Independent work time at Cone Zero

Open Studio by the Hour / Monthly Membership

Working independently at Cone Zero is for practicing processes you already know how to do. It is for members and students who have had some class time with us or have had an orientation with a staff member.  Staff is not available for technical questions, to show you how to use equipment, teach you how to glaze, etc during independent work time. Take a class with us to be shown a process and how to use the equipment.

Do not share your door code with anyone. There is a security camera recording inside the studio. Do not take clay home with you and work. If you need to do this you’ll have to supply your own cone 6 clay. We only fire to cone 6. Contact us with the name of the cone 6 clay or glazes you would like to use before they go into the kiln. You will be financially responsible for any damage done to the kiln due to using clay or materials not approved by Cone Zero. Wet plaster use is not allowed, but you may bring your own plaster molds and forms for personal use. The 5 clay bodies we offer are Tucker Mid White stoneware, Sheffield 4d3b stoneware, Tucker Bright White Cone 6 Porcelain, Standard 266 Umbria stoneware, and Laguna Speckle WC-608 60 stoneware.

Keep the area beyond the studio in the hallway and the bathroom clay-free. When returning from the bathroom, make sure the hallway door is shut and locked. Please turn off all studio lights if you are the last to leave (including the back room), even during the day.

Do not let curious people into the studio while you are working. The website is posted on the door and people can email the studio to make an appointment. Business cards are by the lightswitch.

Clean your entire work area when you are done (floor, furniture, tools, scale, the sink! etc). The studio is equipped with a small red cordless HEPA vac (with the buckets) to vacuum dry clay, a sponge mop, and a bucket mop. Please rinse and hang empty clay bags on the ceramic loop by the sink. Wheels are put away with the pedal up, turned off, and the stool upside down on the wheel head. Soft unused clay can be wedged and put back into a bag at the wedging table. All clay scraps both wet and dry go into the reclaim buckets under the community tools. Excess water from your bucket goes into the sink. In general terms: water goes down the sink and clay goes into the reclaim buckets. Any clay that collects in the sink strainer can be emptied into the garbage. Please consider cleaning a little beyond your work area if it needs attention as it is easy for all of us to miss a spot. A clean studio is a healthy one - thank you!

Date any greenware work stored on the student / open studio shelves - this work will be tossed monthly. Bisqueware will be marked with the number of the month on the bottom with a pencil (which burns out in the glaze firing) - after 3 months, unclaimed bisqueware will be tossed. Any sanding should be done wet, by the sink, into the trash.

Students and events get priority over wheels/table space during class sessions, however, you are welcome to work so long as there is space. Check the Schedule & Booking page to plan your work time.

Firing fees will be invoiced to you via email. Please put your full name on each firing slip. There is a $2/piece minimum. The cost to fire is 6 cents/cubic inch and covers both one bisque and glaze firing. If a piece only goes through the kiln for one firing, bisque, or glaze, the charge is 3 cents/cubic inch.

Open Studio by the Hour is $10/hour and is purchased here. Put the quantity of hours you have worked or plan to work between 10 am - 8 pm into your shopping cart and check out.

Thank you so much! 

Cone Zero