FIRING SERVICE

We have a firing service available where you can bring your pieces in to get bisque and glaze fired at Monterey Clay Studio. This service is designed to accommodate hobby potters. Please bring no more than 10 pieces at a time.

Eligibility: You must know how to soundly construct ceramic ware and appropriately apply glaze to use our firing service (see additional requirements below).

We will not fire items that have the potential to damage our kilns or other student work and reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.

Thanks for following our rules to ensure the success of the program!

Step 1: Ensure your pots are suitable to be fired at our studio

  1. General Requirements:

    1. We fire our bisqueware to Cone 04 and glazeware to Cone 5. Please ensure your clay and glaze materials are rated to fire at these temperatures. If you want to fire Cone 10 clay, be advised that the glaze fit with Cone 5 glaze may not be water tight. We do not fire materials rated for lower temperatures than Cone 5/6.

    2. Size limit: 9”x9”x9”. Ceramic ware must fit within a 9” × 9” × 9” area to fit in our kilns efficiently. If you would like to make something larger than this, please plan to build it in sections or discuss with the studio monitor if your project can be accommodated.

  2. Bisque Firing Requirements

    1. Greenware is bone-dry and signed with your makers mark upon dropoff.

    2. All walls are less than 1 in thick. We will not fire pottery that will cause damage to other work or the kiln.

    3. No enclosed forms without air holes.

    4. No flammable or unknown materials in clay (e.g. paper, metal, glaze, or glass).

    5. No pigmented engobe or underglaze on the bottom of pieces.

  3. Glaze Firing Requirements

    1. No pigmented engobe or underglaze on the bottom of pieces.

    2. No glaze on the bottom of pieces or ¼” up the side of the pot from the bottom (e.g. an adequate glaze allowance has been left).

    3. Brushed on glazes are appropriately applied (no more coats than recommended by the manufacturer).

    4. Maker’s mark is visible and not covered by glaze.

    5. Overlapping glazes on the outside of the pot are limited to the top 1/3 of the wall of the piece. Please inform us if you have layered glazes on the outside of the piece, are using glazes that run easily, or are at all concerned with glaze dripping so we know to fire your piece with a cookie (piece of clay) underneath.

    6. If you have been trained in their use, you may use our wax resist and dip glazes for $2 a piece. If you are less experienced with dip glazing pottery, we can dip your piece for you for $5 a piece in a single color.

Step 2: Review our pricing system

  1. How we price: We charge based on how much room your pieces take up in the kiln.

    1. Greenware can be stacked (up to 3 pieces if not too thick) and can touch during a bisque firing.

    2. No pieces can touch during glaze firings.

    3. Our studio monitor will help you at drop-off to determine appropriate configuration on a shelf. See below for sample kiln stacking layouts, prices, and how much space pieces generally take up.

    4. The same pricing tiers are applied for bisque and glaze firings. You pay each time items are dropped off.

  2. Description of equipment: we have two Skutt electric, 10-sided kilns. The shelves are semi-cicle shaped with a 21” diameter and 10.5” radius. Three 1.5” triangle kiln posts are placed on each shelf to aid in stacking the kiln. We consider one semi-circle shelf as a full shelf.

  3. Pricing:

    1. ¼ Shelf (minimum fee): $3.75.

    2. ½ Shelf: $7.50.

    3. Full Shelf: $15.

  4. If your piece causes damage to our equipment, the following fees may be applied at pickup:

    1. $10: cookie rendered unusable.

    2. $20: glaze drips onto the shelf requiring maintenance.

    3. $40: kiln shelf is significantly damaged and needs substantial refinishing or replacement.

Step 3: Drop Off Pieces at Monterey Clay Studio

  1. Drop off hours*:

    Fridays 9am-1pm

    Saturdays & Sundays 10am-3pm

    *Note: the above hours are available during our 8-week sessions. Our studio is closed a handful of weeks out of the year. If you want to verify that the studio will be open when you come by, please fill out the following firing service form 48 hours in advance of drop off and we will get back to you.

  2. Drop off location:

    Monterey Clay Studio - 785 Broadway Ave, Seaside, CA.

  3. Drop off pieces:

    Upon arrival, ask for the studio monitor and work with them to determine cost for your pieces. You will be asked to sign our firing service policies (outlined herein) and pay for your pieces.

NOTE: We only fire the kilns when full. It may take up to three weeks for your piece(es) to be fired.

Step 4: Pick up your pieces

  1. Pickup:

    You will receive an email the day your work has been unloaded from the kiln. You have two weeks to pick up your work after it has been unloaded, we do not have space to hold on to your work longer than this. Pick up times are the same as drop off hours.

  2. Refunds/credits:

    No refunds will be granted if your piece did not turn out as planned. Mishaps are rare and we try our best to avoid accidents, but there are several factors that make it impossible to guarantee a successful firing 100% of the time. If we make a mistake that renders your piece irreparably damaged, you will be offered an in-kind firing service credit for the damaged or lost item. This does not include glaze defects on pieces glazed with our glazes.