How long does it take?

Post by Judy Howell

As a potter, one of my “most frequently asked” questions is: “How long does it take” to make that? I do not have a precise answer, ever! However, I can tell you how many steps each pot goes through on its way from dry, freshly gathered raw clay to being a finished, usable piece.

1. Collection empty buckets and boxes and load them into the van, along with gloves, a rock hammer and some small shovels.

2. Hop in the van and complete about a 2 hour drive to the clay collection site.

3. Fill boxes and buckets with DRY clay chunks 

4. Fill van with enough clay for a year or two, taking care that the front wheels are still on the ground.

5. Drive back home

6. Unload and carefully store clay.

7. Soak dry clay in buckets of water

8. Mix up buckets of dry ingredients

9. In a pug mill (see photo) mix soaked clay in buckets with dry ingredients, a bit of vinegar, and “slop” which is a fancy name for recycled clay

10. Bag up clay as it comes out of the pug mill and store in old chest freezer by the wood stove

11. Run clay through “de-airing pug mill” before throwing into pots

12. Lightly hand wedge and weigh clay balls

13. Throw each ball on the wheel (one thing I can tell you is I can generally throw the bodies for 16 medium mugs in a half hour (this is the fastest part of the whole process).

14. Remove newly thrown pieces  from throwing bats and place on “ware boards”, cover with plastic to control drying rate

15. Make and attach handles to pieces requiring them, as well as “patches” on those pieces made with that style of decorating

16. Trim and sign bottoms of pots

17. Stamp logo on bottoms

18. Load into kiln for first, or “bisque” firing

19. Unload bisque and apply wax to all areas required to be free of glaze when firing.

20. Apply glaze….let dry…..apply maybe another glaze or two

21. decorate glazed pieces

22. Some pieces will get another layer or two of over glaze

23. Load into kiln for glaze firing (this done after putting on my electricians hat and checking wiring for any repairs needed before firing)

24. Fire pots for about 12 hours and allow to cool for about 12 hours

25. Unload kiln and once again be amazed at what almost 2000 degrees Fahrenheit can do to transform mud and minerals.

Will you think twice before asking a potter “How long does it take…..?”