Blog written by @junimargrie (image of stacked pottery is AI generated)
Transporting your ceramic pieces from your home or studio to a firing service such as Pottery Supplies can be somewhat nerve wracking. This is especially so if you are transporting fragile dry greenware for the first (bisque) firing. What’s the best way to do that without breaking off handles or chipping a fragile rim?
Fortunately, the Pottery Supplies team have had plenty of experience with this. With many customers dropping off their pieces for our firing service we’ve seen some clever ideas for ensuring that pieces survive, and issues that more commonly result in breakages. Here are our top 10 tips:
- Invest in strong, sturdy containers to carry pieces in whether it be a few sturdy cardboard boxes or plastic containers. Do not use soft carry bags or collapsible trays, especially for dry greenware pieces, as they don’t provide sufficient support or protection for your pieces.
- Choose containers that will safely nestle your pieces. Make sure your containers are a good size for the piece (or pieces) you are bringing in – not too tight, not too big, just right. Avoid containers that are not very deep or very wide as they are more difficult to carry smoothly, especially if they’re very heavy.
- Avoid stacking your dry greenware pieces, or if you do have to stack them, don’t stack too many at a time and keep the heavier ones on the bottom. Too many pieces stacked together puts a lot of pressure on the bottom pieces, or on fragile sides or rims, and can lead to breakages. Place a soft cloth or paper towel between your pieces when stacking. Never put plates at the bottom of a stack.
- Keep similar sized pieces together, putting smaller items in one container and taller items in another. If you have a particularly large piece it may be best to put that in a box on its own so that if it rolls or moves around it won’t bump into smaller pieces and break them.
- If you have large wide pieces, such as platters, make sure they are adequately supported. Cardboard boxes and plastic containers may seem rigid but they flex a little, especially when being carried, so it might be worthwhile putting a stiff piece of wood (or a bat) underneath your wider pots. We also recommend not stacking anything on top of these pieces, or if you do, make sure they’re small and light such as ornaments or jewellery.
- Separate your pieces with soft cloth, paper towels or bubble wrap. This avoids them from clinking together and helps keep them stable and in place during transport.
- Use a soft cloth such as a towel under your containers when loading them in the car to avoid them sliding around on the seat or in the back of the car.
- When transporting dry greenware with handles, such as mugs, it’s a good idea to put them with their rims down on a soft surface (like a towel) in your container, and line the handles up neatly with a bit of extra support around them to cushion them against bumps. Crinkled paper towels or bubble wrap work well.
- Make your pieces easy to find and pick up out of the container. Avoid nesting small pieces in lots of shredded paper as they will be difficult to find and can get missed. Don’t use sticky tape to wrap bubble wrap or paper around your pieces. Trying to cut the tape and unwrap your fragile dry greenware can be tricky and your piece may get damaged accidentally in the process.
- Lastly, sometimes no matter how hard we try, there will be some losses. As sad as that is, it’s probably best to prepare for that possibility and either make extra pieces or not be too attached to all of your pieces surviving all of the time.