Past Soda-Fired Stoneware Collection

We only do soda firings a few times each year, usually in preparation for our Spring and Fall Studio Tour weekends.  Soda fired pots can vary widely in tone and color, depending on where they were in the kiln, how much soda vapor they were exposed to, and what other stoneware glazes or clay slips were used on each piece before firing. 

Soda firing is a vapor glazing process in which a solution of soda ash and water is introduced into the kiln at the top temperature, 2350° F, (1288° C).  The sodium vapor combines with the silica in the clay to form sodium silicate, which is glass.  In addition to the soda vapor, most of our soda fired pots also have a glaze, or clay slip, that is added before firing, partially covering most of the pot.  The area where a glaze was not applied before firing, can sometimes be affected by the soda vapor in dramatic fashion, with warm flashes color, contrasting against areas of smooth glaze and very lightly covered natural clay.   The stacking pattern inside the kiln, the flow of fire and vapor, and the pot's proximity to where the soda was introduced into the kiln, all play a role in determining what the final result looks like.

Below are examples of soda fired pots from previous firings.  We'll have new pieces available each year in May and November, after the studio tour weekends.  More information on the studio tour weekends can be found here:  Clay Collective Spring Pottery Tour,  Earth, Wood & Fire Studio Tour