Intro
Welcome to the ceramics area! Like the other areas of the Bodgery, the ceramics area is volunteer run. Do your best to keep the space nice and clean up after yourself.
Slack is the main form of communication at the Bodgery and joining the #ceramics channel is the best way to stay up to date with the latest information or to reach out if you have any questions about the area. The canvas page, "Ceramics Area Info", within the #ceramics channel is another place where useful information can be found.
The area's TeamUp calendar contains a number of sub-calendars including classes&events, the kiln schedule and wheel reservation calendars. Classes and common area orientations are posted on the Bodgery website
Clay
To use the studio you must purchase clay through the area which includes the cost of all fees, glazes, firing, etc. Prices are posted on the wall and payment can be made through the cashbox or online (Paypal or Venmo). Mention the ceramics area if paying online!
Reclaimed Studio Clay is located underneath the work bench in the plastic container and is available by the pound. Studio clay is ran through a pug mill so it is nicely mixed and free of air, however it's still recommended that you wedge the clay before use to mix up any inconsistencies in moisture content or lingering air bubbles. Weigh the clay yourself using either scale and keep track of your own material balances. There's no need to be super precise but please abide by the honor system. Other types of bagged clay such as porcelain and red stoneware is available for purchase by the full or half bag under the worktables. If you'd like to bring in your own clay, it must be able to fire to Cone 6 and you must pay a per-lb fee to cover studio costs. A list of allowed clays are posted on the wall near the cashbox. If you want to use a clay that's not on the list, contact the Area Captain for permission.
When storing clay in a bag, please label with masking tape and sharpie. Clay can be stored under the center workbench (subject to change), but please store in your shelf or locker if possible. Bagged clay that has become too dry to use will occasionally be purged from storage and recycled into studio clay.
Storage
Wareboards can be used to store pieces. Bags (wastebasket liners and old clay bags) are also available to cover or store work in progress. You must label work in storage with your name and date. You can use masking tape, post it note or create a clay tag by carving your name/date onto a small piece of clay and setting it on your wareboard. The wall-mounted masking tape dispensers work best if you stick it down before tearing a piece off.
Work in progress (greenware) can be stored on the baker's rack labeled Greenware Storage, underneath the 3D printer or any unlabeled wall shelf in the handbuilding and wheelthrowing areas. Stored greenware that has become bone dry may be taken off wareboards, consolidated and/or put onto the abandoned greenware shelf which is the left side of the top level above the 3D printer. During the workday every other month, abandoned greenware will get recycled into studio clay.
Work in progress and bagged clay can be stored on your own shelves and lockers indefinitely. Shelves are policed roughly every other month with abandoned pieces being moved to the abandoned shelf.
Firing Process
The ware shelves next to the kiln are each labeled for bisque and glaze firing. Put work that's ready to fire on the corresponding shelf, pieces must be on the shelf to get fired. (Bone dry greenware for bisque firing and glazed bisqueware for glaze firing). Do not store work on this shelf unless it is ready to be fired! (Greenware that's finished but still drying out is ok). Greenware on the bisque fire shelves can be nested and stacked to save space, preferably after pieces are sufficiently dry. Avoid stacking pieces on the glaze fire shelf unless they are flat and glazed similarly.
Fired pieces coming out of the kiln will be placed on the wall shelves labeled Bisque Pickup or Finished Pieces. Please pick up your work in a timely manner. Bisqueware will typically be unloaded onto the lowest shelf and moved up a shelf as more bisque firings occur. During the bodgery-wide workday that occurs every other month, bisqueware on the shelves will have the date written on them with pencil. Pieces that already have a date from a prior workday will be moved to the abandoned bisqueware shelf which is the right side of the top shelf above the 3D printer. Abandoned bisqueware is up for grabs and free for members to take and glaze. If the Finished Pieces shelf becomes full, pieces that sit too long will be placed in the free area.
