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" Woden" - Wood Fired Kiln - The Eighth Firing!
This page records the eighth firing of the Woden kiln in November 2013. It is an archive of photographs taken during and after the firing.
The kiln fireboxes had been redesigned, Laurence replaced the burnt out iron grids with fireclay shelf supports laid on their sides. That reduced the hole size and increased the platform on which embers could sit while burning away completely to ash, before falling through the hole or being sucked up into the kiln chamber to react with the pottery.
The firing aimed and managed to achieve a reducing atmosphere, reaching 1260 C average and maybe 1300 tops.
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Some of Bill's jugs with handles waiting to be attached. |
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Jugs and bowls, raw glazed, drying out. |
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The back of the kiln loaded. |
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The front of the kiln loaded. |
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After an overnight preheat, the fires were stoked up, by mid morning they were generating a reasonable heat. |
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Larger logs were replaced with smaller branches. |
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Richard, the Mad Axeman of Portland! This was his initiation rite of passage, learning to split pallet wood and stoking the kiln in the early evening. Richard had a batch of tall vases warming up nicely in the kiln. |
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The fire got hotter and hotter, reaching 1250 by about 10pm. We then soaked it until midnight, while quenching our own thirsts! |
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The first peek, after the top couple of courses of door bricks were removed. Looking hopeful! |
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Top left side of packing. Laurence's inscribed drum in the corner, Susan Hughes large figure in the middle and Fil & Maggie Cooke's chimney pot near the front. Note the pyrometric cone slumped well over, indicating 1270 C had been reached in that part of the kiln chamber. |
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Top right hand side. Two of Bill's large collared urns at side and the large jar made by the combined efforts of Bill & Laurence in the middle - sporting a zigzag texture. |
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The whole front exposed, a fairly loose packing this time, with fewer kiln filler pots and larger spaces between the pots and the shelves. |
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Laurence posing while unpacking. |
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The back of the kiln chamber revealed. A great collection of jars, jugs and mugs. |
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A large collared urn, from different sides. A beatiful range of hues. This pot was thrown on the wheel up to about half way, then allowed to stiffen overnight and then additional rings were added and pinched and thrown. |
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A large figure made of paper clay around an armature of bubblewrap and cardboard boxes by Susan Hughes. |
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A heavily textured jar, thrown and turned to reveal the groggy grit, pulled across the surface while rotating. |
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Laurence's best drum so far... |
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Jugs and bowls |
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Three large urns with prehistoric designs insised into them. |
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This is a top view of the urn made by Bill and Laurence. |
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A collection of small white bowls. |
A good firing, mostly excellent results. Fairly heavy reduction, without too much smoke being created, so a more efficient fuel consumption - a mixture of elm logs and pine pallet wood, with a few small branches and twigs now and then. A few of the matt white glazed pots were under fired where in the cooler places. The redesigned fire box ash racks worked very well. Comments are very welcome - email Bill Crumbleholme
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Thanks to :- Laurence Eastwood for his inputs and outputs! Richard Gould for his chopping and stoking, rewarded by a batch of splendid vases. Martin for the beer and supporting role!
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