Studio Procedures
Welcome!
Welcome to our NEW "Studio Procedures" student resource page.
So you're enrolled in a class at Community Kiln, but where do you start? There's so much to learn about this art, the rules of the studio AND the process of pottery. Well, look no further than this page. We've compiled most of that information here for you to look through.
The contents include:
Code of Conduct
Studio Schedule
Studio Clays and How to Purchase Clay
Bisque Firing
Glaze Firing
Cleaning Procedures
A PDF Printout of (most) of this information
Student Policies
FAQ's
Community Kiln's Code of Conduct
All are Welcome
Community Kiln @ Brick Stack Arts Center is committed to fostering an inclusive, welcoming, comfortable and creative space that is free of racism, homophobia, fatphobia, ableism, sexism, xenophobia, discrimination, and harassment. All individuals are not only treated with respect and dignity, have equal opportunities, and feel safe in our studio, but are celebrated for their presence. Interactions must be rooted in kindness, compassion, and empathy. All persons working or associating with our community of Brick Stack Arts Center are expected to uphold, abide by, and stand up for this Code of Conduct; refusal will result in removal from our studio.
At the Community Kiln, we are committed to fostering a welcoming space where artists of all backgrounds and experience levels can explore their creativity through pottery. To maintain an inclusive community, we ask everyone to be respectful and mindful of others by refraining from discussing sensitive or potentially triggering topics in the studio. While we recognize the charged nature of our world today, we strive to make the Kiln a safe place where aggressive behavior will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to ask individuals to leave if their actions are unprofessional. Our goal is to nurture a creative and respectful environment where everyone can focus on their artistic expression.
Studio Schedule
Did you know that all adult class tuition prices come with FREE access to our open studio hours? No pre-registration required! Students must be enrolled in a current class session to attend open studio hours. View our "Open Studio" tab for a calendar of this month's available open studio hours.
Children and teens are not permitted at Community Kiln's open studio hours. We ask that current students do not bring guests of any kind to our open studio hours.
Enrolled students are not allowed to attend other classes without the permission of the program manager and class instructor. All classes are closed to enrolled students only.
Studio Clays
Laguna #65
Laguna B-Mix 5
Laguna #65
Smooth white stoneware, good for throwing and production of functional whiteware.
(Avg. Shrinkage 2±%: 13% Avg. Water Absorption 1±%: 1%)
Laguna #66
Laguna B-Mix 5
Laguna #65
White stoneware, contains sand for body strength. This clay is best for handbuilding.
( Avg. Shrinkage 2±%: 12.5% Avg. Water Absorption 1±%: 1.5% )
Laguna B-Mix 5
Laguna B-Mix 5
B-Mix 5 offers the same characteristics enjoyed by our Cone 10 B-Mix. Its smooth, porcelain texture is a pleasure to throw and form, and it fires to a cream color in oxidation.
(Avg. Shrinkage: 12% Avg. Water Absorption: 2.3%
Laguna #60
This clay is compounded to be stoneware clay with specks that bleed through the glaze, giving the appearance of iron burning through the glaze typical to of reduction glazes and clays. A very popular throwing clay for production potters who want to add the speck dimension to their ware.
(Avg. Shrinkage 2±%: 10.9%
Avg. Water Absorption 1±%: 1.7%)
Laguna #90
Laguna #90
Fires red-brown. Formulated with fine grog and redart, this clay is good for outdoor pots as well as functional pottery and sculpture when fired to cone 6
(Avg. Shrinkage 2±%: 13.0%
Avg. Water Absorption 1±%: 0.9%)
Laguna #45
Laguna #90
Buff stoneware for the production potter. Throwing properties are excellent, also works well in handbuilding and slab work. Fires slightly lighter than #40 buff.
(Avg. Shrinkage 2±%: 11.6% Avg. Water Absorption 1±%: 2.9%)
Purchasing Clay?
Clay purchases must be made during class. Your instructor will write down your purchase in their log and clay charges will be made to your card on file at the end of the semester.
Tuition includes 25 lbs. of clay (1 bag), glazing, and firing.
You may purchase up to 3 more bags of clay per session at a cost of $28 for your second bag and third bags. If you are enrolled in Summer 1 and Summer 2, you will be limited to ONE free bag and can purchase up to 4 bags for all 10 weeks of class. Students enrolled in only one Summer session will receive one free bag of clay and can purchase up to 1 more bag of clay for all 5 weeks of class. Your fourth bag will be $40.
The included bag of clay must be taken during the intended session. Community Kiln will not give out tuition including clay for previous sessions. Students may not bring in any clay from other suppliers or studios.
Bisque Firing
Our Kilns
Community Kiln has two bisque kilns that fire to Cone 05. Depending on how much greenware we receive, these kilns can be run 3 times a week.
A typical bisque cycle takes about 48 hours to complete and cool down enough to be unloaded. We fire bisqueware to Cone 05.
