To ensure the safety of your work, others’ work, the kilns and kiln furniture, please take a moment to read through and abide by the following:
We will NOT fire:
- Work that is wet. Work must be 100% dry when placed on the firing shelves. Evaporating moisture inside the kiln can cause the kiln to rust & can damage the brick, also, when moisture is heated, it expands and will explode. If work is cool to the touch then there is still moisture in it.
- Work that contains any foreign materials (paper, metal, wood, etc.) This burnout will damage elements.
- Glazed greenware (raw clay). This can be hazardous to the work and the kiln.
- Greenware to maturity temperatures. As a safety precaution, all work must be bisque fired first.
- Work with glazed bases. This will stick to the kiln shelf during firing.
- Feeney’s Buff Raku Trachyte will not be fired unless it is accompanied by a clay setter (see BRT)
- Solid or extremely thick pieces. Anything thicker than 5cm is likely to explode.
- Work that is hazardous to the staff or our kilns. Safety first!
- Homemade clay – all clays must be commercially manufactured.
- If your piece requires alumina hydrate there is a $2 fee.
- Stilting is only available for earthenware work. If you do not have your own stilts, hire stilts are available at $1 per stilt.
- If you have beads or small pieces they MUST be placed onto a bead rack or a small shelf first and only then placed onto the firing shelves. You are responsible to load your own bead racks or small shelfs BEFORE placing them on the firing shelves. Bead racks can be hired for $10 per rack.
- Make sure that your work is placed on the correct firing shelf & is ready to be fired. Putting work on the wrong shelf endangers everyone else’s work in the kiln. If you are unsure, ask a staff member for help.
- Poke a hole in your piece if it is hollow and fully enclosed. This WILL explode if you don’t (AKA Kiln Grenade).
- Write your name or uniquely mark your work to more easily identify and collect from the shelves.
- Get to know your materials. This is a fun process! Test new products and combinations. Be aware that some glazes run more than others. Educating yourself and becoming familiar with your materials will prevent some/most of any possible damage to your work, others’ work and the kiln.
- Take your boxes with you; they will be recycled if left behind. Shelf space is limited & is not for storage.
- Bring your own box & packing material when you pick up your work as we do not supply these items.
Please DON’T:
- Touch or move another person’s work.
- If kiln shelves are damaged (due to overflowing glaze, work that has been placed on the wrong shelf, etc.) you will be charged a cleaning fee of $15 per damaged shelf.
- If your work ruins a kiln shelf, you will be charged for the cost of replacing that shelf.
- If your work damages the interior of the kiln, you are required to pay a fine based on the severity of the damage to be determined by the manager.
Our Firing Service caters to a large range of ceramic work and because of this our kilns are NOT set up for production purposes. All kilns used are electric and only fire work under oxidised atmospheres. We take all precautions to ensure your work fires safely, but we cannot make any guarantees of final results. Ceramics is a volatile medium and occasionally mishaps occur. We strongly recommend that you do ample testing and leave sufficient time to complete any project.