Bisque

Bisque is a fired piece (bisquette) of unglazed clay used to make pottery, figurines, dolls, knickknacks, ornaments etc. This porous, vitreous ceramic can be created using heat, which causes a chemical reaction (dehydroxylation) in clay (e.g. kaolinite) to irreversibly change:

1. Unearth or procure clay and mold, form, turn, wedge, cast or sculpt into the desired shape. Avoid air pockets.

2. Wrap the piece in plastic wrap and set in a moist environment for several days. Once air-dried, the clay piece is called greenware.

3. Apply no glaze. Place the greenware into a kiln similar furnace and fire for about three days, a) dry the piece at a low temperature for about 12 hours, b)then fire the piece to approximately 1800 to 2260F (1000 to 1238C) for another day, c) and allow the bisquette to cool to a safe handling temperature of 150F (65C).

Link and Books

• http://directory.google.com/Top/Shopping/Crafts/Supplies/Pottery/?il=1