Work Ready to be Bisque Fired
Work that is ready to be bisqued can be put on any of the labeled shelves outside of the kiln room marked “greenware”
- It takes 2-3 weeks for pieces to come out of the bisque kiln. Works must be completely bone dry. This excludes very large, thick or wide pieces, which may take longer to run through the kiln because of capacity/spacing.
- We ask that students do not place greenware inside of the kiln room. This space is reserved for STAFF organization.
- If you can not find your piece on the greenware shelves where you left it, don’t worry! Pieces are constantly being moved around depending on levels of dryness.
Oversized Work
Greenware pots that are larger than 12" in any direction (including diagonal) require an oversize pot fee. Pots over 15" in any direction are not allowed and will not be fired. The fee is calculated as...
Height x Width x Length (in inches) x .05 = Oversize Fee (in dollars)
13in x 3in x 5in x .05 = $9.75
Notes: A calculated fee below $5 becomes $5. Pots shorter than 2" should be calculated using 2" as the height.
To pay the firing fee, you must email the office at communitykiln@smoc.org. This fee includes both firings. Your piece will then receive a receipt to be placed with the item. Lost receipt? Send us an email and we’ll print another. Items without receipts and items over 15” will not be fired.
Whoopsie! When Mistakes Happen
Pieces with significant cracks will be placed on the reject shelf with a note about where the problem is. If a student would still like their piece fired, place it back on the normal shelves with a note letting us know everything is okay. Rejects older than 3 months old will be recycled.
When it's our fault- Broken and cracked pots are bound to happen at a community studio. Our staff is as careful as possible when handling pottery, but there will always be mistakes. We reach out to students directly to find a remedy for those situations on a case to case basis. Usually this looks like offering free clay to re-make the work. If you are not reached out to directly, your piece does not qualify under this policy.
Work Out of the Bisque Firing
After being bisque fired, works will be stamped with the date they were unloaded and placed on the bisqueware shelves. Wares are sorted by object type. Remember to look under or inside or other pieces as wares shift!
- Community Kiln does not hold bisqueware older than three months. Check the “last chance” or “reject” shelf if you are missing a piece.
- Each piece of bisqueware should have a stamp on the bottom. Items left on the bisqueware shelves for longer than 3 months will be moved to the “last chance” shelf. These items are always older than three months and will be disposed of at the end of the month.
Glaze Firing
Our Kilns
Community Kiln has two glaze kilns that fire to Cone 6. Depending on how much glazeware we receive, these kilns can be run 3 times a week.
A typical glaze cycle takes about 48 hours to complete and cool down enough to be unloaded. We fire to Cone 6.
Commercial Glazes
Community Kiln is pleased to offer a selection of commercial glazes that are permitted to be in our kilns. All rules and regulations must be followed or your pieces will remain unfired.
Only approved glazes from the following spreadsheets may be fired. Commercial glaze types must be placed in the kiln with a cookie. Community Kiln will not supply cookies for members, you must create your own. Pieces may NOT be stilted with Community Kiln property including stilts, posts, or other additional firing equipment. Pieces must be tagged and which glazes are used must be specified including which commercial vendor manufactures the product (ex. PC-35).
Please note that Community Kiln will not refire because of undesired colors. Apply 3 generous coats of brush on glaze to yield results. Dipping glazes from these brands are not permitted, only brush on. An incorrect dip can cause the clay to reject the glaze and spit it onto the kiln shelves.
Read more on our Commercial Glaze Policy below.
Work Ready to be Glaze Fired
When a work is ready to be glaze fired, there are a couple things to check before putting it on the proper shelf!
- Make sure the glaze is wiped from the bottom and 1/4 inch up the piece
- Fill out a glaze tag indicating what glazes you used. These are located by the glazes or in the kiln room.
- Check for pin holes or flaking, this can mean your glaze is too thick!
Place your piece on the proper shelf in the kiln room AND sort your items by height. Short items are placed on the lowest shelves, with the tallest items on the top shelves. Remember to push back your work to accommodate for everyone’s pieces and place your glaze tag in or around your piece!
Items will be ready in 2-3 weeks and placed on the baker’s carts by the wheels (excluding large or flat pieces).
Oversized Pots
Oversized pot fees are applied once. Greenware pots that have already been paid for are paid for the glazeware firing as well. For the
glaze firing, items must have their paid receipt placed with
their item and glaze tag in order to be fired.
To pay the firing fee, you must email the office at communitykiln@smoc.org. This fee includes both firings. Your piece will then receive a receipt to be placed with the item. Lost receipt? Send us an email and we’ll print another. Items without receipts and items over 15” will not be fired.
Whoopsie!
Rejected pieces will be placed on the cart across from the baker’s cart with a tag indicating the problem. Pieces must be corrected before being placed in the kiln room again. Rejecting items BEFORE there are problems helps protect our kilns, kiln furniture and other’s works. Reject pieces older than 3 months are thrown away.
