GLOSSARY

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Damp Closet - A container used to store moist clay to preserve its pliability.

De-Air - To remove air from a moist ceramic pottery clay body with vacuum compression.

Decant - To pour from one vessel to another.

Decomposition - To separate into simpler parts.

De-gas - To remove vapor or gas from molten metal before casting.

Dehydration - The removal of bound water.

Della Robbia - Trade name of Sculpture House, Inc. A self-hardening clay that can be fired in a kitchen oven at low temperatures; for decorative use only, nonfunctional pottery.

Denatured - Term describing alcohol which is unfit for consumption due to modification by heating. Used in mold making and casting.

Density - The mass of a substance per unit volume. Usually used in determining amounts of clay required for a project or a piece. Mathematically determine the total cubic inches of the piece to be made (height times weight times depth). One ounce of material equals one cubic inch.

De-oxidation - The removal of oxygen as in reduction firing in ceramics to achieve a specific effect.

De-vitrify - To deprive of glassy luster and transparency. To change from a glassy to a crystalline condition.

De-waxing - Removing the wax model from a mold; usually accomplished with heat.

Dextrin - A sticky starch used in adhesives; also used in self-hardening clays.

Die - A device to create multiples of an original by stamping or pressing. Usually made of tool steel with a male and female half.

Dipping - The process in mold making or glazing ceramics in which a piece is submerged to give it a coating.

Dipping Tongs - In ceramics, a tool to hold pottery when dipping it into a glaze solution prior to firing.

Direct Carving - When the final piece is sculpted from an original source, usually in wood, stone, and wax carving.

Dolomite - Ceramic base material used to enhance plasticity in ceramic clay bodies.

Double Wire End - A tool made with cutting wires on each end with a wooden or metal tapered handle to secure the two working ends; used in clay modeling and plaster work.

Draft - Occurs in kiln firing to control temperature in down draft kilns.

Draw Knife - A flat or concave beveled blade with perpendicular handles so that the blade can be drawn or pulled toward the body of the user. Used in boat making and wood carving.

Dremel Tool - Trade name of Dremel Company. Electrical power tools that turn at high speed in a rotary motion, used for grinding, shaping, and finishing.

Dresden Clay - Trade name of Sculpture House, Inc. An English talc pottery clay that contains grog.

Dryness, Short - When a mixture contains too much clay flour in proportion to its liquid bonding agent, in either water-base or oil-base materials.

Ductile - Capable of being fashioned into a new form, as in aluminum wire or almaloy wire.

Duron Modeling Tools - Plastic modeling tools made by injection molding to make different shaped plastic modeling tools. Owned by Sculpture House, Inc.

Dust Mask - Face device, in styles ranging from cotton gauze to cylinder cartridge containers, to protect against inhalation of dust and fumes while mold making and casting.

Dye - A coloration used in waste mold casting to determine when the removal mold is coming close to the cast piece, thus preventing damage to the cast.