Your Pottery Pit Firing Checklist - What to Bring, Burnish & Expect
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| Members' pit-firing pieces awaiting the kiln. Prepped, burnished, and full of potential. |
Time to Get Your Pieces Ready For Our Pit Fire!
Bay & Basin Bush Potters are getting ready for a members-only group pit fire on Thursday 19th June (weather permitting), and it’s a great opportunity to explore a traditional pottery firing technique that’s full of surprise and beauty.
Whether you’re completely new to pit firing pottery or have tried it before, this guide will walk you through everything you need to prepare your work and make the most of this exciting community firing.
Key Dates for Pit Firing
Low Bisque Firing - Monday 9th June
Place your dry, ready-to-fire pieces on the top shelf in the drying room, clearly marked for pit firing. The kiln will be loaded by 2pm, so if you’re not attending that day, make sure your pieces are dropped off before 1pm.
Pit Fire Day - Thursday 19th June (weather dependent)
We’ll be lighting the pit and carefully loading it with bisqued pots and combustibles - it’s a hands-on day full of smoky surprises!
Reveal & Pick-Up - Saturday 21st June (weather dependent)
Join us to see how your pieces turned out! Unwrapping pit-fired pottery is always a surprise - from smoky markings to colour flashes, no two are ever the same.
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| Our pit-firing top shelf in the drying room is filling up, look for the label if you're adding yours. |
What Is Pit Firing?
Pit firing is one of the most ancient forms of ceramic firing - long before electric kilns, potters used open flames and pits in the ground. In this method, bisqued pieces are placed in a pit surrounded by combustibles (like sawdust, seaweed, salt and copper) which react with the surface of the clay. No glaze is used — instead, the fire itself leaves natural, unpredictable markings. It’s earthy, exciting, and always unique.
Preparing Your Pottery
You can use porcelain, Raku, or any grogged clay that can handle the temperature changes of pit firing. Each clay body reacts differently, which adds variety and fun to the results.
Burnish your pieces at the leather hard stage to get a natural shine after firing.
- Use the back of a metal spoon or a smooth plastic egg to gently rub the surface until it’s silky smooth.
- This helps create a soft, polished finish - almost like a natural glaze.
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| This pottery piece from our group member shows the soft sheen created by spoon burnishing and a plastic egg toy, no glaze needed! |
Do not glaze your work - pit firing needs a bare clay surface for smoke and fumes to work their magic.
Keep your pot walls even and not too thick to reduce the chance of cracking.
A Quick Safety Note
Please do not bring plastics, treated wood, or toxic materials for the fire. No glues, foiled wrappers, painted wood, or chemicals.
If you’re not sure, just ask or post in the Facebook group - we’re always happy to help.
What to Bring / Collect
These natural materials can be packed around or wrapped with your pots. They create all the unique colour, smoke effects and markings that pit firing is famous for:
| Material | Colours & Effects |
|---|---|
| Dried seaweed / kelp | Green, grey, smoky halos (don’t touch pot directly) |
| Banana peels | Browns, greys, soft imprints |
| Coffee grounds | Warm dark smudges and tones |
| Egg shells / bones | Pale white or ghost-like grey markings |
| Driftwood / twigs / sawdust | Rich smoky patterns and ash tones |
| Leaves, straw, dry weeds | Textured burn marks and organic patterns |
| Steel wool / metal nails | Blue-grey hues, subtle metallic effects |
| Copper wire / filings | Reds, pinks, greens (varies by wire thickness) |
| Copper carbonate | Green to turquoise-blue fuming |
| Ferric chloride | Strong oranges and reds |
| Cobalt carbonate | Blue vapour effects or halos |
| Dry grass, Pine needles | Black or dark tones |
| Multivitamins | Browns, speckled and smoky textures |
| Potato or veggie peels | Earthy, smoky browns with light charring |
| Bacon grease / oils | Bold smoke spots (use sparingly) |
| Foil (aluminium) | Wrap your pot to trap fumes - creates a sharp contrast |
Foil wrapping tip: Wrap your pot with foil and nestle materials inside - it traps the fumes and helps create intense colour contrasts and clear markings.
Check out our colour chart for extra inspiration and an easy reference.
Quick Pit Fire Tips
- Mark your pot with your name or initials
- Avoid thick or uneven walls
- Use foil or nestle your piece in combustibles
- Let go of perfection - pit firing is all about the unexpected!
After the Fire
Once the pit has cooled (usually a few days later), we’ll brush off the ash to reveal the effects. You can wax the surface to bring out the colours and add a gentle sheen if you like.
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| This large, beautifully burnished vase is ready to face the flames. We can’t wait to see how it emerges! |
Questions?
Not sure what to use or how to prep your pots? Just ask one of our committee members or post in our Facebook group. We’re all here to help each other learn and enjoy the process.
This is a members-only pit fire. Please let the committee know if you plan to attend.
Start collecting now - we can’t wait to see what comes out of the pit this year!
Want to Learn More?
We recommend these great beginner-friendly videos:
