Frequently Asked Questions!
The #1 Question: WHERE’S MY POT?
Here are some ideas for places to look:
Did you check the last place you had it, greenware shelves, bisque shelves, glaze shelves, problematic pot shelves, middle earth shelves, your own shelf…
Did you trace your steps on the last process/zone you put your pots through?
It could be in one of the kilns.
It could have been accidentally broken, in which case the etiquette would be to leave a note of apology with the ware(s) and deliver it to the problem shelf or the personal shelf of the maker of the wares.
If your ware(s) were left unfinished, unsigned, and bone-dry on any non-personal shelf, it will have been recycled. People abandon their wares constantly so our staff does a weekly scan.
Did you check the old bisque/old glaze ware crates. If your creations are abandoned for 40 days or more in public shelving zones, it will be removed from the studio.
Did you sign your creations? Wares change in size and color after moving through kilns. Did you document your work? There are apps for this and you can keep track of everything on your cell phone.
It’s possible and typically rare that your wares blew up in the firing, if that is the case, it would ideally exist on the problematic shelf with a note, unless there is so much fine shrapnel that it is unidentifiable in which case it goes straight to landfill.
It is WILDLY RARE that someone stole your pots. I encourage you to avoid that accusation, as tempting as it is, and to assume that your creations were desirable and valuable enough to steal. Clay people are good people.
Did you look inside of other pots? When we stack Bisque firings, there are ample nesting opportunities. DO NOT touch anyone else’s pots, especially greenware. If you are looking through bisque ware for your stuff, use extreme caution and only touch other pots if you have to, with two hands.
If you took a TIFAS class, then it would highly likely exist in the finished TIFAS crates underneath the other finished pots.
If you’ve exercised all of these possibilities to no avail and you ask a work trader or myself to stop what they’re doing and help you find it, then you owe them $20 if it’s found in under 5 minutes. If you can’t find your wares in under 5 minutes, give up, make more pots, look later, sometimes wares are simply hiding and will reveal themselves when they want your attention.
Other Common Questions!
WHEN WILL MY POT(S) BE FIRED… WHY IS EVERYTHING TAKING FOREVER?
We have the fastest turnover rates of firing than any other studio I’ve ever worked in. If this is your first studio and have no other studio to compare it to, then you are experiencing the highest bar of firing pace. Each of our three kilns fire at least twice a week. We also do our best not to rush any of the drying process to ensure the safety of your creations. Working with clay is a constant practice of patience and I assure you that our staff is gentle, knowledgable, and attentive to move work through kilns as swiftly as possible. Large and awkward shapes will always take longer because we also strive for efficient and tightly packed kilns.
WHY DID MY GLAZE MESS UP… WHY DIDN’T THE WAX WORK?
99% of glazing mishaps are due to the application of the glaze. Our glazes are professionally mixed. If they are applied too thin or too thick, that’s your responsibility. We do our best to monitor a glaze’s optimal consistency, but there are innumerable variables that can alter the consistency of a glaze: Did the lid get left off? Did someone pour too much water trying to thin in out? Did someone cross contaminate? Did someone switch the lids (always read the label on the side of the bucket to confirm it’s the right glaze). Before you glaze, test the thickness of the glaze with a dry finger and observe. Once you apply the glaze, confirm that you have credit card thickness. Does it look transparent? Is the glaze cracking? Please do not blame the maker of the glaze or the staff member firing the kiln. It is wildly rare that they are the reason your glaze failed to perform. Consult the clay lord’s Anti-Waxer document posted by the indoor glazing area for wax related issues.
WHY DID MY POT CRACK/WARP/BLOW UP… WHO’S FAULT IS THIS? WHO CAN I BLAME?
Take more classes, infinite things can go wrong, clay is an immaculate listener and clay will show you if it was handled in an unsavory way in the form of manifesting outside of your desired intention. EVERYONE NEEDS MORE INSTRUCTION. I’ve been doing this for 23+ years and I still seek technique and skill development from an infinite pool and deep history of knowledge from an incredible human legacy of clay workers. You are strongly encouraged to refrain from blame, take accountability for your choices and actions. Approach this with playful non-attachment and make better stuff.
