Waterloo Studio Tour: From Clay to Cup in 8 Steps
Aktie
Every piece in the Doppiocotto collection goes through the same eight stages, in the same Waterloo studio, before it's ready to leave. Here's what actually happens between raw clay and a finished cup.
1. Clay Preparation
Stoneware clay is wedged by hand — a rhythmic compression process that removes air pockets and homogenises the clay body before any shaping begins.
2. Slab Rolling
Clay is rolled to a calibrated thickness using a slab roller. The thickness varies by form — espresso cup walls are thinner than mug walls, and plate slabs are rolled to a precise, even thickness.
3. Cutting and Templating
Component forms — base, walls, handle, foot — are cut from the rolled slabs using templates developed for each piece. The pieces are left to firm to a leather-hard state: firm enough to hold shape, soft enough to bond.
4. Joining
Components are scored, slipped and joined by hand. Seams are smoothed inside and out, and handles are attached with attention to weight, angle and grip.
5. Drying
Green-ware pieces dry slowly and evenly — forced drying causes stress cracks. Larger forms can take several days and the process can't be rushed.
6. Bisque Firing
Bone-dry pieces are fired to approximately 1000°C — the first of the studio's two fires, removing remaining moisture and turning fragile dried clay into stable bisque-ware.
7. Glazing
Each bisque piece is glazed individually by hand — dipped, poured or painted depending on the form. Several glazes in the collection have been refined over years of test firings.
8. Glaze Firing
The second and final firing, to 1220–1280°C, fuses the glaze to the clay body and gives the piece its final density and durability — the second fire that gives the studio its name, Doppiocotto, "double fired."
Two Weeks, Start to Finish
The full process takes roughly two weeks per batch — not a slow supply chain, but the time genuinely required to make something properly.
See It in Person
You can learn the same technique yourself in a hand-building workshop at the Waterloo studio, or read more about the studio and its founder on our About page.