Clay when it is stiff but still damp enough to be joined to other pieces with slip, or have handles, lugs, knobs, etc., joined to it; also called cheese-hard.
Half-way stage between wet and dry clay. The clay is no longer plastic and can be handled easily without becoming deformed, yet is still soft enough to permit clean carving and incising. The stage at which turning is carried out on unfinished pots.
Refers to that state in the drying of a raw pot when enough moisture has air-dried so that the piece can be lifted without distortion and yet is damp enough to be worked further; carved, burnished, joined, etc.
A stage in the drying process of clay, when the clay is pliable but strong enough to handle. It is ideal for trimming and the addition of appendages such as handles and spouts. Relatively wet clay can be attached to the piece durring this stage and the resulting bond will not form cracks.
Clay that is dried sufficiently to be stiff but is still damp enough to be joined to other pieces with slip. The ideal state for pots to be trimmed. At this stage of drying, the shrinkage of the clay has been largely completed.
A stage in which a clay item is cool, still slightly damp, but in which it holds its shape pretty firmly. A lot of work can still be done to finish a piece, including re-shaping and wetting. Carving clay at this stage is easy, although I have found a few drawbacks (which is why I sometimes carve at the drier greenware stage).
is the term used to describe clay items that are damp but firm enough to handle without losing their shape. Liner Brush is a brush used for fine lines and design work.
or cheese-hard. Clay that has dried to the point where it is stiff enough to retain its shape but wet enough for further work to be done on it.
The condition of raw clay when most of the moisture has evaporated, but is still soft enough to be carved or joined to other pieces.
