Kiln Firing Guidelines & Whole Kiln Booking Requirements

Please refer to our Studio Guidelines for details about External Firings.

Kiln Results & Damages:

  • CK is not responsible for any unexpected or unsatisfactory results of your work. CK does not compensate for any cracks, explosions, glaze/clay melt-downs, bubbling, warping, discolorations, etc.

  • If any damages occur to the kiln itself while you are using it, including its shelves, kiln furniture, softbrick, controller, or heating elements, you will be required to compensate all replacement costs for such damages. 

  • Any damages which occur to other peoples’ work on CK shelves while dropping off, unpacking, loading, unloading, or picking up your work, should also be compensated by you to each respective person whose work was damaged.

Booking Requirements:

  • Bookings must be made 1 month in advance. 

  • CK requires pre-payment to confirm a booking. 

  • Short-notice kiln bookings (less than 1 month notice) are only allowed upon approval. If you have a deadline approaching, please email or speak to a Staff Manager directly to request a short notice kiln booking. 

  • You will need to confirm a time & date to load & unload your private kiln. 

  • Your requested kiln firing temperature needs to be determined upon booking. 

  • The temperature ranges of your clay & glaze must be approved by sending a photo of the packaging of the clay & glaze material you would like to use in your firing. 

  • All glaze must be removed from the bottoms of all pieces going into the glaze kiln, unless pre-approved. In such special cases, you are responsible to provide appropriate kiln cookies or stilts underneath your pieces.

  • Clay and glazes used on your pieces must be pure. If you added any organic materials to your clay, your firing will require a detailed description of exactly what you added, how much, and at what state. Firing of organic material added to clay or glaze is not guaranteed. No firing of any synthetic materials allowed.

Loading the kiln:

  • It is your responsibility to load the kiln yourself. CK can help if necessary.

  • You are expected to arrive on time for your loading slot.

  • If you are more than 30 minutes late without letting us know, your kiln will no longer be available for you. You can still re-book, with an added 30% rescheduling fee, but it will likely take another month before you are able to reschedule.

  • First time kiln booking: A CK staff member will help you load. Together you will check each of the shelves to make sure they are. If you plan on returning to load your work again, you should take detailed notes. 

  • Trained for return kiln booking: Once you have been approved by CK staff, you will be responsible for loading & unloading your own kiln for any subsequent bookings. CK staff will observe your process & double check.  

  • You must take your packing/boxes/materials with you after you load your work. We cannot store any packing materials, due to limited space in the studio.

Unloading:

  • You are expected to arrive on time for your unloading appointment. If you cannot come yourself, you must send a friend. 

  • You will be emailed to remind you if you are late/no show.

  • You are expected to grind & re-wash any glaze or clay drips on kiln shelves in order to return them to their original condition. You will be charged an added fee for kiln shelf damages &/or glaze drips.

  • For any explosions, you will be required to vacuum the kiln out and return it to its original condition.

  • If your kiln is cool before your arrival time, the CK team may unload your work for you, in order to free up the kiln for the next studio firing. We will try to email you if your kiln is cooler sooner than expected. If any damages occur upon CK unloading your kiln, photos will be taken. 

  • If you don’t show up to your unload appointment, we will hold your unloaded work in the studio for 48 hours, no longer. 

Cancellations/Changes/Rescheduling:

  • We offer free changes or a full refund for cancellations up to 72 hours before your booking. 

  • If cancelled within 72 hours before your original booking, CK will issue you a 75% refund.

  • If you would like to reschedule within 72 hours before the booking, a 30% rescheduling fee will be applied. 

  • Last-minute changes to the temperature of your kiln can be made, as long as your clay & glaze temperatures are approved.  

  • For illness or other reasons, you may send a friend on your behalf.