized as follows: 


Part One—Clay 

Chapter I. Geologic Origins of Clay 

Chapter 2. The Chemical Composition of Clay 

Chapter 3. The Physical Nature of Clay 

Chapter 4. Drying and Firing Clay 

Chapter 5. Kinds of Clay 

Chapter 6. Clay Bodies 

Chapter 7. Mining and Preparing Clay 


Part Two—Glazes 

Chapter 8. The Nature of Glass and Glazes 

Chapter 9. Early Types of Glazes 

Chapter 10. The Oxides and Their Function in Glaze Forming 

Chapter 11. Glaze Materials 

Chapter 12. Glaze Calculations, Theory and Objectives 

Chapter 13. Glaze Calculation Using Materials Containing More Than One Oxide 

Chapter 14. Calculating Glaze Formulas from Batches or Recipes 

Chapter 15. Practical Problems in Glaze Calculation 

Chapter 16. The Composition of Glazes 

Chapter 17. Types of Glazes 

Chapter 18. Originating Glaze Formulas 

Chapter 19. Fritted Glazes 

Chapter 20. Glaze Textures 

Chapter 21. Sources of Color in Glazes 

Chapter 22. Methods of Compounding and Blending Colored Glazes 

Chapter 23. Glaze Mixing and Application 

Chapter 24. Firing Glazes 

Chapter 25. Glaze Flaws 

Chapter 26. Engobes 

Chapter 27. Underglaze Colors and Decoration 

Chapter 28. Overglaze Decoration 

Chapter 29. Reduction Firing and Reduction Glazes 

Chapter 30. Special Glazes and Glaze Effects