Custom Pottery & Ceramic Firing in Portland

Holiday Firing Schedule

Holiday		Deadline
06/21/26	Father's Day	06/07/26
07/04/26	Independence Day	06/19/26
10/31/26	Halloween	10/16/26
11/26/26	Thanksgiving	11/12/26
12/04/26	Hanukkah	11/23/26
12/25/26	Christmas Day	12/04/26
01/01/27	New Year's	12/18/26

At Georgies, we offer custom firing for cone 04 bisque, cone 05 low-fire glaze, and cone 6 mid-range glaze. We fire on a first-come, first-served basis and unload daily, with a typical 7–10 business-day turnaround.

Bring your work in anytime during business hours — we’ll call you as soon as your pieces are ready for pickup.

Note: We do not fire if outdoor temperatures reach 100°F or higher, as it can damage the equipment. This may create delays during peak heat.

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COMPLETE FIRING GUIDE

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Pricing

Minimum charge — $8

1/4 shelf — $13

1/2 shelf — $16

One full shelf — $19

Two full shelves — $26

1/4 kiln load — $30

1/2 kiln load — $50

Full kiln load — $90

General Policies

7–10 business-day turnaround for bisque or glaze firings.
Work must be delivered in a lidded plastic bin; you’ll get your bin back with your firing.
Extra charges may apply for:
- Large quantities of very small pieces (+$25/hour)
- Scraping glaze off the bottom of ware (+$25/hour)
- Stilt fee for cone 6 firings (0.50 / stilt)
- Cleaning shelves or repairing damage caused by glaze runs
- Custom firing schedules and temperatures are only available for full kiln loads ($90).
- Please ensure work is completely dry before drop-off.
- Firing always carries risk — cracks, breaks, or unexpected glaze results may occur. Firing fees still apply.

Custom Firing FAQ

I got too excited about the new glaze I bought and glazed my greenware piece before it was bisqued. Is that okay for you to fire?

In most cases, no. We do not once fire greenware to glaze temperature. Sometimes this will cause pin holing in a glaze. Please let us know when a piece has glaze OR wonderglaze on greenware as they can melt and stick pieces if they are stacked or touching; glaze and wonder glaze should be applied to bisque ware only.

I used a new glaze combination that may be runny. Can I fire that?

Yes but consider providing a waster or clay cookie to fire the piece on.

I glaze fired my piece and the glaze did not come out well. Can I re-glaze it?

Yes, just allow more room for the glaze to potentially run. If your piece stuck to the shelf in the flrst firing and you want to re-glaze a piece, you MUST remove the offending glaze either with a rub stone or a Dremmel before re-firing.

I made a teapot with a lid and my lid broke in the bisque firing. What do I do?

Buy a LidMaster. This is a caliper with the ability to give a measurement for 12.5% shrinkage. people to get it in my car. Can I fire that?

I made a clay piece using 2 boxes of clay. It weighs 100 pounds and it took 3 people to get it in my car. Can I fire that?

We take large pieces on a case-by-case basis. Please call ahead and be prepared to answer questions about the dimensions of your piece and possibly send photos. If we will need a winch or forklift to load or unload, the answer will be no.

Can I load my pieces myself? Can I watch?

We do not load your pieces the same day and our dedicated staff member will load your pieces. We do not allow an audience for loading/unloading.

I just got my bisque piece back! Can I glaze at your store?

We do not have a studio or station available for glazing in our store or warehouse.

My piece broke in firing. Do I still have to pay for it?

Unfortunately, firing in public kilns carries that risk and breakage does happen on a rare occasion. We do our very best to handle all with care, but can’t control what happens in the kiln during firing. If your piece was fired in our kiln, you still have to pay for it whether it broke or not.

What types of other fees can I expect in custom firing?

Additional fees could include large quantities of very small pieces, scraping glaze off the bottom of ware, stilt fee for cone 6 firings, and cleaning/repairing damage caused by glaze runs (could result in an entire kiln shelf fee).

Do you fire pieces that use overglazes or lustres?

No, we do not.

I was firing my kiln and I got an error. What do I do?

There are many errors that can occur with your kiln. Please get out your kiln manual and see if the error code is listed. This makes troubleshooting a lot easier and contact us for more help with the error code.

Can I buy stilts to use with my mid-range glazed pieces?

Yes – however, you will have to purchase the stilts and then there is an additional stilt fee for all cone 6 firings at $0.50/stilt. We do not recommend this. Please note that firing results with stilts can vary widely and aren’t always a good idea. We recommend trying CH563 25×80 grog in a kiln safe container to ‘float’ a piece or make a waddling clay from 5/05/ EPK and alumina. Wadding clay is very refractory and will not stick to a kiln shelf if made correctly. In all cases, dry footing your work is the BEST option.

OH NO… I bisque fired my work to cone 6! Can I still glaze that?

Yes, but it could be tricky. Your clay is no longer as absorbent as it would be so the clay will have a harder time accepting the glaze. Try heating the piece in the oven first and/or blotting glaze on as opposed to brushing it.

Can I bring work in for firing that I made today?

No, all pieces need to be bone dry (we are not a storage facility for your wet work to dry) and we will not load wet work.

I just found a clay piece I made in college in a box in the attic and want to finish it. Can Georgie’s fire that?

Yes, but if you do not know the clay body used, it can only be fired to low fire. bed. Can I fire that?

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