Slip

A slip (also surrey or slipware) is liquefied clay or particles of clay suspended in water used to cover a clay body or to bond sections of a clay piece together (i.e. like gluing a cup handle) called a joining slip. Slips may also be used to decorate, color or protect parts of the clay body. For instance, mixing the clay with the same color of the clay body does not change its color, but mixing the clay with metal oxides produce a color slip in black, white, crème, red, and more depending on the metal oxide used. Covering the clay body with a slip also lessens the permeability (leakage) of a porous clay body. There are many other ways to use a slip for decorative purposes that depend on its thickness.