Question 1

I'm a beginer, what class or workshop is right for me?

Accepted Answer

All adult pottery club classes are designed with beginners in mind.

All taster sessions are suitable for beginners or for those that have had some time away from pottery and want to refresh their knowledge.

Private courses can be tailored to suit your individual goals - just pop a note on the booking form or drop me an email.

Some skills workshops may be more suited to those with some previous experience.

Courses will state who they are suitable for on there individual booking pages.

If you are still unsure then feel free to get in touch.

Question 2

How many other people will be attending a workshop, class or course?

Accepted Answer

Hand building workshops may have up to 12 people in a session.

Teens or Children's clay club may have up to 10 participants.

Taster sessions are private bookings so only the number of people that you booked for will be in attendance.

Open group; wheel throwing courses may have up to four people in attendance and hand building may have up to twelve.

Private courses are just for you or for the number of people that you booked for.

Question 3

Why does it take so long to be able to collect my work?

Accepted Answer

Creating a piece of work from a lump of clay is very different from painting a piece of bisque ware at a paint a pot shop; this has already had half of the firing process completed by the time you paint it and it doesn't require drying time in the same way raw clay does.

Clay has to be fully dry before it can go in the kiln, the weather, temperature, size and thickness of work plays a big part in this step. If it's not fully dry then the water turning rapidly to steam in the kiln will cause an explosion and not only ruin your work but potentially someone else's as well.

Once the work is bone dry it will be fired to 1000° to the bisque stage. In a bisque firing work can be stacked to maximise the room available. A bisque firing takes around 8 hours to reach temperature and around 12 hours to cool.

Once bisqued It will then be glazed by me and go back into the kiln to 1220°. Work that is glazed can not touch each other in a glaze firing as the pieces will fuse together. Therefore one bisque load often becomes two glaze loads, requiring more time. A glaze firing can take between 9-11 hours depending on the ramps needed and takes roughly another 12 hours to cool. Kilns should not be opened above 200° as this can cause thermal shock to the work and lessen the life

To be as eco friendly as possible the kiln will only be fired when it is full.

Question 4

How long will my work be kept for?

Accepted Answer

The studio is a busy place with lots of work being created everyday, this means storage space is at a premium! Therefore work can only be kept and stored for 2 months once it is ready. Please make sure you have checked your spam folder for collection information or feel free to reach out by emailing westoncottagepottery@gmail.com

Question 5

Why is there a minimum age for children?

Accepted Answer

Wheel throwing for children is only offered on a one to one basis and the minimum age is 10 years old. Wheel throwing is quite physical on the body and a child needs to be able to sit comfortably at the wheel, using their body weight to reinforce strength.

The pottery studio is a working environment, not only is it where I create my work but also has other peoples work at various stages of development. There are many dangerous tools in use and some glazes and chemicals can be harmful when misused or ingested.

The minimum age for all children's classes is 8 years old.

Question 6

Why hasn't my work turned out as I expected?

Accepted Answer

There are many factors that can effect how a piece of work turns out.

Clay issues -

- If clay has not been fully scored and slipped to join different aspects together then cracks may appear along join lines or pieces might fall off entirely. 
- If clay is not even in its thickness then stress cracks can occur. This happens as thicker areas of clay take longer to dry then thinner areas placing stress across the piece. 
-Clay has memory, when it is handled a lot it can want to revert back to its original shape. This is particularly evident when making large flat or wide objects such as plates which can have high failure rates due to warping. 
- All clay shrinks, in order to achieve a specific size a calculation must be done to allow for this shrinkage. The stoneware clay used at the studio has a general shrinkage rate of 12-15%
- Any lumps, bumps, dents that I left in a clay surface when wet will remain once fired. Glaze will not fill dents or cracks as it is fluid during the firing process.

Colour-

-Underglaze colours generally appear lighter before firing has occurred 
- Whilst underglazes and stroke and coats can be mixed much like normal paints, because they are pigment based colours, the tones and colour might differ from expectation. 
- Almost every brush on glaze requires three thick coats to ensure consistent coverage. Each layer needs time to dry before applying the next. 
- Glazes are not pigment based paints, the colour is achieved through chemical formulation - putting a yellow glaze over a blue glaze will not generally result in a green outcome. Glaze layering is only permitted where a test tile has been done first.

Question 7

Why are pottery lessons and courses so expensive?

Accepted Answer

There is a lot that goes into being able to offer pottery lessons and courses.

Not only are you paying for your time and experience at the studio but for all of the added steps that you don't see take place such as loading and unloading the kilns and the glazing of your work.

The equipment it's self is expensive to acquire and maintain, for example kiln elements generally need replacing yearly.

And whilst clay is relatively low cost per bag, glazes are prohibitively more expensive and each piece of work requires three coats.

Question 8

I have a voucher, how long is it valid for?

Accepted Answer

All gift vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.

Frequently asked questions