Are you keen to try out pit firing? We're running another WSP pit firing at Caroline Hamilton's, so here's your chance!

Venue: Caroline Hamilton's Property, 988 Tuhikaramea Road, Ngāhinapōuri

Saturday 21st November, 4pm - deliver your greenware pots to WSP for bisque firing

• We will be organising a special low-temp bisque firing to maximise the effects from the smoke and colourants in the pit fire.
• If you'd like to get in on this, deliver your pots by 4pm on Saturday November, measure them and pay 40% of the usual firing cost.
• They will be bisque fired by Wednesday 26th November, 12noon, ready for you to collect and bring to Carolines' house.

Saturday 29th November, 10am - loading and firing the pit

• Bring your bisqued pots - pre-decorated with any combustibles and colourants you want to use.
• If you have any fire wood you could contribute, please bring it along.
• We will bring the magic dust (copper carb and salt mix), sawdust and as much fire wood as we can.
• Bring some kai for a shared lunch while we fire!

Sunday 30th November, 2pm - unloading the pit

• We will be opening and digging out the pots on the Sunday from 2pm.
• Bring good heat-proof gloves, as the ashes and pots are likely to be hot! We will bring tongs as well.
• We will also fill in the pit afterwards, so please bring a shovel if you have one.

Other things you need to know:

• Good clays for pit firing are raku clays and other slightly grogged clays, but feel free to experiment with any other clays you might be interested in.
• We'll make up a mix of "magic dust" to sprinkle through the kiln. This is a mixture of salt and copper carbonate, which produces the earthy reds synonymous with pit-fired pottery.
• You can also wrap and decorate your pots with your own combustibles and colourants. Good materials include copper wire, old nails, seaweed, salt, banana peels, coffee grounds, bones, eggshells and many others... 
• Burnishing and terra sigillata are also methods you might consider using on your pots - they produce a very smooth surface, which lends itself to waxing the finished pot for that satiny shine.
• Find more info on the pit-firing process, colourants and combustibles from these resources:
  https://www.upinsmokepottery.com/pit-firing.html 
  https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/6293-what-are-your-pit-fire-must-dos-or-must-haves/
• Please note that pots fired in this method are seldom vitrified and so are not likely to be water-tight or food safe.