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The Big Book of Ceramics: A Guide to the History, Materials, Equipment and Techniques of Hand-Building, Throwing, Molding, Kiln-Firing and Glazing Pottery and Other Ceramic Objects
 
 
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The Big Book of Ceramics: A Guide to the History, Materials, Equipment and Techniques of Hand-Building, Throwing, Molding, Kiln-Firing and Glazing Pottery and Other Ceramic Objects (Paperback)

~ Joaquim Chavarria (Author) "I have happy memories of rainy days when I was still a child living in the village where I was born..." (more)
Key Phrases: triangular modeling tool, clay mixed with grog, costing box, Archaeological Museum, Ethnological Museum, Honshu Island (more...)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In this exhaustive introduction to ceramics, all the materials, equipment, and techniques of the craft are presented clearly and accessibly. An easy-to-follow text is accompanied by hundreds of color photographs and schematic drawings that illustrate every material, technique, piece of equipment, and step-by-step demonstration.



The book begins with a history of ceramics that covers techniques and styles from various periods and parts of the world. Then clays and glazes are introduced, with details on the diffrent types and their compositions, as well as instruction on how to prepare them. Next, kilns, kiln furniture, potters' wheels, and other equipment and tools are illustrated and thier uses demonstrated. The core of the book is dedicated to presenting the full range of ceramic techniques: hand-building, molding, throwing, glazing, and firing. In the final section, step-by-step projects show how to employ these techniques to create a variety of vessles and sculptural forms.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Watson-Guptill (September 1, 1994)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0823005089
  • ISBN-13: 978-0823005086
  • Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #371,083 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

Joaquim Chavarría
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
I have happy memories of rainy days when I was still a child living in the village where I was born. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
triangular modeling tool, clay mixed with grog, costing box, superimposed reliefs, semicircular rib, wooden modeling tool, red earthenware clay, serrated scraper, banding wheel, glaze solution, coloring oxides, casting box, maturing temperature, alkaline glazes, pyrometric cones, potash feldspar, bisque firing, clay strips, excess clay, electric kiln, casting slip, glazed pieces, earthenware clays, gas kilns, firing temperature
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Archaeological Museum, Ethnological Museum, Honshu Island
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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Most complete ceramics book, must-have reference, September 5, 2001
This is the most complete all-in-one ceramics book I have seen. It is a must-have reference book for anyone involved in the craft as it is packed with information on all aspects of ceramic work with full-color photos and detailed step-by-step demonstrations.

The book starts out with a great history of ceramics throughout the world. Then materials and equipment are also covered including types of clay, clay mixtures and modeling tools. Hand-building techniques follow including pinch pots, coiling, hollowing out, slab-building and using clay strips. Using these techniques, you learn to make a box with a lid, a cylindrical pot, a cube-shaped box, a bowl and a vase.

Details on kilns and firing are next. This includes lots of helpful illustrations as well as advice on packing the kiln and measuring the temperature. Information is included on bonfire, pit, sawdust, wood, coal, oil, gas, electric and salt-glaze firing. Then glazing is covered including an overview of basic coloring oxides, other materials used in glazes, the Seger formula for glaze calculation, glaze preparation, and types of glazes. Several glazing methods are demonstrated including dipping, pouring, and using a brush or spray-gun.

A molding section follows with information on mold preparation, the drying process and creating waste and press molds. Projects include a hollow cast vase and a press mold plate. A great chapter on throwing is next. This includes basic techniques for making bowls, plates, cylinders, vases, and lids.

The final section offers complete step-by-step instructions for over 12 different projects. Some include a thrown teapot, an open vase with coils, an abstract sculpture with clay strips, a pinched bottle and a solid organic looking sculpture.

A helpful glossary and index are also included. Whether you are just starting out or have been creating ceramics for a while you will find much to enjoy and learn in this book.

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100 of 106 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book to start off with!, July 6, 1999
By A Customer
This book makes everything (in ceramics) seem possible for anyone. Photographs lead you through every kind of ceramic creation, from a simple pinch pot to making a teapot on a potter's wheel. There are even sections on the history of ceramics and making your own molds. Every page is filled with close-up color pictures... more than 700! This book helped to get me an A in my first college ceramics class (a rarity, I've been told). Thanks Mr. Chavarria!
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Big Book of Ceramics, November 6, 2001
By A Customer
I was so absolute beginner in ceramics and afraid of even touching a clay. In the same day I got the book I've made my first piece. And... was satisfied :=)
Guy is great, I've bought two more books by this author, and was thrilled even more, it's great book to begin with, but also to stick with all the time... full of good information, practical advices, things that you just can't find a person to ask and many many pictures that helps so much.
Anyway, you won't regret buying it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Big Book of Ceramics Satisfaction
This book shows step-by-step processes for working with clay that are accompanied by written and verbal explanations. Read more
Published 8 months ago by A. Molloy

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to treasure
A true guide on technique,
but also to build excitment and passion for this craft.
Published on July 29, 2004 by F. Garcia Uribe

2.0 out of 5 stars neither very big nor very useful
Pleasing to the eye but it surely fails to live up to the promise of its title. The instructions on constructing and throwing pots is adequate (though scanty). Read more
Published on September 18, 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a helpful resource for learning on the wheel
I was disappointed after receiving this book. While it gave a nice overview of different types of ceramics, it did not give the detailed information I was looking for. Read more
Published on June 23, 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Broadly informative
This book covers all major types of clay and ceramic activities. If you are interested in only one type (for example, casting in a mold from clay slip)it may not give you as much... Read more
Published on June 20, 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear, Helpful, and Encouraging
This is one of the most helpful pottery books I have seen. It clearly illustrates how to perpare and throw. I reccomend it to my students.
Published on March 15, 2001 by Donna Ragsdale

5.0 out of 5 stars Great details, a lot of pictures, best book out there
my first pottery book, it is great, it has a lot of pictures and very detailed.
Published on June 26, 1999 by Maria D.

5.0 out of 5 stars As an art teacher I highly recommend this Book.
The Big Book of Ceramics is a fabulous photographic guide through the fundamentals of clay building.
Published on April 26, 1998

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