​Soda Firing Opportunities

The next Cone 10 community soda firing lead by Heather Hitt will be Thu Aug 12.

• All pots must be delivered and glazed by Tue 8/10
• Pots that will be bisqued at Burnish must be delivered & dry by Thu 8/5
• Kiln will be loaded Wed 8/11, Fired Thu 8/12, unloaded Sun 8/15

The next Cone 6 community soda firing lead by Ann Marie Cooper will be Thu July 22. 

• All pots must be delivered and glazed by Tue 7/20 
• Pots that will be bisqued at Burnish must be delivered & dry by Thu 7/15
• Kiln will be loaded Wed 7/21, Fired Thus 7/22, unloaded Sun 7/25
• Clay Bodies recommended for cone 6 soda: Any cone 6 clay will survive the kiln, but some look more interesting than others. We have a flashing slip available that can go on bisque ware that will flash beautifully on top of any clay. Clay bodies listed below are from Clay Art Center in Tacoma. Ones with an * are available for purchase at Burnish (or will be after we get our next delivery).
  • ​Porcelain: Rainier 
  • Stoneware: Snow Creek, WMP*, or Oregon White*
  • Dark Clays: Oregon Red*, Oregon Brown, Naranja, or SMY*
  • Sculpture Clay: Akio*

 

• More information and instructions will be provided after you register and pay your kiln space deposit. 

Read through the below information and then if you do want space in the kiln please click the "Shop" button below to pay a deposit towards a volume of space or to purchase a sample pack. 

This is NOT a workshop, we are only offering space in the kiln right now. You will drop off your completed pieces and/or make an appointment to glaze/apply slips in the week before we load. We will have a very small crew completing the loading and firing to ensure we can maintain proper distancing and reduced exposure. We most definitely will have workshops in the future when it is safe to do so. 

• Cost: The various options are outlined in this table that include add on services that can be provided if needed but are not required if you have access elsewhere. If you choose to use your own clay or glazes I will need a complete list to confirm they are the appropriate materials for the type of firing. For frame of reference for size: one clay box with the flaps closed is 1/2 a cubic foot, one of our 14 x 24 inch ware boards stacked 5 inches tall is 1 cubic foot.​ 
  • Sample Pack - $20: This is available to Bellingham locals only and is a good option for those intrigued by Soda but who are not ready to commit to a lot of space yet. This option includes 5 pounds of cone 10 clay and however many pieces you make with it will go into the soda kiln. Cost includes bisque firing and access to the glazes and flashing slip.
• Space Changes: While I want to continue to only charge people for the space they use in the kiln, we have an ongoing issue with people delivering a significantly lower volume of pots than they signed up for - which can be just as problematic as over-delivering. It is never an issue for your needs to change, as long as you communicate those changes. Moving forward, participants will be required to notify us at least 1 week before loading if they will not fill their allotted space or they may forfeit the deposit on the un-used space. By communicating the change to your space needs in advance, it gives us time to find another person to fill the space. 

Soda Firing - Deposit

$20.00 - $22.50

This is a deposit towards a community soda firing. You may cancel or reduce the volume of your space request up to 1 week prior to the deadline to deliver pots for a full refund, minus a 6% processing fee. No refunds are provided less than 7 days prior to the drop off deadline. 

Select the desired volume of stacking space, minimum 1 cubic foot, maximum 3. Final charge will be determined by the volume loaded into the kiln, but no refunds are provided on the deposit. This means if you sign up for 3 cubic feet of space but only deliver 1 cubic foot you will not receive a refund on the undelivered portion unless you notify us of the change in your space needs at least 1 week prior to the delivery deadline. We only sell a set amount of space in the kiln, if you significantly under-deliver we run the risk of not having sufficient pots to fill the kiln. ​

If you are not ready to commit to a volume of space, you are welcome to purchase a Sample Pack, which includes 5 lbs of clay and the glaze and firing fees for all the pieces you make from that clay.

Shop

• Min/Max Dimensions: There is no minimum dimension, other than no small beads. However, keep in mind that flat pieces like tiles, especially THIN & flat pieces are more likely to warp. Pieces must be under 15 inches tall and no more than 14 inches wide. Some exceptions can be made, but must be approved in advance. Plates/flat things wider than 4 inches must not be glazed
• Glazes: We have a number of cone 10 glazes available for use including: 2 shinos, white, yellow salt, tenmoku, teal, and a red. It turns out our regular cone 6 studio glazes look really good at cone 10 as well. We have 1 flashing slip available and will be testing several more. You are welcome to use your own glazes - several different commercial brands can handle cone 10, including Mayco Stoneware and Amaco Potter's Choice.
• Cone: Typically we will fire to cone 10, but we are starting to explore lower temperature firings as well. The target cone will be clearly identified in the registration process.
• Clay: Any cone 10 clay body can be used, but we have several that are known to be good for Soda available to purchase in the studio. Click here to go to our Online Store for high fire clay details. The Oregon White clay that was the main studio clay does very well in the soda kiln also.
• Type of Soda Firing: We will be introducing Soda in solid/powder form (burritos). We will not be reduction cooling. If you do not know what any of that means then do not worry about it! Participating will help you learn more about the process.