From Wet Clay to Finished Pottery: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Pottery Firing Process
- Throw Clay LA
- Nov 14
- 3 min read
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Throw Clay LA
If you’ve taken a class at Throw Clay LA, you’ve probably wondered what happens to your piece after you leave the studio. You shape it, you leave it behind on the blue bat, and then somehow behind the scenes your work transforms into a finished piece of functional art.
Here’s a look at the journey your pottery takes from the moment you walk out the door to the moment you pick it up.
1. Your Piece Has to Dry… Slowly
After class, your pot is placed on a dedicated drying shelf. This stage is more delicate than most people realize as unfired clay is extremely fragile. Clay needs to dry slowly and evenly to avoid cracks.
Thick bases? Slow drying.
Handles or attachments? Even slower drying.
Hot, dry LA days? We manage airflow carefully.
This is why turnaround times vary as your pot needs patience while its monitored carefully.
2. Bisque Firing: The Clay Turns to Ceramic
Once your piece is fully dry, it goes into its first firing, called a bisque fire.
In this stage:
The kiln reaches around 1,850°F
Your clay becomes porous but hard
The piece is now ready to accept glaze
3. Glazing: Where the Pottery Firing Process Fun Really Begins
After bisque firing, your piece is glazed by our studio staff (unless you’re glazing it yourself in a course).
Glaze can be dipped, poured, or brushed on depending on the design and clay body. Because glaze chemistry is its own universe, the color you see when glaze goes on is not the color it will be after firing.
This is the stage where science meets art.
4. Glaze Firing: Transformation Inside the Kiln
Your glazed piece heads back into the kiln for its final firing. This second firing is much hotter than the first bisque firing. At 2,200°F+, magical things happen:
Glazes melt into glass
Colors bloom
Clay vitrifies into functional ceramic
A single glaze firing can take 30–40 hours including heating, peak temperature, and cooling.
Kilns cool slowly to protect both the pottery and the kiln, which means you can’t rush the final reveal.
5. Quality Check + Ready for Pickup
Once the kiln is fully cooled, our team unloads and inspects each piece. We check for:
Sharp glaze drips
Bare patches that need touchups
Cracks or issues that happened in firing
Whether bottoms need sanding and finishing
At the end of the pottery firing process your pieces are packaged for pick up and stored on the “Finished Work” shelf in the front area of the studio—ready to be retrieved.
Why the Timeline Varies
Every piece is different. Weather, thickness, kiln load size, and glaze choice all play a role.
On average:
One-time class pieces: 3–5 weeks
Six-week course work: weekly cycles
Large or complex work: can take a little longer
Our priority is ensuring your piece is safe, sound, and beautifully fired.
The Hidden Labor Behind Your Piece
Each finished pot represents hours of behind-the-scenes work:
Monitoring slow drying
Trimming your pieces
Kiln loading and unloading
Glaze application
Smoothing and finishing
Firing cycles
Shelf management
Safety checks
It’s careful, thoughtful work that we’re passionate about.
Pick Up, Celebrate, and Keep Creating
The best part? Seeing students return to pick up their finished work. Nothing compares to seeing the excitement in someone’s face when they reveal their piece transformed.
If you haven’t joined a class yet—or want to try glazing, trimming, or bigger forms—come explore what’s next.
Every piece tells a story—and the more you make, the better the story gets. If you’re inspired to throw again, learn to trim and glaze, or take your skills further, join us. Explore our one-time classes and six-week courses and keep creating with the Throw Clay LA community.
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