FAQs

Is your pottery dishwasher safe?

Yes.  Unless it says otherwise on the description of the particular item, all helenbaxterceramics products are dishwasher safe.

Why is everything in your shop sold out?

I'm a one-woman show!  I have a small pottery business and every piece is individually made on the wheel in my small studio.  Consequently I don't have huge amounts of stock.  I make, fill up the kiln and fire pots until I have enough to load onto the website.  I'll advertise all restocks on Instagram and Facebook.

Is your pottery oven and microwave safe?

Yes.  I use stoneware clay and fire my pots to around 1250 degrees centigrade.  So they are all microwave and oven safe.

How do you make a pot?

Making pottery isn’t a speedy process.  I use a variety of clays to throw pots on my Shimpo wheel.  They are then left to dry for some time before I trim them.  I add a handle and footring if required. When the pots are completely dry, they're bisque fired in my Potterycrafts kiln to a temperature of 1000 degrees centigrade.  Once they are bisque fired there’s no going back as the pots have become hard and brittle.  They are then ready to be glaze fired.  I cover the pots in a variety of glazes and fire them again to around 1250 degrees.  You must make sure you wipe their bottoms or the glaze will weld itself to the kiln shelf.  Now your pots are solid, waterproof and ready to use.

So, as you can see, it’s not a five-minute job, but that’s part of the fun!

Are your pots food safe?

Any pottery made specifically as functional stuff (mugs, bowls, jugs, plates etc) is food safe. Anything not food safe will be clearly marked as such on the sales listing and on a card in your package.