gary navarre on wed 10 aug 11
In the replies to my query about using mixed woods for k=3D
Hey Folks,=3D0A=3D0A=3DA0In the replies to my query about using mixed woods=
for k=3D
iln fuel someone mentioned the way the kiln is loaded as another factor in =
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getting the thing hotter. I've always tried to load pots pretty closely to =
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make a full load and did just that for my first firing when I got the front=
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to cone 13 or so and the tail to ^4. With some new pieces to replace some =
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of those broken in the first fire I loaded the second only slightly looser.=
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However, in the third firing, after increasing the volume of the Bourry bo=
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x and fixing the mousehole, I loaded the shelves with a bit more space betw=
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een the top of the pots and the underside of the shelf above... =3D0A=3D0A=
=3D0Aht=3D
tp://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/ca/kpap/upwdfk011-3/tail-setting-3-jpg.html (=
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firing 1 & 2 had=3DA0 4 shelves ) =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A...and taller pieces alon=
g the ba=3D
ck of a setting and medium through the middle to smaller along the front ed=
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ge. This, I thought , would cause a sort of wave effect to the flame across=
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the load. I also made a bag wall of sorts along the front bottom to push t=
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he flame up to the crown. During the beginning of firing I tried to keep th=
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e active damper open somewhat longer than before and started with the chimn=
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ey cap at about 1000F instead. The secondary stoke hole grate bars made of =
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a couple soaps worked well and held the sticks up in the top of the load fo=
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r a while before landing in coals on the floor. There was one point when Pe=
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ter was helping stoke the Bourry and I stuck some Tamarack in the door hole=
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and noticed the rise in temperature in the mid-tail. That made me think mo=
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re about which wood has more BTU's. It seems the heat still managed to esca=
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pe the chamber without hanging around and do some work.=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3DA0=
As we no=3D
w know all I managed to attain was about 2000F, not even ^04 in the tail. I=
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had put more space between and above the pieces thinking I might have been=
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making heat dams with to tight a load but now I think I might have inadver=
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tently removed some the heat sink of a closer packing. I need to rethink wh=
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at to make and how to load more clay that will soak up the heat instead of =
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spaces for the flames to fly out of the stack.. =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A=3DA0This ki=
ln can p=3D
ut out a lot of ash...=3D0A=3D0Ahttp://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/ca/kpap/upw=
dfk0=3D
11-3/ash-on-front-shelves-jpg.html=3D0A=3D0A...and one annoying thing is if=
I m=3D
ight have gotten a cup or inside of a bowl up front glazed smooth but neede=
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d to continue stoking to bring the rest of the chamber up to melt, fresh as=
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h will land inside and end up not melting enough so they are rough when coo=
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l. I noticed in some closed forms like those little bottles glazes were nic=
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e and smooth and probably were smooth on the outside before more ash hit. S=
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o what I'm thinking is I can make a sort of salable saggar out of a larger =
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unglazed planter bowl with a glazed cup wadded up inside and a glazed salad=
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bowl wadded upside down on the planter rim to rim over the cup. This way I=
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could put more clay up front and through out the load so the heat will soa=
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k into the pots and stay with fewer shelves in the way. I think this would =
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make neat outsides of bowls with a minimum of ash messing up function on th=
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e inside and help maintain temperature from radiant heating through keeping=
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a more massive heat sink. Has
anyone else gotten a more even firing with a denser more massive load or a=
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smaller bunch of pots with more spaces in between? It seems an open load w=
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ould require pretty much constant stoking just to keep up with heat loss up=
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the stack and I don't have any regular stokers who could give a hand yet. =
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We'll see what happens for the next firing because some guys around here se=
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em a little more interested. Thanks for sharing any experiences you had and=
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stay in there eh.=3D0A=3D0A=3DA0=3D0AGary Navarre=3D0ANavarre Pottery=3D0A=
Navarre Ente=3D
rprises=3D0ANorway, Michigan, USA=3D0Ahttp://www.NavarrePottery.etsy.com=3D=
0Ahttp=3D
://www.youtube.com/GindaUP=3D0Ahttp://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/
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