Studio Guide

Clay

• We use mid-range (Cone 5/6), vitrified clay, ideal for wheel-throwing and hand-building. Clay is provided for workshop registrations.

• Course Perk: One 25 lb bag is included with enrollment in any 8-week course.

• Extra clay is available for purchase during classes or open studio—students and members welcome!

• No Outside Clay: Only studio clay is permitted in order to keep our reclaimed clay mix usable

Communal Tools

• All classes include access to our communal tools, stored on the rolling carts in the studios.

• Care Rule: Return tools clean after each use to keep them ready for everyone.

Personal Tools & Belongings

• If you wish to buy personal tools, starter kits are affordable on Amazon—label everything with your name!

• Take-Home Rule: Bring your tools and belongings home after each visit—no storage provided.

Slips

• Find our clay slips on the backside of the tool rack—ideal for leather-hard clay via dipping or brushing.

• Tips: Pair with transparent glazes (e.g., clear, green, blue) and techniques like sgraffito for best results.

Stains

• Stains are stocked in the glazing area for students and members.

• Use: Apply to bisqueware with a brush or sponge to highlight textures—wipe off excess for a clean finish.

Glazing

• We offer 10+ durable food-safe, in-house glazes, included in class cost, perfect for functional pottery.

• Check the glazing area’s application wall samples for color references.

• Application: Dip, brush, or pour—two dips max to ensure successful results.

• Bottoms Clear: Wipe glaze off the underside of pots with a sponge and water—no glaze on bottoms, no sanding!

• Commercial Glazes: Bring your own if approved by a monitor or teacher. Firing is Cone 5/6 temperature.

Approved Commercial Products

• Need a specific glaze or material? You may use commercial products like Amaco Velvet Underglazes, Mayco Fundamental Underglazes, or Cone 5/6 glazes—pending monitor or teacher approval to ensure they will work.

• Questions?: Ask a monitor to confirm compatibility with our kilns and clay.

Firing

• Pottery is fired twice: bisque firing preps pieces, glaze firing finishes them (Cone 5/6).

• Class Inclusion: Firing’s covered in class cost—keep pots on class racks, labeled with your name, stamp, or initials.

• No-Go’s: Unlabeled, cracked, or outside clay/work won’t be fired. Check the firing checklists to prep your pieces!

Clean-Up

• A clean studio keeps our community safe—clay dust is a health hazard, so let’s work together!

• No Sanding Inside: Smooth edges in the wet stage to avoid dust. Need to sand? Do it outside (ask your teacher for dust-free tips and tricks to eliminate sanding from your process).

• No Clay in Bathroom Sinks: It clogs drains—use clay designated sinks to clean.

• Follow these Steps for cleaning your wheel:

  1. Use your throwing water bucket and throwing sponge to collect splash pan water—dump scraps and slop in the scrap reclaim bucket, pour clay water in the funneled bucket system. Dry scraps and trimmings go in the scrap reclaim bucket.

  2. Clean wheels, tools, ware boards, and tables with a clean-up bucket and large sponge—wet methods only, water goes in the utility sink or blue reclaim system.

  3. Sponges are by the sink—leave your space spotless!

  4. If sweeping, use caution, so as to not raise dust into the air, dump any debris from the floor in trash to prevent hair and dirt from getting into reclaimed clay!

Open Studio

• Current students can drop into open studio every week to keep creating!

• Sign Up: Reserve online to ensure a wheel will be saved for you. Walk-ins are great if space allows.

• Extras: Buy clay during class or open studio.

• Respect: Honor others’ space, the monitor’s time, and clean up before the session ends.

• Note: see the full open studio guidelines!