What does clay body mean in ceramics?

Definition of a Clay Body: A mixture of clay or clays and other earthy mineral substances, which are blended to achieve a specific ceramic purpose.

What does the term clay body refer to?

A term used by potters and in the ceramic industry. It refers to the earthenware, stoneware or porcelain that forms the piece (as opposed to the engobe and covering glaze).

What are ceramic bodies?

Ceramic bodies are produced by adding milled clays, milled chamottes and other product-specific additives (e.g. kaolin, feldspar, lime). Bodies are available in powder form, granulated (following the addition of 10 – 12% water) or plastic extrusion, if the water content is higher.

What are the three types of clay bodies?

While there are thousands of clay bodies available for purchase, the 3 basic types are porcelain, stoneware and earthenware. The maturity temperature, workability, and color of these 3 categories can vary based on what is added.

What is the difference between clay and clay body?

We will use the term clay to refer to those materials of a plastic quality which are formed by natural forces and which are to be found in nature. The term ‘clay body’ will be used to indicate a mixture of clay like materials with other inclusions for a specific ceramic technique.

What makes a good clay body?

When grog is used in a throwing body, it needs to be finer to provide the strength without being too coarse to hurt the potter’s hands. In general, a throwing clay body should contain no more than 7 to 9% of particled additives.

What is the difference between a clay and a clay body?

What is stoneware clay body?

Stoneware is dense pottery fired at high temperatures to make it resistant to liquids, or non-porous. It is made from clay, but is more durable than other kinds of pottery and earthenware. Stoneware gets its name from its stone-like qualities.

How many different clay body formations are there?

The three most commonly used clay bodies are earthenware clay bodies, mid-fire stoneware clay bodies, and high-fire stoneware clay bodies. All three are available commercially in moist, ready-to-use form. Clay bodies can also be produced by mixing dry clays and additives with water to create your own desired clay body.

What is the strongest clay body?

Lower temperature clay bodies can develop considerable strength at much higher porosities than you might expect. In fact, one of the strongest bodies we have ever tested was fired at cone 1 with around 3-4% porosity (more than 10,000 psi).