Week 7 Readings

This video includes sponsored content from Barkley.

How long does it take to make a mug?

“How long does it take to make a mug?” is a question potters get asked all the time. My short answer is: a long time. The reason is that most potters work in batches, which is the most efficient way to make a set of similar mugs.

A full batch typically takes multiple weeks if you include drying and firing time. However, what many people really want to know is the number of active working minutes or hours it takes to make one mug. I want to know that too, so today I am going to test it.

I will make a batch of ten mugs (for easy maths) and time each step.

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Throwing the mugs

The first step is preparing the clay, then throwing the mugs on the wheel.

After preparing the clay, I begin throwing. I complete ten mugs, although I mess one up and have to wedge and throw one again. That extra work also counts toward the total time.

After throwing, the batch takes about an hour of active work. At this point, I cannot do the next steps immediately because the mugs need to dry.

I leave them to dry overnight, flip them, and let the bottoms dry. Then I return the next day.

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Trimming

The next day, the mugs are ready to trim. They are still slightly wet, but workable.

After trimming, they look good overall. One or two have slightly thin bottoms. It is sometimes difficult to judge thickness when the clay is still quite wet, so I will only know for sure after firing.

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Handles

Next, I make and attach handles. This is the part I like least because it is slow and repetitive.

I am using reclaimed clay for the handles. Reclaimed clay can create a nice effect, but it may not match the mug bodies perfectly if it comes from a different batch. I hope the colour difference is minimal, and that the glaze will reduce how noticeable it is.

Because I am using reclaimed clay, some mugs show slight marbling where the clay was not fully wedged. That can also look interesting.

After attaching all handles, the timer shows a little over two hours of active work for the making stage so far.

I tidy them slightly, then wrap the mugs in plastic overnight. This helps equalise moisture between the handles and the mug bodies. The handles are still wetter than the mugs, and I want them to reach a similar leather-hard stage before final smoothing.

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Smoothing and signing

The next day, I smooth fingerprints, tidy the surfaces, and sign the mugs. At this point, the timer shows approximately 2 hours and 24 minutes of active making time for the batch.

I then let the mugs dry completely for about a week before firing.

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Loading the kiln for bisque firing

About a week later, the mugs are dry and ready to load into the kiln for a bisque firing.

Loading the kiln takes only a few minutes. The bisque firing itself takes about 24 hours, but that time is not active working time.

After the bisque firing, I unload the kiln. Unloading takes very little time, so I estimate about one minute.

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Checking the bisque

After unloading, I inspect each bisque-fired mug. I check for small defects such as dried slip stuck to the surface or rough areas around the signature. This inspection and minor cleanup takes a few minutes.

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Glazing and reloading

Next, I glaze the mugs. In this batch, I choose to glaze them all in the same colour (a sky blue). Glazing one consistent colour is faster than testing multiple glaze combinations.

After glazing, I wipe the bottoms clean to remove glaze. I do not wax the bottoms because I still need to wipe them, and I prefer to save time.

Glazing and reloading the kiln takes about 15 minutes.

The glaze firing takes about 24 hours (again, not active working time). I also load other pieces into the kiln where possible, because firing fuller loads is more energy efficient.

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Final results and usable count

After firing and cooling, I open the kiln and check the final results.

Most pieces survive. However, one mug has a bottom that is too thin, so I do not feel comfortable selling it for functional use. Another mug has kiln wash or a rough white deposit stuck to its base. Because the rough area could trap residue and be difficult to clean thoroughly, I would not consider that mug food safe. It may still be useful for non-food purposes (for example, holding pencils), but I remove it from the count of functional mugs.

That leaves eight mugs suitable for sale as functional ware.

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Total active time and time per mug

Here is the total active time I recorded:

• Making (throwing, trimming, handles, smoothing, signing): about 2 hours and 24 minutes

• Bisque unload: about 1 minute

• Bisque inspection/cleanup: about 3 minutes

• Glazing and reloading: 15 minutes

Total active time is about 2 hours and 44 minutes.

Because only eight mugs are usable as functional ware, I divide the total time by eight. That works out to about 20.5 minutes of active work per mug.

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Important context

This number can be misleading without context.

It does not include the many hours it takes to learn the skills needed for throwing, trimming, handle making, and glazing. It also does not include the design development time spent testing shapes and glaze combinations.

For professional potters, additional time is also required for photography, listing, administration, packing, shipping, bookkeeping, and customer communication.

Finally, this time estimate reflects one potter’s workflow and one simple mug design. Different potters and different designs will require different amounts of time.

Thanks for watching.