Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions about our studio or classes that are not answered here, give us a call or send us an email.
What are the steps involved from wet clay to finished piece?
What type of clay do you use at the studio?
What type of glazes do you use at the studio?
Can you mail me my finished piece?
Is the studio wheelchair accessible?
What are the steps involved from wet clay to finished piece?
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Wedge the Clay: Knead and wedge the clay to remove air bubbles and ensure a uniform texture. This process helps prevent cracks during firing.
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Shaping: Use handbuilding techniques or the wheel to make your desired shape.
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Drying: Allow your piece to dry to a leather-hard stage, where it's firm but still workable. This prevents warping or cracking.
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Trimming: (optional) If working on the wheel, you may want to trim excess clay and refine your piece’s shape when it’s leather-hard.
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Decoration: Hand carve designs into the leather-hard piece.
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First Firing (Bisque): Your piece is fired in the kiln to strength the clay.
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Finishing: Paint your piece with glaze to add color, texture and/or design.
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Second Firing (Glaze Firing): Your finished piece is fired in the kiln one last time to set the glaze.
What type of clay do you use at the studio?
We will be using Laguna clay bodies. Most of our classes will be using the #45 Buff Stoneware. The #50 Stoneware with Manganese is also a beautiful body that we will offer to members by the bag. Terracotta will also be available for specific programs. We use reclaimed #45 and #50 for our one Studio Mix Body to create other great qualities.
Laguna #45 Buff Stoneware
Laguna #50 Stoneware
with Manganese
Laguna Terracotta #20G
with Grog
What type of glazes do you use at the studio?
We have a selection of Minnesota Clay Co. cone 5/6 Glazes. We also have test tiles for each glaze to show how each interacts with every other glaze.
Dragon's Breath Red
Dark Blue
Metallic Green
Robin's Egg Blue
Violet
Celestial
Clear
Glossy White
Caribbean Green
Can you mail me my finished piece?
Yes! Since it will take 2-3 weeks for your piece to go through the drying and kiln firing steps, we are able to mail people their completed work.
Is the studio wheelchair accessible?
Yes! Our studio and restrooms are wheelchair accessible.