The kiln is in the back corner of the handbuilding area and the kiln firing schedule can be found on TeamUp. The kiln is typically fired at least every other week alternating between bisque and glaze fire, but may increase in frequency based on the amount of work produced.
Equipment
After orientation, you are free to use tools in the area unless otherwise labeled. You need to be checked off on red tools (pottery wheels, slipcasting equipment, 3D printer, sprayer/airbrush, moldmaking equipment) to use them. Most common red tool check-off orientations are scheduled through the Bodgery events calendar which is the same one used to sign up for the New Member and Area Orientations. Less common orientations are scheduled upon request. Yellow tools such as the slab roller, extruder, projector, etc do not require a check-off. You can look up how to use them or ask an area captain or fellow member for help. Please notify the area captains if tools break, go missing or if there's a general need for a certain tool. For the pottery wheel, you must either take a class or pass a wheel throwing proficiency test.
Glazes
You are free to bring in and use commercial glazes or underglazes if they are rated to cone 6. Test tiles are on a board on the wall to show you what the glazes look like (labels are on the back). Consider glazing a test tile for new glazes or glaze combinations. Test tiles in the desk drawers are free to use. Label them so you can keep track of which ones are yours and what glazes you used.
The Glazes and Underglazes pages within the area spreadsheet has information on the glazes and keeps track of what we have stocked in the area. No guarantees that it's up to date all the time, but feel free to edit and update accordingly with current inventory status or tips on glaze application. Take extra care to not cross contaminate the glazes by putting dirty tools or dumping glaze into the wrong bucket. Clean the lids if you get glaze on them. Notify the #ceramics channel or area captain if glazes are having issues (not turning out like the test tiles, too thick, "hard-panned", too watery, etc)
Cleanup
This area (and the rest of the Bodgery) is volunteer run so please clean up after yourself and keep it in a condition you would like to see it in. Everything is set up so it's as self sufficient as possible. Signs are posted everywhere so read them if you are lost. Feel free to post on the #ceramics slack channel or DM the area captain(s) with any questions. There is a three step process for cleaning to prevent clay from clogging the plumbing:
- STEP 1: The PreClaim and Reclaim are used to recycle clay. Clay that is mostly usable such as failed pieces fresh off the wheel can be put into the PreClaim.
- Throw clay scraps, bone dry waste and slip from wheel throwing into the reclaim.
- If you have a lot of leather hard clay, please break it up as much as possible before putting into the reclaim.
- There are separate reclaim bins for white/grey clay (stoneware & porcelain) and red clay (red stoneware).
- STEP 2: The prewash can then be used to get most of the clay off your tools, buckets, splashpans, etc. Use a sponge for best results.
- STEP 3: The sink can be used for final rinsing of tools and washing your hands.
Avoid putting clay down the sink as much as possible. There is a basin in the sink to catch clay before it goes down the drain (do not pour this out). See the posted sign that shows the direction you twist the faucet knobs (near the wall) to turn on the water. The other knobs are just for loosening the faucet neck. To keep the dust out of the air, do not sweep the floor or tables. Use a wet sponge to wipe things. If there are a lot of dry clay scraps and you must sweep, spread some sweeping compound (located by the wall near the bathrooms) on the ground first then sweep up and dispose in the trash. The hand towels on the wall should not be removed and is only for drying clean hands. If there's clay building up on those towels, you are using it wrong!
If the floor gets messy consider helping out by mopping. Mops and buckets can be found on the other side of the wall where the cleaning supplies are stored. If things are really bad, please post in the #ceramics or #ceramics-volunteers channel
Area Crew
If you are heavily active in the area or interested in helping out more, please consider joining the Area Crew. The Area Crew is a group of volunteers that assist the area captain in various tasks and typically meets on 7pm on the 2nd Friday of each month. The meetings cover various topics from volunteer training, area updates, improvement suggestions and socializing/networking. Participation in the Area Crew is optional but encouraged for those who are passionate about ceramics. Meetings can be attended by anyone that's a member and the end of the meetings there is also typically an interactive hands-on event that includes free clay.