Stop Losing Member Pots: Tracking Work From Greenware to Pickup
"Where is my pot?" is the question every studio owner hears the most. A piece moves through many stages: wet, drying, bisque, glaze, glaze fired, pickup. Each stage is a place it can go missing.
You do not need software to improve this. You need a consistent, visible system.
Why pieces go missing
- Unlabeled pieces look the same once glazed.
- Shelves are shared and pieces get moved.
- Members forget what stage their work is in.
- There is no record of what went into which firing.
Give every piece an identity
Pick a way to mark each piece that survives the kiln.
- Name or initials scratched into the base before bisque.
- A member number if names clash.
- An underglaze mark or stamp in a color that fires clear.
Check that your marking method still reads after glaze firing. Ask members to mark every piece, every time.
Label the shelves by stage
Set up clearly labeled zones and move pieces through them in order:
- Wet and drying
- Ready for bisque
- Bisque fired, ready to glaze
- Ready for glaze firing
- Finished, ready for pickup
Put a sign on each zone with the date you last checked it.
Shelf label template
Print or write this on a card and attach it to each member's box or board.
| Member | Piece | Stage | Date moved | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ask members to update the stage when they move a piece, and review the cards weekly.
Keep a firing record
Each time you fire, note who put in what. A simple list is enough: member, number of pieces, shelf. If a piece is missing, you can see in which load it was and whether it came out. See planning a bisque load.
When a pot goes missing
- Check the stage shelves next to it first, then the cleanup bins and the kiln room.
- Look at the firing records.
- Ask on the member chat or the studio noticeboard.
- Keep a "found pieces" shelf and clear it on a schedule your policy states. See what to do with unclaimed pottery.
Set expectations with new members
Put the system in your onboarding. Our guide to member onboarding covers where this fits, and studio etiquette is a good lesson to share.
Want this in your studio?
Claybook handles this for your studio: every piece has a stage and a location, from the greenware shelf to pickup, and members check their own work instead of asking you.
Tell us how you run things today and we will tailor it to your studio. See everything we offer studios.