Firing Service

Why This Service

I create large figurative ceramic sculptures — many close to a metre tall — and after searching extensively, I simply couldn't find a firing service that could accommodate work at that scale. My husband encouraged me to invest in one of the largest kilns available, which made me realise other sculptors and artists out there were probably running into the same problem. I want to make a large kiln accessible to people like me — of course, a fee is needed to make that possible.

The kiln arriving — and the chamber it took to justify calling it "one of the largest available."

Collection & Payment

• This is a home studio, not a shopfront — there's no walk-in drop-off. Every drop-off and pick-up is arranged by appointment, by emailing lee.anchor@optusnet.com.au.
• Work is dropped off and collected in person by appointment; the firing service doesn't take postal work.
• Items are weighed after firing — payment will be due on collection.
• Cash payment only.
• You'll be notified by email once your items are ready.
• Please check your spam folder if it's been a while since drop-off.
• Work not collected within 4 weeks of notification may incur a storage fee; items left for an extended period may be disposed of.

Preparing Your Work

To protect your work, other people's work, and the kiln, please read these requirements carefully. Work that doesn't meet them may be declined.

• Maker's mark. All work must be clearly stamped with your maker's mark. Unmarked items can't be accepted.
• Dry work only. All pieces must be bone dry. Wet or damp greenware can't be accepted.
• No once-firing. Greenware for bisque must be glaze-free (underglaze on greenware is fine). Glazed work must already have been bisque fired.
• Hollowed forms only. Solid pieces can explode in the kiln — work must be hollowed out, with thick sections vented. The studio reserves the right to decline any work that may not survive firing or could risk damage to other pieces or the kiln.
• Glaze guidelines. The base and the bottom few millimetres of every piece must be free of glaze (underglaze is fine). For runny, homemade, or flowing glazes and tests, a kiln cookie is required, and it is your responsibility to supply it — see below. You are responsible for any kiln or shelf damage caused by glaze runnage.
• Kiln cookies — you supply them. If your work needs a cookie, you must provide it yourself, already made and bisque fired, and bring it in with the piece. The studio does not supply cookies, and work that needs one and arrives without it can’t be fired — it will be set aside until you bring one in. Bring one for every piece that needs it, sized to that piece.
• When a cookie is required. Whether a piece needs a cookie is decided by the studio at drop-off, and that decision is final. A cookie is always required for any glaze that has not been fired here before, and for runny, homemade, flowing or test glazes. If you are unsure, bring a cookie — it costs you nothing if it turns out not to be needed.
• What a kiln cookie is, and how to make one. A kiln cookie is a small ceramic pad, made from scrap or high-fire clay, that sits under your piece and catches glaze as it runs — protecting the shelf beneath. To make your own: use a high-fire clay body such as stoneware or a grogged clay, even if you are firing lower, because it stays stable under stress and lasts longer. Roll the slab 6–10 mm thick and texture the top face with a roller or stamp — the texture traps small drips and stops a piece fusing flat onto the cookie. Cut shapes slightly wider than the base of the pot they will carry, and dry them slowly on a board so they don’t warp. Bisque fire them as normal, then brush a generous layer of kiln wash over the top face; that is what stops melted glaze bonding your pot permanently to the cookie.
• No foreign materials. Work must not contain wadded paper, wood, non-refractory metals, or other foreign materials.
• Clay & glaze details. You must supply the clay body, glaze brand/type, and intended firing temperature for each piece, or it can't be fired. A firing form covering this will need to be completed at drop-off. [Link to form to be added once finalised.]
• Labelled box. Your storage box must be clearly labelled with your full name.

Firing Temperatures

• Bisque firing: 1000–1020 °C
• Earthenware glaze firing: 1000–1150 °C
• Midrange glaze firing: ~1220 °C

High-firing above midrange is not offered — please check when enquiring if you are unsure which range your clay and glazes need.

Terms & Conditions

• While every care is taken with your work, the studio can't be held responsible for lost, damaged, or unsalvageable work due to firing.
• Where possible, sensible precautions are taken to protect the kiln and shelves — such as the use of bases and cookies. Even so, some risks can't be fully avoided, and you are responsible for any damage your work causes to the kiln, shelves, or other artists' pieces. Where such damage occurs, photographs will be provided.
• Glaze drips. If glaze runs onto a shelf — because a base wasn’t wiped, or a runny glaze was used without a setter or cookie — a cleaning or grinding fee of $15–$25 per affected shelf applies.
• Minor shelf damage. A shelf needing intensive grinding or minor repair before it can be reused: up to $100.
• Severe or irreparable damage. If a piece melts onto a shelf or ruins it beyond repair — through an incorrect clay body, or a major failure in the firing — the full shelf replacement cost applies, in the order of $300.
• Kiln interior damage. If an exploding piece or melting clay damages the kiln’s internal bricks or elements, you will be billed for the specialist repair or replacement parts required.
• If your work affects someone else's during firing, you may be asked to cover their associated firing costs.
• If damage occurs due to a kiln malfunction or a handling error on the studio's part, you won't be charged for that firing — but the studio can't cover the replacement cost of the piece itself.
• Firing runs when the kiln is full, so there may be a wait depending on when your piece comes in — this isn't a priority service.

Is Your Work Ready for the Kiln?

• Is the piece bone dry, with no cool or damp spots?
• Is it hollowed out, with any thick sections vented?
• Have you noted the clay body, glaze brand/type, and firing temperature?
• If glazed, has the piece already been bisque fired?
• Is the base — and the bottom few millimetres — free of glaze?
• For runny or homemade glazes, do you have a kiln cookie under the piece?
• Is the piece free of foreign materials (paper, wood, non-refractory metals)?
• Does the piece carry a maker's mark, with your name on the storage box?

This page is a placeholder for how the firing service will work — none of it is bookable yet. Register your interest below and you'll hear first when it opens.