Casual Firing at MUD:
Looking to have some new work fired? MUD Studios offer professional casual firing services for our local ceramics practitioners.
We provide a quick turn-around time for getting your work through our kilns, and prompt, friendly communication. We fire all kinds of work for our casual firing makers - from functional to sculptural to experimental.
With affordable rates, MUD provides an accessible and easy way to get your beautiful work fired in high quality, reliable electric kilns.
You can now purchase MUD firing service vouchers for larger ware orders of 6KG and up, at a discounted rate! This is a great option if you have a large body of work to fire, or know that you’ll be bringing us multiple firing orders. MUD firing credit vouchers are available for bisque, Cone 6 services, or the full package with both firing cycles included.
New firers: Please email us to check your ware is suitable for us to fire before purchasing your first MUD firing credit voucher
How MUD’s Casual Firing services work:
Casual firing deliveries and collections are scheduled by appointment, you can simply email us to organise your first casual firing ware delivery.
To book your first ware delivery, please email us: mudstudiosltd@gmail.com
Casual firing rates:
• $9.00 per KG bisque
• $12.00 per KG Cone 6
• A minimum charge of $20.00 applies for small firing orders (bisque) and $25.00 (cone 6), if the price by weight is less than our minimum order charge for the firing cycle
Your work will be carefully weighed by an MUD staff member after you’ve dropped it off. You will then receive an invoice via email
Please ensure your firing service invoice has been paid prior to collecting your fired work.
Please allow for a average turn-around time of two weeks per firing cycle for the return of your fired work. We have a very small team, and turn-around times are dependent on demand and our availability. Often, we can manage to get your work fired faster during our quieter periods. We can work with you to meet your exhibition or market deadlines if we’re given at least 3 weeks notice prior to services commencing.
We will email you to schedule a pick-up time when your work is ready to collect!
Casual Firing Guidelines:
Objects need to be bisqued before glaze is applied - we can’t fire objects where glaze has been applied to greenware
We can’t fire completely enclosed hollow objects - there must be an opening somewhere on the form
Our casual firing customers usually glaze their ware at home, with their own equipment and materials, then deliver their glazed pieces back to us for cone 6 firing. If our schedule allows, MUD can provide clear glaze and glaze application on request, for a flat fee of $40.00 in addition to firing service charges (up to 5 objects)
If you’d like to have large bodies of work fired with us, please get in touch to discuss your project and deadlines, we would love to help. 3 weeks notice is needed to schedule firing services for large bodies of work
Maximum size of sculptures or singular objects suitable for our standard casual firing services is 30cm x 30cm x 30cm. If you’re making extra large scale work, please get in touch to discuss your project and secure a quote for services
Clay bodies need to be suitable to go up to 1220 degrees C - you can check the product information on your packaging or online orders for your clay’s firing temperature range. Stoneware, sculptural clays, raku, porcelain and most paperclays are suitable for our firing programmes
Work delivered for bisque fire needs to be bone-dry (if it feels cold to the touch, it needs more drying time) a general guide for drying times: two weeks drying time for ware with walls thinner than 6mm, three weeks for ware with walls thicker than 6mm
Glazed work for cone 6 needs to be ‘dry-footed’ (no glaze on the base of the work, and a clearance of 3mm at the bottom edge) and all glazes used must be suitable for 1200 degrees C (no cone 5 glazes, or low fire glazes please)
If you’re using an unfamiliar glaze, or a glaze that is known to be runny, please let us know, and if possible provide a bisqued catch plate to put underneath the work
We can fire beads or other jewellery forms if you can provide a ‘bead tree’ for firing. These can be purchased from CCG or Bot Pots
What we can’t fire:
Most black clays (due to toxicity)
Work featuring washes or slips containing manganese
Unprocessed wild clay that may contain plant roots, large stones, or other organic matter
Damp work
Low-fire clay bodies unsuitable for cone 6 (terracotta, earthenware, Brick Red)
Solid objects: anything thicker than 2cm is liable to retain moisture, and could damage other makers’ work, or our kilns
Glazes unsuitable for cone 6
Work with glaze coating the base
Greenware that has been glazed prior to bisque firing
FAQs
What are your opening hours for casual firing deliveries?
As a studio collective, all of our team are juggling multiple jobs - for this reason, our delivery days and times are subject to change, and are booked by appointment, please send us an email any time to book in your first ware delivery. We also run a dropbox system for our casual firers and students, which allows our makers to deliver and collect their ware any day or time without needing to book an appointment - simply email us for all details on utilising MUD’s drop box system
How should I pack my ware for transport?
Use a firm box or plastic tub - soft bags risk damage to your ware. Use tissue, newspaper, bubble wrap or towels to nest your ware inside your container, in a single layer. Don’t wrap ware up completely - leave the top of your pieces exposed, and refrain from using tape - this helps minimise handling of ware, keeping fragile treasures safe
Do you sell clay, tools, or glazes?
No, MUD doesn’t stock or sell materials. We recommend The Clay Centre and CCG for purchasing materials
Can I glaze my ware at MUD Studios as a casual firer?
While we are currently working on developing a glaze library that casual firers will have access to, we currently don’t offer glazes for public use. If you’d like to book space to glaze your bisque ware onsite, with your own glazes (to save transporting your ware back and forth) you can book classroom access at MUD, and borrow our brushes and tongs. Classroom access can be booked via email, at a rate of $15.00 for up to 2 hours
Can MUD glaze my ware for me?
We offer a simple clear gloss glazing service at a rate of $40.00 for up to 5 small to medium sized objects. This is in addition to standard bisque and cone 6 firing service charges. Please enquire via email if you’d like to book glazing services
What temperature does MUD fire to?
We run a slow, gentle bisque to 900 degrees Celsius, and a low Cone 6 to 1200 degrees Celsius with a 20 minute soak at the top. Your clay and glazes need to be rated to 1220 degrees C, check product descriptions carefully
What happens if my clay or glaze isn’t rated to 1220 degrees Celsius?
There’s a high risk of severe damage to both your ware, and our equipment - please don’t gamble with low-fire clays or glazes!
I haven’t used this glaze before, can I fire it at MUD?
Always let us know if you’re trying out a new glaze, or have applied a glaze you know might run. If possible, please provide bisqued catch plates or cookies for the pieces finished with this glaze
Can I apply underglaze to unfired work?
Underglaze on greenware is not a problem - but please keep the underside of your pieces free of underglaze. Underglaze is very different to glaze, which can be confusing at first.
Can I book a whole kiln?
MUD serves a wide cast of makers, and our firing schedule is often running at maximum capacity. For this reason we don’t offer full kiln bookings. We can accommodate large amounts of work into our regular firing schedule, given at least 3 weeks notice
How will I know when my work is ready to collect?
We will email you to organise pick-up as soon as your work is ready to collect
Do I need to weigh my work before I bring it to MUD?
No, we will weigh work for you, easy peasy!
How often does MUD run firings?
We run a bisque and a cone 6 firing most weeks. The maximum return time for casual firing ware is two weeks from date of delivery, regardless of our firing schedule. Often we can get ware through firings faster, depending on how busy we are
As a teacher, can I bring my high school / primary school class projects to MUD to fire?
Send us an email to chat - we evaluate school firing requests on a case by case basis - often we can help!