A lot goes into making a piece of pottery. We thought it might be fun to give you a glimpse into our mug making process.
Our clay comes moist from our supplier. Think of it as expensive wet dirt. First, we take the wet clay and weigh it out. After it has been weighed, we will remove any remaining air bubbles in the clay through a process called wedging. It’s similar to kneading dough (only it has to be done in a very specific way). Once the air bubbles have been removed or reduced, we proceed to throwing or shaping the clay into the desired form. This is when the magic happens.
After the body of the piece has been formed, it has to air dry or stiffen. Once it's dry enough, the mug can be still be altered but will not easily misshapen. The mug is then trimmed, handled and stamped with the Simple Wares logo. The mug must now dry fully before the next step!
Ready, set, BAKE! The piece is now ready to go into the kiln for its first firing to a temperature of 1888 degrees fahrenheit. (Yes, it’s very hot.) The first firing, called a bisque firing, is where the mug will set as a form. The clay molecules compact and bond together into a porous form.
After it's cooled down enough to handle, we glaze the mug.
The mug then goes through a second and final firing at 2167 degrees fahrenheit. So it’s safe to say it’s not going to melt in your microwave or dishwasher. :)
After we remove it from the kiln the Morning Mug is inspected and ready to ship!
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