Greenware
Greenware encompasses the stages before the first firing. If it hasn’t gone through the kiln it is at the Greenware stage.
Slip
Slip is the most fluid state. Slip is what comes off of your hands when you are throwing. You can make slip by drying out thin sheets of clay letting it become bone dry and rehydrating it. You can use slip to do sgraffito, mishima, slip trailing or slip decorations.
Soft clay
Soft clay is the best to throw with, make pinch pots and roll out slabs.
Soft leather hard
At this stage your clay is still damp or moist but will not distort if you pick it up. This is the best stage to attach appendages. This is the stage to add slip, join pieces by slipping and scoring.
Leather hard
Leather hard is in between soft and stiff leather-hard. There is some moisture in your clay but not very much. You should be able to pick up your pice without it distorting. It is a good time to do sgraffito work.
Stiff leather hard
Stiff leather hard is the stage where the clay still has a little bit of moisture but is almost at the point of bone dry.
Bone dry
This is when your clay piece is the most fragile. Bone dry is when there is no more moisture in your clay. This is the final stage before you bisque your piece.
Bisque
This is the stage after your piece has been fired. Your piece is the most absorbent. At this stage it is not very fragile. Do not pick up your pieces by their handle as it is still fragile. If you have added appendages to your pieces the joints will still be very fragile. This is the final stage before you offer your piece up to the kiln gods.
Glaze Fired/FINISHED!!!
This is the stage where your piece is fully vitrified. The colors have gone through their chemical reaction and have now become vibrant and glossy or matte. This is when you can enjoy a nice meal off of your functional work if that is what you have created.