Sage Cortez in the H+F studio.
Handcrafted kitchenwares + implements of the home.
Sage Cortez in the H+F studio.
Handcrafted kitchenwares + implements of the home.
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Staffing Shortages + Customs Disclaimer
Due to staffing shortages worldwide, many postal offices have been affected by lack of employees and longer delivery times. In addition, many countries have changing policies regarding incoming mail from the United States. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the buyer, you, to ensure that your country is accepting parcels from the US at the time of purchase in order to avoid lost packages or extreme delays. Additionally, you must be aware of what is allowed through customs into your country. We can ship our US made items anywhere but we cannot guarantee that all of our products are customs approved within your country. We are not responsible for customs removing said items.Thank you for doing your part to help out Hand + Fire!
Tips to quicker shopping + grabbing the items you want before they sell out:
Make an account with H+F to save your checkout information (*very important* When making an account, be sure your address and email information is correct before continuing - alterations to your email address cannot be made once confirmed— email is how you will receive shipping notifications.)
Concerned with getting the item(s) you want? Make several purchases. This is the only way to "reserve" items. *Shipping overages will be given if the items can safely travel together in one parcel. We take great care in shipping and will not risk breakages for fewer parcels.
We will absolutely do our best to combine your orders. It all depends on what you ordered, but we always try to consolidate whenever we can. Shipping overages will be given if the items can safely travel together in fewer boxes. We take great care in shipping and will not risk breakages for fewer parcels.
If you placed one order that includes both items marked as made-to-order/pre-order and ready to ship items, they will automatically be shipped all together after all items in the order are finished being made. (Please refer to the individual item descriptions for details about the expected timeframes for finishing the MTO/PO objects you ordered.) If you would like to have the ready made items shipped out before completion of your MTO/PO item(s), we recommend placing separate orders. If you have already placed your order and want to have the finished pieces shipped ahead of the rest of your order, you can contact us at contact.handandfire@gmail.com in order to request this. (We may require an additional shipping fee to split the order into multiple boxes and send things to you separately.)
We do not accept returns. We will, of course, work with you if there is a major complication or error on our part. Please note, there will be a 20% restocking fee for any major complication or refund that is determined to be the responsibility of the buyer.
Check your tracking number. This is automatically emailed to the corresponding email address (to which you made the purchase) as soon as your shipping label is created.
If the shipping message connected to your tracking number states: “label has been created, waiting on arrival at USPS facility” (or something of this nature), this means that your items are being prepared for shipment at the H+F studio and will be delivered to the United States Postal Service soon.
Check the location of your package. If your parcel has not moved for over a week, contact the United States Postal Service to find out the most up-to-date information. They can also provide you with further instructions, should you need them. (Please remember that your item can remain in Customs for up to 90 days. We know that this sounds excessive, but there is nothing that we can do to speed up this process.)
If you have already contacted the United States Postal Service and still need further assistance, we are happy to try and help you. If you have already started a claim with the USPS, please provide us with the claim number, along with your name, order number, and date of purchase. We will do our best to assist you.
Please understand that while we do our very best to make the shipping process straightforward, after packages are delivered to the United States Postal Service, they are out of our control. Once the package leaves our hands, it is technically your property, meaning that we are able to assist you in the claim filing process, but we do not have the capability to control the location of your package. If and when the item is deemed lost by the United States Postal Service, a refund will be issued.
If one or all of your items are Made to Order: please refer to the timeframe allotted for hand crafting tools on the product listing page, itself.
We’re so sorry that there’s an item missing! There are a few possibilities:
We are human and we may have missed it. This does happen rarely in the process of hand packing hundreds of orders. Or, it may have gone missing during it’s journey to you. Either way, please let us know right away (preferably within 48 hours) so that we can help you fix the situation. When contacting, email to handandfire@gmail.com. Please provide photo documentation of the box and packaging with all labels visible, as well as the items you received. We will work with you directly to resolve the issue and we may require some back and forth communication so please reply promptly when contacted.
Damaged goods must be reported to Hand + Fire within 48 hours of the delivery date for a refund to be issued.
A photo of the damaged piece, along with the box and packaging with all labels visible is required to be sent to Hand + Fire with the report. (Email to handandfire@gmail.com)
Damages outside of the 2 day limit will not be refunded as time sensitive insurance claims will interfere.
Refund or exchange of product will be discussed on a case to case basis.
Domestic Orders
Packages are taken to our small USPS office in Wallowa, Oregon on Friday afternoons. Because our post office has one (sometimes two) employees working on a given day, it is not open on weekends. Therefore, an item that is waiting in their care, received on a Friday, typically will not leave the Wallowa Post Office until the following Monday. (Tracking status updates for a package under this circumstance will often read: “Shipping label created, Post Office awaiting package.”)
