FAQ

Nope, just make sure you pick an entry level course. Intro to clay, wheel, handbuilding, sculpture, or glass.  The class level will be stated in the class title.

Take a beginning class or jump into one of our open wheel sessions. Our staff can talk you through the options and help you decide what will be the best fit.

Short answer: forever. Even veteran potters and MFA ceramic artists are constantly learning new information and techniques about clay. HOWEVER, we can teach you the basics in as few as two hours. Are the pots going to be masterpieces? No, but hopefully you have fun making it! The best way to learn pottery, is to take an 8 week class (and then keep taking classes until you’re amazing!).

Yes, Queen City Clay recommends our certified electrician (see below) for Kiln repairs, and has a team of wheel repair technicians as well.

Queen City Clay does not take commissions, but an individual artist who works at the studio may! We have many professional artists who call Queen City Clay home, and they’re always interested to hear about potential jobs. Call the shop and let us know the details and we’ll do our best to match you to a professional artist.

If you know the firing temperature of the clay/glazes, we can absolutely fire your pieces for you! Our firing rates are $2/lb for cone 04-5, and $4/lb for cone 9/10 firings.

Flower pots cannot stay outside over the winter. Most flower pots are made from earthenware which lets moisture pass through it. When the water freezes, the ice will break the pot apart

Birdbaths are usually fine to stay outside but there are a few things you need to check. Keep in mind that when water freezes, it expands. If your birdbath holds water that freezes, is there a rim or overhang that won’t let the ice expand? If so, your birdbath will be destroyed by the ice. If you know who made the bird bath, check to make sure they used clay and glaze that were fired to at least cone 6.

Very likely, it was because the dryness of the pot and the dryness of the handle were at different stages. When clay dries, it shrinks. So when you try to attach a handle that is 10% dry to a pot that is 40% dry, they still have different amounts of shrinking to do, causing cracking.

Most cracks on the bottom of a pot are due to excess water and a lack of compression. Spend time compressing with every pot you make!

You can glaze everything but the point where the pot touches the kiln shelf. If you’re doing low-fire work, you can glaze the bottoms and stilt in the kiln to prevent damage to the kiln shelf.