The Warwick Pottery Newsletter - May 2025

What’s New at Warwick Pottery

New Sponges and Sponge Bat A big, big, BIGGGG thank you to the fabulous, Rachel for her generous donation of a new sponge bat to the studio and another HUGE thank you to the lovely, Maryellen for her donation of throwing a bunch of new sponges! Your kindess is appreciated by all of us! Thank you!

Glazing Tips & Studio Etiquette

As we prepare our work for firing and showcasing, it’s a great time to brush up on some essential glazing techniques and studio best practices. Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned pro, these tips will help ensure that your pieces come out beautifully, and that we keep our shared space safe for all.

Glazing Basics • Keep the Bottom Bare Always leave the bottom and the bottom ¼ inch of your piece free of glaze. This prevents your work from fusing to the kiln shelf during firing. • After Glazing, give your piece a light rub Once your glaze has fully dried, lightly rub the surface with very dry fingertips. This helps any surface powder fall into air holes and prevents imperfections in your final finish by avoiding outgassing. Outgassing is when tiny pockets are created by trapped air escaping through the glaze during firing. Make sure you rub your piece over a sink and avoid inhaling the dust!

Kiln Cookies Needed! We’re in need of more kiln cookies. A kiln cookie is small, thin clay slabs placed under pieces in the kiln to catch glaze drips. They also protect your piece from glaze residue on kiln shelves! • You can make your own from thin slabs of clay. • Clearly label your kiln cookies with your name. They’ll be returned to you. • Attach your piece to the cookie with Elmer’s glue—don’t worry, it burns off cleanly in the firing. • Your kiln cookies should be no larger than the diameter of your piece.

Placing Your Work for Firing Please be sure to place your work on the correct shelves near the kiln: • Left side of kiln room: Cone 6 glaze pieces (our standard glaze firing temperature). • Right side of kiln room: Bisqueware and underglazed pieces that need to be bisqued. This ensures your work is fired at the right temperature and keeps everything running smoothly.

Studio Courtesy As a shared space, we ask that everyone pitch in to keep the studio clean: • Clean out the sink after use. Scrapers are behind the faucet—use them to gather debris and dispose of it in the trash.

Glaze Application & Clean-Up • Mix glazes thoroughly! Glazes settle over time, and uneven mixing can result in chemical imbalances for both you and the next person. • Always mix glaze on top of newspaper; throwing the newspaper away when finished. Dry glaze is hazardous, and we don’t want it tracked through the building. • Do not leave newspapers or glaze mess for someone else to clean.

Not Sure Which Glaze to Use? No problem! Feel free to make a glaze test before committing. Test tiles made from both white and brown clay are available for you to experiment with.