GLOSSARY

| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |

Ball Bearing - A turntable, like a lazy Susan, with hardened steel balls, designed to allow easy movement.

Ball Clay - Base clay for earthenware ceramic clay formulas.

Ball Mill - Grinding device used to mill clay and glazes, with balls rotating in a container.

Banding Wheel - A rotary top on a post or ball bearing that allows clay or a sculpture to be easily turned for working or decorating.

Barium - Silver-white metallic element of alkaline earth; a toxic material used as a pigment or extender.

Base - Holding support for the display of a finished piece of sculpture.

Basic Carving - The primary removal of clay, wood, stone, or other sculpting material to create a basic geometric shape.

Bas Relief - A sculpture that is slightly raised with no apparent undercuts.

BAZ - Trade name of Sculpture House Inc.; basic stone carving tool set consisting of chisels and one mallet, in a canvas roll.

Beeswax - A pure yellow natural wax used to dress wood or seal stone sculpture; also used in batik.

Bench Screw - A double screw device that holds a carving block of wood secure for carving; screws into the block and into the securing device.

Bench Stone - A sharpening stone, possibly of various grits, used to sharpen and hone tools.

Bentonite - An absorbing clay used as a filler in clay bodies.

Binder - A clay or wax material that enables other materials to adhere when they normally would not.

Bisque - The first firing of a clay or ceramic piece before glazing. Typical bisque firing is Cone 04 - 06.

Black Rubber - Also known as “Tuffy,” a three-part polysulfide rubber used for professional mold making.

Blanks - In wood and stone carving, pieces of steel not yet forged.

Blistering - Term used when a glaze overheats and causes bubbles to form on the pottery.

Blocked Bust - Head and shoulder cast showing the basic geometric planes of a figure; usually made of hollow cast plaster for study.

Blocked Mask - Face mask showing the basic geometric planes of the facial structure.

Block Scraper - Rectangular steel scraping device used in leveling and cleaning molds. Length can vary; can be used with or without teeth.

Bluing - A water-soluble pigment used in the initial cast of a plaster waste mold to alert the mold maker to the closeness of the cast.

Bonded Bronze - A polymer resin mixed with bronze powder to give the feel and simulated weight of a bronze cast without the expense.

Bone China - Translucent white china made with bone ash and clay.

Bone Emulsion - Trade name of Sculpture House Inc.; a liquid which when mixed with plaster adds strength to the plaster.

Boneware - Trade name of Sculpture House Inc.; a pure self-hardening clay in red, white and gray. Used for direct modeling or in plaster press molds.

Boxwood Tool - A modeling tool formerly made of a wood named “boxwood”; in a variety of shapes and lengths, these tools today may or may not now be made of boxwood but of a similar hardwood.

Brass - Alloy consisting of copper and zinc.

Brazing - Joining of metals by use of heat.

Bronze - A combination of copper and tin; the compound may vary in proportions of each.

Bronze Rod - A bronze material used for brazing a joint or doing repair work on a bronze casting.

Bruise - Term most commonly used in stone carving. When a piece is dropped on a hard surface, discoloration or imperfection appears on the surface where the stone made contact.

Brush - A wire or bristle material used in cleaning the interior of molds and in the application of patina on a piece of sculpture.

Bubbling - Caused by the overheating or high temperature of a kiln during glaze firing of pottery.

Burl - Hard woody hemispherical outgrowth on a tree.

Burlap - An open mesh cloth used in reinforcing molds and sculptures; most commonly impregnated with plaster.

Burma Slip - Slip stone made of Burma stone used for sharpening tools.

Burner - Flame producing burning device such as an oven.

Burnout - The process in which wax is burned from a ceramic shell mold so that molten metal such as bronze may be poured.

Bush Hammer - A cross checked steel hammer used to reduce large sections of stone.

Bush Pick - Tool, one end a bush hammer and the opposite end a straight pick; the striking end comes to a point.