The mugs are thrown in small batches, allowed to dry until nearly leather hard before being trimmed, handles pulled and attached before hanging out in a box overnight to make friends with each other. The mugs are then allowed to dry for several days (this time can vary greatly depending on the weather!) before being fired in the kiln for its first firing which is called a 'bisque' firing. The mug at this point becomes hard and solid but also extremely fragile and porous. The bisqued pottery is then submerged in a lovely satin smooth glaze before the final journey back into the kiln for the glaze firing. During the glaze firing the pots reach incredibly high temperatures and shrink and pull together to make a wonderfully strong and functional pots, in this particular case a mug. Once glazed the gold lustre can be applied before returning to the kiln for the third and final time.
