Pottery from th’ hills is fired with wood to a temperature between 700-800oC (1300-1470oF). This doesn’t vitrify the clay into a glass, so it will still absorb moisture like raw clay but it will not come apart. It is important not to expose your bisqueware to grease or oil because it will absorb any liquid. If your pipe gets contaminated with gasoline or machine oil I cannot recommend any cleaning method and you should dispose of it. If it gets food oil on it you may be able to burn it out in a campfire. Generally, these pieces stand up to heat shock pretty well, but no guarantees.
If your bisqueware is dirty, I recommend washing it with only plain water and a rag or brush. Any soap or detergent will be absorbed into the clay with the water, and it will be impossible to completely rinse it out. Wet bisqueware will be cold to the touch if it is sitting out due to evaporation of water, and it may take a long time to dry. All pottery from th’ hills is rinsed with cold water after firing to remove wood ash and put through the following drying process:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Place the pottery on a sheet or rack that has absolutely no oil or grease on it. The oven rack may leave grease spots on your pottery at high temperatures even if it seems pretty clean. I found this out the hard way.
- Turn the oven off and place the pottery in it.
- Let the oven cool completely and your pottery should be nice and dry.