Keen to give wood firing a go? This welcoming, hands-on firing is open to both beginners and experienced makers who’d like to be part of the process. From loading the kiln to taking part in the firing and unpacking, you’ll get a great introduction to how it all works as well as getting some truly beautiful pots.

Wood firing is a shared experience, and there’s always something to learn along the way—whether it’s your first time or you’re returning for more. Come along and join the ever-fabulous Janet Smith who will be the fire master for this event.

Get involved, and see what makes this process so special.

The firing and prep dates are:

• Saturday 13th June: Prep day, organise wood, prep shelves and kiln

• Saturday 20th June: Loading kiln

• Sunday 21st June: Firing kiln

• Sunday 28th June: Scraping shelves and unloading kiln

The wood will be collected, prepped and stacked a month earlier to ensure it is dry on the day. The firing coordinator will be in touch with participants to organise a date for this. 

We can fit a fair amount of work into the Phoenix, and it's a good idea to have at least a banana box amount of work for the kiln. Please glaze your pieces prior to 20th June so that they're ready to load. 

The total cost for a standard wood firing is $520. A deposit of $30 (members) or $50 (non-members) must be paid in advance to secure a space in the firing. The balance of the firing cost is to be distributed amongst the participants based on how much space their pieces take up in the kiln. The fire master is in charge of distributing the cost between the participants, This will be apportioned on unloading day, and then invoiced to each participant by the WSP Manager. The cost includes glaze materials, contribution to kiln maintenance, studio use, admin and firemaster fees.

To potential participants:

Whether this is your first wood-firing experience or you are a seasoned Phoenix fan, here are some points for you to consider/remember before enrolling:

The firing process takes 4 days. You should plan to be involved in all 4 days.
Day 1 – preparation (wood organisation, shelf and prop washing, wadding prep)
Day 2 – wadding and loading pots into the kiln
Day 3 – firing
Day 4 – unloading and clean up

Your pots need to be made from high-firing stoneware clay. Some clays are labelled as “stoneware” but are in fact mid-firing clays. Please check – clays used need a firing range up to at least 1280C. Download a list of suitable clays usually available at WSP and information on slips. You must be able to identify the clay used for it to be accepted into the kiln. We will also send you some guidelines as to suitable sizes and shapes of pots.

Sorry, no previously fired pots (i.e.  re-fires) will go into the kiln.

Please ensure you use only cone 10 glazes. Appropriate WSP Studio glazes are identified by “stoneware” and "cone 10" written on the bucket lid.less