Glossary
What is Estec?
Mechanical throwing using a plaster mould. Technique for producing repeat pieces shaped by a mould.
What is Clay?
Natural material extracted from the earth. Mixed with water it becomes plastic and can be shaped. Once fired in the kiln it becomes hard and permanent.
What is Glaze?
Vitreous layer that fuses onto the piece during firing. Provides color, texture and waterproofing.
What is Wood kiln?
Traditional kiln that uses wood as fuel. Ash and flame create unique, unrepeatable effects on the glaze.
What is Wheel?
Machine that spins the clay while the artisan shapes it with their hands. Used to create symmetrical, rotational pieces.
What is Stoneware?
Type of clay fired at high temperature (1250-1300 °C). Once fired it is waterproof and very strong.
What is Bisque?
First firing of the piece without glaze. Makes it porous and ready to receive glaze.
What is Refractory?
Material that withstands very high temperatures without deforming. Used to build kilns.
What is Terral?
Place where clay chunks from excavations were left before being processed.
What is Bassó?
Square hole dug in the ground, 1.5 × 1.5 m surface and 1 m deep, that collected the first clay that came out.
What is Borrassa?
A thick hemp or jute blanket placed over the clay, sprinkled with water to keep it from drying out.
What is Barrer?
Structure of wooden slats, about 8 cm² cross-section, nailed to the wall in pairs 1.5 m apart, with holes every 25 cm perpendicular to the wall where 1.5 cm diameter cylindrical rods are placed. Used to hold boards with finished pieces for drying. The rods are removable to achieve the desired height.
What is Pugmill?
Machine for kneading clay and making it soft and ready for the wheel; for the estec, the slab roller, or for recycling. It has an intake mouth with two cylinders that feed the clay inside where an auger carries it to the outlet.
What is Ball mill?
Porcelain or metal container that rotates with very hard stone balls inside, water, starch and galena to grind the galena or any solid material that needs to be ground, such as frits.
What is Engalba?
Slip used mainly to coat the raw support and decorate it. It can be white or coloured with oxides or dyes.
What is Llemutja?
Clay trimmings produced when polishing pieces on the wheel.
What is Filter press?
Machine that separates water from liquid clay using pressure, to obtain the right consistency for the wheel or the estec.
What is Clay collar?
Upper part of clay removed from the cast piece before demoulding. Removing them also checked whether the piece thickness was correct while the mould was still full.
What is Botxa?
The thrown (wheel-turned) part of pitchers.
What is Guarnir?
Adding the handle, spout and rim to pitchers; finishing pieces after the main part has been thrown on the wheel.
What is Barbotina?
Mixture of clay and water. Clay cream. Used to join two pieces of clay together, or to lubricate hands while throwing.
What is Galena?
Mineral, lead sulphide (PbS), greyish-blue with metallic lustre.
What is Glazing?
Applying a fluxed, transparent coating to a clay piece to seal pores and make it waterproof after firing.
What is Single firing?
Firing raw clay and glaze together in a single kiln cycle.
What is Leather-hard?
Stage of clay drying where the piece is firm enough to handle but still contains enough moisture to be worked.
What is Sieve?
A frame, usually wooden, with a mesh of varying fineness (bristles, silk thread or metal) used to separate particles of different sizes from glaze components.
What is Dip glazing?
Immersing the bisque piece in a bucket of glaze for a few seconds until the glaze reaches the desired thickness.
What is Spray glazing?
Spraying the piece with glaze using a compressor and spray gun attached to a glaze container, inside a booth with an extractor to avoid inhaling harmful elements.
What is Banding wheel?
A metal disc that rotates on a spindle. Used inside the spray booth for glazing.
What is On-glaze?
Decoration applied on top of the raw glaze, before the second firing.
What is Under-glaze?
Decoration applied onto raw or bisque clay, under a transparent glaze coating.
What is Seguer cones?
Pyramids of clay about 5 cm high, with different compositions, that melt at specific temperatures. Invented by Seguer in 1886.
What is Tarro?
Cylindrical tube about 25 cm in diameter with holes to hold clay rods on which pieces rested in the kiln.
What is Plega?
Stack of pots placed one inside another to maximise kiln space.
What is Pila?
Method of stacking pots of the same size in a column for firing.
What is Fòtils?
Kiln furniture used in wood-fired kilns.
What is Forca?
Long, forked wooden tool used to feed wood into the kiln.
What is Cendrer?
Lower chamber of the kiln where the fire is made.
What is Fogaina?
Kiln chamber above the cendrer, accessed through a sunken doorway.
What is Borrego?
Firing support made of fired clay that allows fire circulation.
What is Pyrometer?
Instrument that measures the temperature inside the kiln and displays it on an analogue or digital reader outside. Modern ones are automatic and programmable.
What is Spray glazing?
Procedure for glazing a piece using a spray gun with a glaze container connected to a compressor.
What is Apretón?
Technique of pressing soft clay against the plaster wall of a mould to obtain its shape. The drawing or texture made beforehand by incising the plaster with a punch or other tools will be marked in relief.
What is Electrolytic bath?
A set of phenomena that occur within an electrolytic solution that coats a resin piece with a metallic layer of gold, silver, copper or bronze.
What is Auger or Archimedes screw?
A screw mechanism that transmits rectilinear and relative motion between two elements by rotating one inside the other.
What is Decal?
Decoration using a special transfer with ceramic pigments that are fired in a third firing.
What is Slip casting?
Procedure for making serial clay pieces using a plaster mould and barbotine.
What is Colourants?
Fired (fritted) metal oxides in powder form, alone or mixed with others, that give colour to varnishes, glazes and pastes.
What is Columns?
Supports of different heights made of refractory material used to build the layers of the kiln load, holding up the shelves.
What is Dry cord?
Line made with charcoal or grease pencil or with oil paint mixed with a little oxide, used to separate glazes cleanly. Applied onto the bisque piece.
What is Raised dry cord?
Technique of incising the drawing line into plaster or linoleum so that it stands proud once the clay has been pressed onto it.
What is Hand decoration?
Normally done with a brush, but can also be done with spatula, sponges, stamps and other tools. Applied on top of or under the glaze coating.
What is Duralex?
Brand of very durable glass used from the 1950s onwards.
What is Sgraffito?
Scratching with a punch or other tools through the clay surface to reveal the layer underneath, which may be a different colour, while still unfired.
What is Industrial glazes?
All kinds of ready-made glazes that can be purchased from specialised industries.
What is Trivet?
Ceramic or metal piece used to protect tablecloths when serving hot food straight from the fire.
What is Falzilla?
Metal tool or sharp blade used to remove burrs from clay when it comes out of the mould and to polish both clay and glaze.
What is Clay?
Clay can have several textures. The main ones used here are: red clay or earthenware, white slab clay from Valencia, stoneware from Galicia or made by the ceramist, manufactured porcelain (not natural to this area), and refractories, also manufactured.
What is Cow liver?
Redder earth that was added to improve the plasticity of clay sourced from excavations.