Art Off Center (AOC) provides fee based firing services that include decals, china paint, and luster (around ^018) , bisque and low fire clay (^06 – ^04) and mid-fire work (^4 – ^6). Pottery and/or sculpture can be brought in for firing, either by piece or groups of work to fill a shelf or the entire kiln.
Pieces must have an AOC firing form filled out (for single pieces, for shelf load or for kiln loads). The firing form can be downloaded below or will be provided upon drop off for information about the pieces for the kiln technician. Please fill out the form to specify the clay, glazes and temperature/firing type needed, and basic contact information. Please note that firings are limited to Cone 5/6 and lower only.
Please drop off or pickup items on scheduled Open Studio days, check the calendar for these days. To schedule contact us or call 512-666-9003 to arrange firing a full kiln load. All separate pieces and shelf loads will go into ongoing kiln firings. All fees plus sales tax are due upon receipt of finished work at Art Off Center. We will contact you via text when the pieces are ready to be picked up.
Rates
Pricing is calculated by the amount of space your work takes up in the kiln, and is determined when we load your pieces. After your work is fired, we will text you for pickup and all charges will be collected in-person. However, we can generally give you an estimate when you drop off your work, just by taking a look at what you’ve brought. All pricing subject to change.
Here are the pricing tiers:
- $0.10 per cubic inch: per piece, per firing
- Small Skutt Kiln (KM 1022): ½ Shelf Load $15
- Large Skutt Kiln (KM 1227): ½ Shelf Load $18
- Small Skutt Kiln (KM 1022): Full Kiln Load $100
- Large Skutt Kiln (KM 1227): Full Kiln Load $120
Firing Form
Download the Art Off Center Firing form here: Firing Form/Kiln Ticket
Rules
Download the Art Off Center Class Glazing document here: Art Off Center Glazing Tips
- Know the clay type and glaze firing range for your clay. We will not fire unknown clay or glazes. Commercial bisque is always accepted.
- Remove all paper and armatures from sculptural pieces
- For bisque, work must be dry or nearly dry.
- Please bring all work in your own packing and box(es)
- Fill out AOC firing form (download above) for items to be bisque or glaze fired
- If firing jewelry pieces on racks, it is your responsibility to set these up on beading racks. AOC has some beading racks for use.
- Cone 5/6 Glazed items should have the bottoms and about 1/8″ to 1/4″ wiped clear of glaze, waxing bottoms and bottom edges of pieces are highly recommended
How to Pack Your Work
Greenware is fragile, and so is unfired glaze! To ensure your pieces survive the car ride and the trip to the kiln, make sure to pack each piece carefully. Wrap each individual piece in old newspaper, towels, or bubble wrap to keep them from getting damaged. Art Off Center is not responsible for any damage that occurs due to insufficient packing. In general, it’s better to move greenware when it’s slightly damp. All items must be brought to us in a box (or multiple boxes). All containers and packing materials will be returned to you along with your fired work. If you are bringing low- and mid-fire work, pack each in separate boxes.
Penalties
Though rare, any damages to our kiln or kiln furniture directly attributed to your work will result in replacement or repair charges at your expense. This includes but is not limited to: glazes running onto the shelf, unknown or misidentified clay melting to furniture, and armatures burning off or fusing to the shelf (if wire).
FAQ
What cones do you fire to?
- We fire all low-fire (04-06) work (bisque and glaze) to cone 06. Doing so allows us to get your work through the kilns and back to you much faster.
- All bisque firings are done at 06, no matter what clay body.
- Mid-fire glaze firings are done at cone 5, generally with a hold.
- We can also fire Gold/Silver Luster and Mother-of-Pearl Luster around cones 020 to 018, please document firing range on kiln/firing form.
Can I glaze the bottoms?
That depends on the firing temperature. For low-fire work (cone 06), the answer is yes, so long as the piece isn’t too small! For cups, bowls, trays, figurines, etc, feel free to glaze the bottoms! We can put your pieces up on stilts (little spikey stands) for firing.
For mid-fire (cone 5) work, the bottoms of your pieces must be completely free of glaze. Leave a minimum 1/8″ glaze-free clearance at the bottom of your pieces.
What about underglaze?
Though underglaze will usually not stick to the shelf at mid-fire temps, there is some risk of certain colors fluxing out just enough to become ‘tacky’ and stick to the kiln washed shelf. This may result in small bits of kiln wash stuck to the bottom of your pieces. We are willing to fire mid-fire work with underglaze on the bottoms, but it is at your own risk. The kiln wash can usually be sanded off.
Low-fire work with underglaze on the bottoms is perfectly fine and should not stick.
Do you fire beads?
Yes, we will fire ceramic beads, but you must provide your own bead rack for the glaze firing. AOC has a few beading racks for use.
I need this tomorrow! Can I pay extra for a rush firing?
Firings are done on a first-come, first-served basis. We do not offer any rush services.
Disclaimer
No guarantee is offered, explicit or implied, regarding the quality or serviceability of fired work. Every precaution will be taken to ensure the best possible outcome for every firing. Use of the studio firing services indicates you agree that you will not hold the studio, it’s employees or resident artists, or any other person associated with the studio responsible for work that is damaged or defective in any way while in the studio at any stage of the process.
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