How much time does it take to make a mug?

A mug is made over 8 days, with 30-40 minutes of hands-on time.

Sculpting and attaching handles

Sculpting the handles is a process I’ve worked on carefully - to get the right level of delicacy but a strong and comfortable hold.

6 mins to make and attach handles
4 days of slowly drying under plastic

Loading and unloading the kiln

I ‘tumble-stack’ my bisque kilns so that they’re as efficient with space and energy as possible. That means they’re all carefully balanced, foot-to-rim.

18 hour firing to 1000°c (called a bisque fire)

Wheel thrown to the perfect size

I like a finely thrown, big mug with a trimmed foot to make it feel a bit special.

3 mins to wedge and weigh
8 mins to throw (10 years of practice!)
1 day to dry, turning it to dry evenly
5 mins to trim the foot

Dipping into multiple glazes and the second firing

It can all go wrong in the final firing if the glaze recipe isn’t chemically balanced. I test the glazes carefully and use cones to check how ‘well baked’ the pots are.

10 mins to make the glaze
30 seconds to wax the bottom
20 seconds to pour and dip the mug in glaze
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22 hour firing to 1220°c, cone 6 (called a glaze fire)