CAN I RE-FIRE MY POT?
No.
If everyone didn’t like how their glaze application manifested, then everyone would re-fire constantly. Our staff is on regular hustle mode to get everyone’s works through the kilns in an ethical and timely manner. Additionally, your clay is wildly less porous so it wouldn’t receive glaze desirably. Most of the time re-fires unfold worse than the first iteration. Don’t froth for a re-fire. Make more pots, nail it the first time, don’t be attached. Cry a river, build a bridge, get over it
WHY CAN’T I GO OVER BY THE ELECTRIC KILNS WHERE IT SAYS ‘STAFF ONLY’?
It’s dangerous, hot, and there’s absolutely no legitimate reason to go back there… unless you are unethically attempting to cut in front of wares that have been on the shelves longer than yours.
CAN YOU OPEN EARLIER… CAN YOU OPEN TUESDAYS?
No.
SHOULD I TAKE ANOTHER CLASS?
Yes!
WHATS THE DIFFERENCE CONE 5 AND CONE 10?
Roughly 178 degrees. A bigger difference is the oxidation atmosphere of the cone 5 electric firing and the reduction atmosphere of the cone 10 gas firing.
IS THIS FOOD-SAFE?
I only provide food safe glazes. Malcolm Davis has a tendency to ‘crawl’ so I wouldn’t apply it to the inside of functional ware. Raku and Pitfire pots are TYPICALLY not food safe, but there are exceptions.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION?
Personal half shelf
Firing and glaze fees, access to roughly 30 bucket glazes.
Complete access to the studio whenever it’s open
Discounts on classes
Opportunities to sell
Participation in the most adorable collective of sweet creative wholesome people who radiate kindness and support for all walks of life. Clay people are good people. Your joy and progress boosts tenfold in this sort of setting compared to a home studio.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE 6 SESH DROP-IN PACKAGE?
2-3 large collective ‘drop in’ shelves
Sessions can be spent over long periods of time
One ‘session’ is equivalent to 3+ hours for one day.
Firing and glaze fees, access to roughly 30 bucket glazes.
Complete access to the studio whenever it’s open
Discounts on classes
Opportunities to sell
Participation in the most adorable collective of sweet creative wholesome people who radiate kindness and support for all walks of life. Clay people are good people. Your joy and progress boosts tenfold in this sort of setting compared to a home studio.
Note that if you just pop in for 10 minutes, I wouldn’t require the expenditure of a full session token. I hope for/require honor within that system.
HOW DO I BUY CLAY?
Clay purchased from the studio must be processed and documented by the work trader on duty. Clay must be BOUGHT before shwooping it. Recycled clay is $10, limited to one bag per person because it goes so fast.B-Mix is $43, all other clays are $33. All of these clays are compatible with cone 5-10. Payments can be made through cash check or Venmo, no tax.
You can also buy clay from outside sources like Phoenix Ceramic Supply Shop. Ask the staff which clay to buy, don’t buy low-fire clay. Be sure to use appropriate clay for the firing you intend upon.
HOW DO I GET ON THE WORK TRADE TEAM?
Our work trade team covers membership fees by working 3 hours per week. We are typically stacked, but you can email travis@santacruzclay.com with a resume to get on a waitlist. We’ll only be hiring folks with experience.
HOW DO I BECOME AN INSTRUCTOR?
Email travis@santacruzclay.com with the following:
Resume of clay experience
Title of class
Date/time (that doesn’t conflict with published classes)
3 sentence description
Cost per person
# of max students
Age/skill/equipment/material requirements
2-3 photos of relevant content for the class
There is a classroom of 6 wheels upstairs that wouldn’t conflict with membership access.
If the class is scheduled outside of regular studio hours, then there can be higher student participation. I require an in-person presentation/skills check to ensure quality control prior to the publishing of the class
*Once I receive more questions with great frequency, I will update the answers to this document. Enjoy the mud, enjoy each other
Much Love,
Clay Lord Travis
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