Interesting Facts about Terracotta

Terra cotta (Latin: “baked earth”) is a ceramic. The term is also used to refer to items made out of this material and to its natural, brownish orange color.

An appropriate refined clay “mud” is partially dried and cast, molded, or hand worked into the desired shape. After further thorough drying http://www.wowio.com/users/ReaderProfile.asp?nUserId=438207 it is placed in a kiln, or atop combustable material in a pit, and then fired. After pit firing the hot ware is covered with sand to cool, and after kiln firing the kiln is slowly cooled. When unglased, the material will not be waterproof, but it is suitable http://boards.bravotv.com/index.php?showuser=540523 for in-ground use to carry pressurized water (an archaic use), for garden ware, and sculpture or building decoration in tropical environments, and for oil containers, oil lamps, or ovens. Most other uses such as for table ware, sanitary piping, or building decoration in freezing environments require that http://www.webpagetest.org/forums/member.php?action=profile&uid=383515 the material be glazed. Terra cotta, if uncracked, will ring if lightly struck, but not as brightly as will ware fired at higher temperature, which is called stoneware. The fired material is relatively weak compared to stoneware. Owing to the low firing temperatures it is possible to use lead-containing glazes, which although once widely used are now recognized as producing both health and environmental hazards.

The unglazed color after firing can vary widely, but most common clays contain enough iron to cause an orange, orangish red, or brownish orange color, with this range including various colors described https://gitorious.org/~eagleloaf3 as “terra cotta, Other colors include yellow, gray, and pink.

Terra cotta has been used throughout history for sculpture and pottery, as well as bricks and roof shingles. In ancient times, the first http://flavorchem.com/member/340458/ clay sculptures were dried (baked) in the sun after being formed. Later, they were placed in the ashes of open hearths to harden, and finally kilns were used, similar to those used for pottery today. However only after firing to high temperature would it be classed as a ceramic material