FIRING Services & info
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Firings we offer
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Stoneware glaze
1260c
Stoneware bisque
1000c
Mid range glaze
1222c
Earthenware glaze
1080
Earthen ware bisque
1100
Lustre Decals
750c
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We fire to the most common EW and SW bisque and glaze temperatures.
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Firings can be arranged with Maze by kiln load or as a percentage of kiln space.
An info sheet with percentage costs for our four kilns can be found here 'Firing Costs'.
Tall work is more costly to fire as it reduces the amount of shelf levels that can be loaded into the kiln.
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All work must be clearly named – also with information of the type of firing
i.e. Stoneware or Earthenware – Bisque or Glaze – Temperature ranges of glazes. Your glaze temperatures need to fit within our firing range of Earthenware and Stoneware unless you make a request for a solo firing.
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We aim to fire all work on either Monday or Thursday weekly firings however this is dependent on quantity so as to keep prices down by loading full kilns with multiple artists work.
If you wish for your work to be fired independently please arrange a separate kiln booking with us.
Kiln firings are set to start at 11pm so that: -
• The final stages can be observed
• To allow fumes to be lessened during operative studio hours.
• Kilns can be observed at peak temperatures.
Please label work with the following information:
Your name – Work needs to be identified before it can be fired.
This means having labelled all work before arriving, creating a clear identifiable stamped or engraved marking on the work itself, this is also for identification after the firing. All work will need to be unpacked and packaging taken away with you.
Firing temperature – Label the firing temperature so work can go into the correct firing. This is relevant to the materials used, clay and glazes.
Date – the date the item was delivered helps determine order of work to be fired and how dry it may be. We do not have space to store work that needs to be dried before firing.
Glaze additions - any glaze ingredients which may oxidize and affect surrounding items. These are usual oxides in heavy quantity.
No combustibles are permitted in firings, newspaper, straw etc.
Test – To avoid glaze damage to kiln shelves. If it is a previously unused new glaze or is a combination of layering of glazes or oxides that you are unfamiliar with you will need to fire a small test piece to determine its safe use. Add this to your firing note so we can take the precaution of placing the item on an additional kiln shelf surface to prevent glaze runs and kiln damage. Damage to the kiln or furniture may need to be paid for.
Work needs to be fully dry before being fired as un dry work can cause damages.
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All work needs to be in ready to fire form before you arrive.
This includes sanding surfaces, removing glaze from bases and any application of glaze.
You may need to be available for helping load fragile or large pieces.
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Custom firings.
If you would like to fire outside of these ranges you will need to arrange a custom firing with us. It would be best to fill a kiln as this would most likely require payment for 100% of the kiln due to the firing being of a different temperature to those offered.
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Weekly firing days, times and collection.
Our weekly Kiln firings are on Mondays and Thursdays.
Monday and Thursday kiln unloading will be 1 - 2pm.
Loading will be 2 – 5pm
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Delivery of work is possible on Mondays between 1 - 5pm
Collection of work on Mondays and Thursdays is possible between 1-5pm
If you are delivering after 2pm on either of these days work will likely not be fired the day of your delivery due to kiln loading being underway.
Work will be fired the following firing day with the date of collection the Monday or Thursday after that.
Please note that kilns are also only fired once there is enough work to do so.
Outside of drop off and collection hrs we are looking into the possibility of lockable cabinets at the front of the nissen hut.
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Please call to check your work has been fired before heading over for collection.
We are not usually contactable outside of these times.
If people have difficulty with these times please contact us and we will see what we can do.
Payment
Payment must be made at the time of collection. Either by debit/credit card or BACs transfer.
Firing enquiries
Contacting us for the first time? You will need to send us an initial email.
We will reply with some simple questions for you to fill out about the work you intend to fire.
Transportation
Work is ideally brought to us dry, as it is then ready to fire. In some instances work may need to arrive leather hard to survive its transportation, please contact us about this as we have very limited space for work drying.
Work will need to be unpacked onto the correct firing shelves on your arrival and small items like jewellery placed directly on kiln shelves for firing.
The base of stoneware work will need to be completely free of glaze. A minimum 5mm clearance upward on edges, ensuring the base of items in contact with kiln shelves are totally glaze free. There may be a charge for time spent cleaning glaze from unprepared work.
Packaging
You will need to supply your own packaging and take it away with you between drop off and collection, as we do not have enough space for its storage.
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Kilns and firings allowance
Maze Studios has a variety of kilns, a lot of our kilns are second-hand from colleges or universities that no longer have ceramic facilities; each kiln is different. This is a factor as to why we are not geared to facilitate businesses or a level of professionalism that requires a need for greater consistency, in the accuracy of firings for the selling of work.
Maze Studios places importance on the equality of use of its facilities.
Consideration is given to the order of firings but there is no special prioritisation given over one another for the use of our kilns.
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Although we will make every effort to fire your work to schedule, please respect that there may be times when the firing service is delayed due to the amount of work waiting to be fired.
Maze Studios may, on occasion, require booked artists firings to be rescheduled.
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There is no independent access provided to the studios, all visits must be booked or arranged with a member of staff, you must not open or unload kilns, you must arrange for your work to be unloaded.
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Conditions of use
In using the kiln firing facilities it is to be acknowledged that results can vary. This can be due to multiple factors that are not related to kiln functionality, such as glaze variance and application, quality and preparation of clay and materials etc.
There is no compensation for unsatisfactory results of work from firings.
All firings must be paid for other than if a kiln has displayed an error message resulting in the kiln not firing, in which case you will not be charged for the cost of the miss firing. This will be determined and at the discretion of Maze Studios.
Maze studios endeavours to keep a consistency of the work fired through its kilns. In use of these facilities, you agree to not hold Maze studios accountable for breakages, miss firings, delayed firings and variations in quality of finished work.
Whilst we will do our best to place things according to their most preferred location within kilns, this cannot be guaranteed.
Damages to the kilns, kiln shelves and kiln furniture will need to be paid for. With good preparation of work this is unlikely to happen.
Kilns are set to fire to specific temperatures, although there may be variance within this. Studio kilns are not new but are regularly serviced and maintained to help minimise these occurrences.
Work not collected within one month will have to be disposed of.
Any items not picked up within thirty days of firing will be considered abandoned, these will become items of the studio and may be discarded or donated.
Reminder:
Maze Studios is not able to support work being made specifically for business sale or financial reasons. The facilities provided at maze do not reflect the needs of consistent firings that may be attributed to personal financial gains. The firing provisions are set out as an interim for artists before investment in their own kilns.
Please remember Maze Studios is a stepping-stone and development centre. Maze Studios does not hold liability for damaged work or loss of real or perceived revenue as a result of its provision of facilities or firings.
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