Maggie & David on mon 21 jul 97
We've now received so many requests to fire other people's pieces in our
propane-fueled kiln that I need to consider charging for it. I remember
years ago there was a piece in CM that cited a formula for figuring out
what it cost to fire per piece but have no idea when that was. Is anyone
else out there faced with this situation and how do you go about
determining what to charge? Thanks from Mt. Shasta Calif. where it's so
beautiful outside it's hard to get into the studio.
Maggie Shepard
FireWorks Pottery
Mt. Shasta, Calif.
celine.gura@alz.org on tue 22 jul 97
An easy way is to charge by the pound. SO weigh the piece and charge a certain
amount per pound. One of the studios I use to work at charges fifty cents per
pound. But then you have an issue with size and space. Another studio I looked
into charged $25 for the whole kiln space.
On Mon, 21 Jul 1997, Maggie & David wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>We've now received so many requests to fire other people's pieces in our
>propane-fueled kiln that I need to consider charging for it. I remember
>years ago there was a piece in CM that cited a formula for figuring out
>what it cost to fire per piece but have no idea when that was. Is anyone
>else out there faced with this situation and how do you go about
>determining what to charge? Thanks from Mt. Shasta Calif. where it's so
>beautiful outside it's hard to get into the studio.
>Maggie Shepard
>FireWorks Pottery
>Mt. Shasta, Calif.
>
>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Celine Gura
Personal: celine.gura@alz.org
Library: greenfld@alz.org
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
June Perry on tue 22 jul 97
Dear Maggie:
Many places charges by the cubic inch, measuring the extreme edges of the
pot. So a mug for instance would be measured to the edge of the widest part
of the handle on one of the measurements. If I remember one place charged
something like three cents per cubic inch. Of course that was a few years
ago. :-)
So using that, a 4x4x4inch box would come to $1.92 for firing. If you charge
5cents a cubic inch then it would be $3.20. I guess it's a matter of figuring
our how much your particular firing costs and then how much you want to
charge for you time loading and unloading and wear and tear on your kiln and
shelves.
Hope this helps.
June (Shambhala pottery in S.Oregon - we're practically neighbors!)
Ric Swenson on tue 22 jul 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>We've now received so many requests to fire other people's pieces in our
>propane-fueled kiln that I need to consider charging for it. I remember
>years ago there was a piece in CM that cited a formula for figuring out
>what it cost to fire per piece but have no idea when that was. Is anyone
>else out there faced with this situation and how do you go about
>determining what to charge? Thanks from Mt. Shasta Calif. where it's so
>beautiful outside it's hard to get into the studio.
>Maggie Shepard
>FireWorks Pottery
>Mt. Shasta, Calif.
--------reply----------
You could try charging by the cubic foot...or even by cubic inches....
Fill your tank, fire a full load of pots, ask the propane co to fill
again...divide the bill by number of cubic feet (or inches) that your kiln
measures in STACKABLE SPACE...add FF* and charge accordingly.
You can construct a box, with inclemental markings on it, that will help
you quickly "measure" how much space a piece will take in the kiln.
HTH
Ric
*FF = Fudge Factor.
Ric Swenson, Bennington College, Route 67 -A, Bennington, Vermont 05201-6001
802 442-5401 x 262 vox x 237 fax or dedicated fax 802 442-6164
email: rswenson@bennington.edu
Arturo DeVitalis on wed 23 jul 97
For several years I glaze fired for 4 part-time potters, (Cone 9-10
reduction). My thinking was their fee was to cover all my fuel expense,
($25/firing), my time, wear & tear on the kiln and shelves, etc. etc. so
I chose an arbitrary figure of $1.00 per pound of glazed work (this was
several years ago before IFB prices had climbed to the roof!). The fees
permitted me to rebuild the kiln when it was needed and provided extra
(and needed)income at that time. The part-time potters were indirectly
encouraged to glaze only their "acceptable work", improve their
throwing/trimming skills and glaze application techniques because they
had to pay for whatever came out of the kiln.
Talbott on wed 23 jul 97
Just make sure that the clay and/or glaze is rated for what you are firing
and hope that the piece(s) which you are firing for another does not
explode or melt down and ruin a glaze kiln load of the pottery that you
have worked so hard to produce... Sounds like an "iffy" situation at
best... Cover the basics so you don't pay big time for your help... and
remember (in a case such as this) that no good deed shall go unpunished!!!
Know your client well....
1ST ANNUAL CLAYARTERS' GALLERY - NAPLES, MAINE (Summer 1997)
http://fmc.utm.edu/~dmcbeth/cag/naples.htm
Celia & Marshall Talbott, Pottery By Celia, Route 114, P O Box 4116,
Naples, Maine 04055-4116,(207)693-6100 voice and fax,(call first)
WBS Live Chat Room, Sat Nites 10 PM EDT, Private Room: Clayarters
E-MAIL: clupus@ime.net
Bob Hanlin on thu 24 jul 97
At 08:46 AM 7/21/97 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>We've now received so many requests to fire other people's pieces in our
>propane-fueled kiln that I need to consider charging for it. I remember
>years ago there was a piece in CM that cited a formula for figuring out
>what it cost to fire per piece but have no idea when that was. Is anyone
>else out there faced with this situation and how do you go about
>determining what to charge? Thanks from Mt. Shasta Calif. where it's so
>beautiful outside it's hard to get into the studio.
>Maggie Shepard
>FireWorks Pottery
>Mt. Shasta, Calif.
Hi:
What I do is give them such a high price that they think I'm rippin' 'em
off and that holds it back to very few. I don't know what they're using
for a glaze and shelves are expensive. At times I've just told 'em I don't
do that.
Bob Hanlin
bhanlin@ionet.net
Oklahoma City, OK
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