firing services

s.marotta pottery is now offering firing services! service guidelines are as follows:

  • Only clay purchased from S.Marotta Pottery will be fired in our kiln!
  • Clay is sourced from Tacoma Clay Art Center and is sold at their base price for a 25# bag, plus King County Sales Tax. Current offerings are Laguna BMix5, CAC Digi6, and CAC Oregon Brown. Sourcing of other clays from CAC may be available in the future. Contact the studio for current pricing.
  • Firing Service Fees are calculated based on the largest dimension of your piece. Forms are available in the studio and at the links below:
  • Firing Fees are due before your drop off your work. Submit your Firing Service Form when you drop off.

Bisque firings:

  • Please keep your work under 1/2″ thick – I limit candling to 6 hours. If your pieces are thick, they are at risk of exploding.
  • Please dry your work at home. Only bone dry work will be loaded into the kiln. Space is limited – there is not room to dry your work in the studio.
  • You will receive notification of upcoming bisque firings. Please drop your work off 2-3 days before firing day.
  • Please pick your work up as quickly as possible once you have received an email that your work has been fired. There is not room in the studio to store bisque ware.
  • Bring your own container for transporting your pots.

Glaze firings:

  • All of your work should be placed on a clay cookie. If your piece is too large for the cookies provided by the studio, then please make and bring one for your use.
  • All glazes must be suitable for Cone 5 firing.
  • Please be knowledgeable about the nature of your glazes – runniness, how many coats to apply, etc.
  • Glaze must be applied with a 1/4″ margin of un-glazed clay at the bottom foot of the pot. This includes the underside/center of a trimmed foot. Apply this info to lids for success as well.
  • We do not fire pieces on stilts.

please note:

  • Absolutely no clay other than that purchased from SMP will be fired in our kiln. The risk of a melt-down is real and can be disastrous. Kilns are extremely expensive and costly to maintain. My business relies on the one kiln that I have. If something happens to it, I am literally out of business.
  • You will be held responsible for any damage to the kiln or kiln shelves due to glaze runs or other damage caused by your work.
  • Maximum acceptable dimension for firing is 15″.