Bisque A fired (vitreous) piece of unglazed clay. Bisque Stain Color ( stain ) that is applied to bisque and does not require firing China High quality porcelain. Collar Section added to a kiln for additional height. Cone Holder Needed for support by some pyrometric witness cones. While still a valid method of securing witness cones, Evenheat prefers the use of a "self-supporting" witness cone, which needs no cone holder. Cone (Pyrometric ) Used in a kiln, a pyrometric cone deforms when the proper heat work is achieved. Various cones are made to either trigger mechanical shut off (Dawson Kiln Sitter ) or to act as a witness to kiln conditions.
	Cratering Ceramic term. Broken bubbles in glazed surfaces. Usually indicates underfiring. Crazing Small hairline cracks in glazed surfaces. Decal A picture or design transferred to a finished glaze and fired. Dry Footing Removing glaze from the bottom of ware to eliminate stilting. Eliminates glaze from sticking to the shelf. Element High temperature coils inside the kiln that produce the heat. Firing Process of heating the ware inside a kiln until matured. Furniture A collective term for the various posts and shelving used to support and separate the ware within the kiln chamber. Glaze A thin, smooth coating of ground glass, suspended in a liquid, applied to bisque or greenware which produces a hard glass-like surface when fired. Greenware Unfired clay objects. Heatwork The combined measure of time and temperature. Both time or speed of the firing along with the final temperature determine the amount of heatwork accomplished. Pyrometric cones deform at particular heatwork values. Kiln An oven or furnace which produces very high temperatures Kiln Sitter A mechanical device that shuts the kiln off when a small pyrometric cone receives the proper amount of heatwork. Kiln Wash A protective coating used to keep glazes from sticking to the kiln floor and shelves     Limit Timer A back up device for the kiln sitter. The limit timer shuts the kiln off, using a timer motor, in the event of a kiln sitter failure. Luster An overglaze, when applied to a glazed surface, that produces a radiant and brilliant effect. For example : mother of pearl. Maturity When ware and glazes have reached their proper heatwork. Mold As a verb: to shape clay. As a noun: a plaster form that liquid clay slip is poured into to manufacture greenware. Nesting Greenware that can be stacked only during a low fire firing. "One Fire" Glaze applied to greenware and fired once. Over- Glaze Any decoration that is applied over a glazed surface and fired. Peepholes Openings in the side of kilns for ventilation and visual inspection of the kiln during firing Pinholes Small holes in the glazed surface of the ware after firing. Porcelain A clay body that requires a high fire to become vitreous. Posts Refractory material used to support shelves at different heights inside the kiln. Pyrometer The pyrometer is a meter that indicates high temperatures. In order to work, a pyrometer must have a thermocouple (temperature sensor) connected to it. Refractory A high temperature material. Shelves Sometimes referred to as plates. Refractory slabs used to support ware inside the kiln. This enables the entire kiln to be utilized. Slip Liquid clay that is poured into molds to produce greenware. Silica (Flint ) Material used in making kiln wash. Silica sand is used for propping porcelain. Soaking Holding the kiln temperature at a desired temperature. Is also referred to as "dwell" time. Soft Fire Firing porcelain slip to cone 018 to harden and give the ability to clean with water. Ware fired to this stage is commonly labeled SFGW Stilts Single or multi-pointed supports that are used to keep the ware from having contact with the shelves during a glaze firing. This eliminates the ware from adhering to the shelves. Stoneware A high fired ceramic body which is vitreous, not translucent and usually made of native clays. Thermocouple The temperature sensing probe of a pyrometer. It's inserted into the kiln chamber to measure temperature. Thermal Shock Ware that has cracked after removing it from the kiln. Usually caused by removing ware while it's too hot. Underglaze Colored slip which is applied directly to the greenware. Venting Allowing moisture and gases to escape from the kiln during firing. Vitreous A hard, nonporous surface.