Production Process » Loading the Kiln
The part of the kiln that holds
the ware sits on a steel frame with heavy-duty wheels that ride along a track so it can be pulled out of the kiln for ease of loading.
Pieces are stacked in the kiln, gradually built up one level at a time like a three-dimensional puzzle, with great care taken to fill as much
of the space as possible by using pots with a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
The picture on the left shows the beginning of the very first load fired entirely with the burner system using waste vegetable oil as fuel.
To the right are
Lotus Flower Bowls being loading into the middle levels of the kiln. These levels, especially
toward the front of the kiln, tend to receive the most intense heat from the burners. The very glossy and runny glaze which is sprayed along
the inside rim over the engraved design will eventually run down toward the center of the bowls as a result of the extra heat they are
subjected to, giving the bowls their unique look.
More
Lotus Flower Bowls are set on the next level with a few
Green Ash Glazed plates toward the back.
The ash glaze also does well in the hot spots, as the green rivulets tend to break up especially well and the rust-colored glaze, which is also used on the Lotus Bowls seen in the front, develops some very interesting effects in this part of the kiln. Sometimes it comes out with many different tones of rust, brown, orange, and even gold all blended together, while other times it will form large crystals against a dark brown background.
At the next level up it is time
for some different forms, as we get past the very hottest part of the kiln. If the mugs pictured to the right were just one shelf below
there would be a good chance of the glazes getting too hot and running off. But where they are now will be just right — the glazes
will break up and run a little, but not far down enough to damage the pots.
The bowls and mugs with the dark brown glaze on the bottom and the light whitish glaze on the top are examples of the Blue Slip Glaze that is based on local clay dug from the ground near the studio.
We're getting closer to the top
and it's time to start thinking about just how many more pots will fit in this load. Practically every pot has either a gallery or retail
customer waiting for it and, inevitably, there are always some pieces that don't fit and will have to wait for the next firing.
I find myself making some difficult decisions, often late at night, when I get to this point and realize some of the orders will be later in completing than I thought due to lack of space for them.
The load is almost complete. The
important thing here is to make sure that these last few shelves are still centered properly above the base so they will clear the inside
edges of the kiln when the shuttle is pushed in, as there is only an inch or so of clearance on each side.
The top of the kiln is not quite as hot as the lower part, so this is where I put the glazes that don't need the most extreme heat.
At left is the final load ready to
be pushed into the kiln and fired. There are about 200 pieces in this load and, on the whole, this is one of the better stacking arrangements
I have done. I could have fit another 20 or so small dip bowls if I had time to make them, but this kiln is otherwise stacked to the limit.
Even though I am firing with waste oil, I still don't want to waste any of it.
To the right here is the finished result. This
was a long firing of almost 16 total hours. The huge LP burners I had been using previously could fire the kiln in about 11 hours. However,
a longer firing is generally more desireable, as it results in a more even distribution throughout the kiln.
Next step: Firing the Kiln >>
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