If you live within the US, you can expect your package in 3-5 business days, once shipped.*
*If you make a purchase during the frenzy of a shop update, items may take up to 10 business days to ship. Please bear with us as we put together and carefully package your order to be shipped.
Worldwide shipments should be to you in 5-15 business days, once shipped.*
Important: Please keep in mind that once an item leaves the H+F Studio to be shipped abroad, it is in the jurisdiction of the receiving country’s postal service and customs. Once an item is in customs it can be held by the according country for up to 45 days. Hand + Fire does not have authority over the object at the time it is received by customs. Therefore, it is the buyer’s responsibility to contact the destination country’s postal service or customs to locate a package. Please check your email for a tracking number and file a claim if an item is held in customs for more than 45 days.
In the case of an order being placed with us to a country that is not accepting parcels from the US currently, the package will still be shipped out automatically and then may end up sitting in your country’s customs department before, eventually, being returned to us.
Please refer to the explanation at the top of the page regarding current staffing shortages and international shipments.
*If you make a purchase during the frenzy of a shop update, items may take up to 10 business days to ship. Please bear with us as we put together and carefully package your order to be shipped.
Custom/special orders:
Custom items tend to be shipped within 4-8 weeks after an order is placed. Ceramics need time to dry and in somewhere as rainy as the PNW, sometimes they dry much slower than desired. We'll make sure to keep you updated on the progress of your wares, but if you have a question about your order, feel free to get in touch with us at contact.handandfire@gmail.com or through our contact page.
The artists of Hand + Fire occasionally sell products made with wild and foraged materials. (Such as products that contain wild turkey feathers, foraged wild grasses, etc.) Specialty art tools with fixed blades are also sold by Hand + Fire.
If ordering from outside of Oregon, please become familiar with your area’s customs policies for importing products with wild, natural, or foraged materials before ordering. Also, please be aware of policies concerning fixed-blade tools.
While we can ship internationally, we cannot guarantee acceptance of all H+F products by a given location, as there are specific rules and regulations for import at each individual destination.
By purchasing our products you are acknowledging that Hand + Fire, Sage Cortez is not responsible for lost and/or denied parcels due to unmet customs requirements.
Hand + Fire is not responsible for tax or customs charges. Please keep in mind that you may need to pay customs fees upon pick up of your parcel.
All items sold by Hand + Fire, intended for food-use, are food safe.
We work hard to continuously provide our customers with the best quality wares that we can offer. If you have a question about the care or safety of your item, please shoot us a message by clicking here.
Although all H+F wares are considered every-day objects, they are also functional-art and require special care. Here is how to tend to your new piece(s):
Washing:
Small wares made of ceramic are dishwasher safe--no hand washing is necessary, although it is recommended.
Large wares should only be hand washed to avoid breakage or chipping in the dishwasher.
Utensils that combine materials, ie. wood/metal/ceramic/etc are not dishwasher friendly, as metal can oxidize and wood will become rough and/or split with exposure to excessive water.
Microwaving:
Small wares made of ceramic are microwave friendly. Please take care and do not over-heat.
Large wares made of ceramic can be microwaved on a case to case basis. Please refer to the product description when purchasing.
Items decorated in gold luster/metal handles/accented with wood are not microwave friendly.
*A special note on caring for our unglazed and/or slip-based finishes (including Gesture Stone, Chocolate Stoneware, any Hakeme finish, Cinnamon Stoneware, and Foraged Pigments)
Lightly oil with a food safe, hypoallergenic wax or oil (such as beeswax, board butter or high temperature cooking oil) when color starts to dull and to help prevent staining. Please take extra care when washing. While we appreciate a patina that develops with use and time, please be aware that any of our lighter, unglazed finishes can become tinted by exposure to highly pigmented foods or beverages.
Washing: Always hand wash your wooden object immediately after use. Hang or store upright to dry. Never put wooden wares in the dishwasher, as excessive water can cause warping, splitting, and a rough surface.
Restoring Luster: It’s natural for wooden wares to become a bit rough after use, in order to re-hydrate your wood utensil, lightly sand the object with a 120 (or finer) grit sandpaper and use a food safe oil to rub on the surface. Allow the oil to fully saturate the wood, and let sit for an hour before buffing away with a cloth. We recommend walnut oil or bees wax board butter, which can be found at your local hardware store or supermarket. This step can be taken once every three months, as needed.
Customer Question: “What is causing a brown color to migrate to my dish towel when drying my board? Is this harmful/not food safe”
Rest assured we don’t use any stains or additional colorings beyond the natural color of the wood and any charring. (Charring is a method of scorching the outer surface of the wood to blacken, harden, and seal off any pores in the wood grain. The brown residue that you saw on your towel can also be caused by tannins coming out of the wood through use and exposure to moisture. The best way to reduce any unwanted color transfer is to follow our wood care instructions listed above.