When it's our fault- Kiln errors that impact firings are rare, but there will always be mistakes. We reach out to students directly and find a remedy for those situations on a case to case basis. Usually this looks like offering free clay or refiring a piece. If you are not reached out to directly, your piece does not qualify for a glaze refiring.
Work Out of the Glaze Firing
Items will be ready in 2-3 weeks and placed on the baker’s carts by the wheels (excluding large or flat pieces).
After being glaze fired, glaze tags will be placed inside of their designated pots and pieces are put on the baker's carts near the wheels. Wares are sorted by object type. Remember to look under or inside or other pieces as wares shift!
Similar to bisqueware, items older than three months are put in a “last chance” box and donated after a couple of weeks. Generally, these are pieces that are tagged with the previous semester’s glaze tag color. For example- this semester’s color is yellow and last semester the color was blue. At the start of the next semester, blue tags will be over 3 months old. They will be placed in the last chance box and then donated after a week.
Cleaning Procedures
Overview
Cleaning after every class is absolutely essential. Students must clean up your workspace, tools and any equipment used. This is a shared space and other members rely on students keeping their spaces clean. Sponges are available to wipe tools and equipment down. We also have mops for the floor and large spills. Occasionally we will have a studio cleaning day where we tackle larger cleaning projects together.
Dust Hazards
Dust from ordinary clay and several other materials contains some free silica that is too fine and heavy to be expelled from the lungs. Over time this can cause fatal silicosis if breathed often enough. Never carelessly produce dust.
To avoid raising dust, we should use only wet cleaning methods. Vacuum sweepers, brooms, and brushes do not filter out the fine problematic particles, but simply make them airborne so they are inhaled easier. Never leave scraps of clay or slip where they are walked on.
Some talc and other materials contain impurities of asbestos, which can cause cancer if inhaled. Other materials have a structure somewhat similar to asbestos. This is another reason to avoid making dust and breathing the dust.
Dust masks should be used if and when dust cannot be avoided, such as during our volunteer clean up day. Dust masks must fit well and they must be specifically designed for very fine dust. Many masks are sold in drug stores that do not qualify. Use only a NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) approved masks rated for fine toxic dust. They are not effective if they do not fit well.
General Safety
Clay dust is a hazard to our lungs!
- Please do not use any fans in the studio as they will throw dust everywhere. The only fan that is used is inside of the kiln room, during the summer. This is done per the request of our building manager to manage the temperature inside of the room.
- Torches and heat guns are not allowed.
- Use of sandpaper, a dremel, or a grinder should be done outside or at home.
- Use plenty of water to clean up; do not sweep—doing so will raise dust that can remain airborne for days.
- Due to the amount of water used in the studio, floors may be slippery; do not run—always walk carefully, especially around the sink.
- Turn off your wheel when you are finished so that pots/needle tools/metal ribs do not become projectiles.
- The first aid kit is located on the first column of the wheel area.
- An eyewash kit is located on the wall to the left of the sink.
- Please be aware of the location of all exits, fire extinguishers, first aid kit, and eyewash kit.
Proper Cleanup Procedures
Tables
- Wipe down all surfaces with a wet sponge.
- Clean off any dry debris that may have fallen off your bag.
- Wedging table: Do not forget to clean the area you used on the wedging table. Even if someone used it after you, step up and clean up. Better yet, clean it together!
Wheels
- With a wet sponge, clean all parts of the wheel that you used—legs, sides, splash pan, wheel head (top and sides!), control box, and even the foot pedal.
- Wipe down the benches next to your wheel—including top and sides.
- Using a damp sponge or sponge mop, clean up any clay splatter around the floor of your wheel and the
- walls/windows near you.
Equipment
- Extruder: All parts of the extruder need to be cleaned, including the inside of the tube, the plastic templates, the disk pushing the clay, and the hardware. Anything that has clay on it should be cleaned with a wet sponge.
- Slab roller: Sponge down the surfaces of the roller; even if you do not see clay, there is still dust. Use a wet sponge to wipe the canvas that you used. If any chunks of clay are stuck to any part of the roller or canvas, make sure they are cleaned off.
Glaze Area
- Put the lids back on all buckets of glaze, slip, oxide, underglaze, and wax.
- Get a wet sponge and wipe the top of the bucket, the sides, and any drips that may have landed on the floor. Even if you did not drip, wipe down the bucket and floor anyway because the person before you may not have done a good job.
- Clean all brushes thoroughly until the water rinses clean.
- Return items back to their proper homes; Almost everything in the studio has a label!
Tools
- Community Kiln tools should be cleaned well, with no clay left in the crevices or corners to dry and harden.
- Put the tools and molds back where you found them. If you found them in disarray, please do not return them to the same state—instead leave the area a bit cleaner than you found it.
Smocks and Towels
- Wash all clay off of the studio smocks by using a damp sponge.
- Towels used should be rinsed just like a sponge and hung to dry.
- Smocks and towels should be rinsed in a bucket of clean water. When all clay is washed off, squeeze out all the water and hang it to dry.