Deflocculate, deflocculation, deflocculant
The process of making a clay slurry that would otherwise be very thick and gooey into a thin pourable slurry. Deflocculants (or electrolytes) are liquids or powders added in small amounts and they work their magic by imparting electrical charges to clay particles making them repel each other. It is the opposite of flocculation.
To deflocculate a slurry properly it is very important to be able to measure its specific gravity and viscosity accurately. Yet it is very common for slip casters to be tied to a recipes and have little understanding of how to control their slip. Many will work for years with substandard slip without knowing it, others will throw away all scrap rather than reprocessing it simply because they do not understand slip rheology.
It is common for potters to mix slips using clays intended for modeling or sculpture. Far better casting mixes can be made using mixes of materials that emphasize permeability instead of plasticity. Once you have used a slip properly formulated and deflocculated for casting you will never go back to using an inadequate slip.
Sometimes glazes are deflocculated to reduce their water content, this is most likely where glaze is being applied to once-fire ware.
Common deflocculants are sodium silicate, Darvan, Calgon. Out Bound Links
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