If your brass, silver, or copper wares lose their shine, use a soft cloth (or chamois) to gently polish and remove any oxidation buildup. Metal polish can also be used, which you can find at your local hardware store.
Always remove your tools from your water bucket after use. (We’ve all left a rib or two floating in the throwing bucket, it happens.)
Rinse everything well / wipe them dry.
Allow your tools to air dry.
Lightly sand the wood + reapply an oil or wax, on occasion.
About torched wood: The time-tested practice of torching wood for the sake of both waterproofing and hardening has been used for functional and aesthetic purposes on these tools. It seals off the otherwise open pores of the wood, protecting from water penetration and swelling.
About raw wood: While the raw wood tools are intended to be exposed to water, they will need to be sanded and oiled, occasionally, (as do all wooden products) to restore a smooth, sealed surface.
About hemp cord: It will last a long time, but will eventually need to be replaced.
About brass: A patina will develop with use, uniquely changing the color of the brass. In time, wire cutter tools will need their wire replaced.
Occasionally this can happen as the wood expands and contracts when exposed to water and use. You can avoid this altogether by allowing your tools to completely dry after use and then regularly reapplying a small amount of either oil or wax to the wooden portions of the tool. Periodically, you can lightly smooth the surface of the wood using a very fine sandpaper before oiling. The more you do this, the more sealed the tool will become.
To secure it back into place, here’s some steps:
If you’ve used it recently, first let the wood and brass dry out entirely. Set it in the sun, if possible. Using a rough sandpaper, scuff up the bottom 1/4” of the brass that will be inserted into the wood and the area of wood with the holes. Then using a glue, such as super glue, gorilla glue, or epoxy, put a decent amount in each of the holes—just enough to come out the top a little when you insert the brass. Once in place (making sure to press it on tightly so it’s secure), let it sit for a day before using it again. Lastly, periodically rubbing on a bit of oil or wax to the wooden parts will help to restore the luster of the wood and waterproof it. On her personal tools, Sage uses Howard Feed-N-Wax or walnut oil—one or the other are usually available in most grocery shops.
It’ll be good as new.
As a small, artist-owned business, H+F works continuously to keep up with new products, regular shop restocking, and customer requests. Because of Sage being located in Wallowa, Oregon (which has definitive seasons with big winters and very hot summers) she works in various mediums depending on the season. We tend to update the shop every 1-3 months with multiples of items ranging from popular product restocks to smaller updates of new designs.
If you have something you want to see in the next update, let us know! We'll try to work it in.
Seconds are pieces that don’t meet aesthetic quality standards or are made as test products that didn’t make the cut for regular sale. The imperfections in the finish do not affect the integrity of the piece, unless otherwise noted in the product description.
Many makers throw these wares out, but in our practice of sustainability and reuse we prefer to offer them at reduced rates to reflect their visual impurities.
Giving room for imperfections allows for more accessibility for or customers and a less wasteful practice.
Examples of seconds, similar to how it will appear on the item listing:
Pour our over cone is reduced for a hairline split in the surface of the ceramic. The split does not interfere with the integrity of the piece.
Dish is reduced for a small “S” fracture in the base. This fracture does not go entirely through or interfere with the integrity of the plate’s function.
While we understand the desire for handmade work to be personally selected, as an online store it isn’t feasible to go through each and every order in this way. We take great care in how we select and pair items for your home and will provide you with the most complementary items to the best of our ability.
As noted on the video demonstration listings and pdf, Hand + Fire is not responsible for resending access information. However, we understand that mistakes can happen and if it’s within 6 months from the date of purchase, we will do our best to help you. After 6 months, we will not be sending out access information and pdfs, as it’s simply not financially feasible for us to go back into our records that far. Our video demonstrations are always available through our website and access can be reestablished after 6 months by donating again.
Video demonstrations available here.
By purchasing H+F products you are acknowledging that:
• Each item is handmade and will show the marks of this process.
• Each piece is unique, bearing the same colors and similarities, with differences in applications of glaze and slight variations in size.
• All wares are made with attention to detail including remnants of the hand at work and intentional “imperfections”.
• All food-centric items are food safe.
• Most* items are dishwasher and microwave friendly.
*Please refer to care notes above.
• Function is tested and unless otherwise noted (seconds), this piece will function completely as it is advertised.
• H+F is a small, artist-owned business, please keep in mind that returns cannot be made for any reason beyond receiving the wrong product. (This rarely happens, but hey, we’re human. Bear with us.)
• Lastly, Please remember to be kind when purchasing handmade. These items are loved from the minute they are made until the second they’re sent out to you. You are bringing a piece of H+F and Sage Cortez into your home.