David Woof on wed 13 jun 01
Last year two friends and I were standing six feet away from a pre-fireing seven foot high cantenary when we were hit by a wall of bricks as the mortar in the arch exploded from the moisture in the mud. We were standing with arms around each other for a "Kodak moment" when we were lifted off our feet.
( No one was seriously bruised or burned but one of my partners and I were so moved by the experience that it took us a month and a half to come to our senses and disentangle ourselves from each other, something about fate or something, as I remember it.)
Really, this is very serious stuff. !!! We fired a little fast and knew we were taking a chance but let an up coming fireing date push us and somewhere in that decision,being Pyros anyway, we went for it with a what the hell, some seat of the pants research to see if the old timers were right with their warnings.
I've always taken it real slow till no vapor is manifest in the flu or wafting anywhere from about on the kilns I've built previously and then taken it up to a good yellow heat. This is a time for the kiln to "settle in" and if there is any movement and subsequent debris sifting about there is no concern.
It's also a good time to tune the bag walls and stack in some bricks and wasters in the setting area to chart the flame travel for future stacking.
David Woof
Earth and Fire Studios
525 Fiesta St.
Clarkdale,Az.86324
woofpots@hotmail.com
Always a little over the edge; reverently taking an irreverent look at everything.
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kruzewski on thu 14 jun 01
Dear David,
Thanks so much for relating your experience, I'll pass it on to my
friend Ray and i know he will take notice of the information.
Ray's kiln sounds quite unusual. I'm hoping to be there for the first
firing at least - it's quite exciting. Ray had been on a Joe Finch (son
of Ray of Winchecombe pottery) kiln building week a few years back - I
was there for the first firing. Ray has used part Joe's design, plus a
flat top plus something else I can't remember - so I think this will be
interesting.
Ray has just moved to be with Margaret, his partner, and is combining
moving a couple of hundred miles with having Margaret's house extended
and building a new studio AND building the kiln! He hasn't managed to
unpack the computer yet! I'm eagerly awaiting the firing as I don't know
many potters with a wood kiln - and of course I've offered to stoke - so
we really will head your warning!
Thanks again,
Jacqui, North Wales
David Woof wrote:
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> Last year two friends and I were standing six feet away from a
> pre-fireing seven foot high cantenary when we were hit by a wall of
> bricks as the mortar in the arch exploded from the moisture in the
> mud. We were standing with arms around each other for a "Kodak
> moment" when we were lifted off our feet.
>
> ( No one was seriously bruised or burned but one of my partners and I
> were so moved by the experience that it took us a month and a half to
> come to our senses and disentangle ourselves from each other,
> something about fate or something, as I remember it.)
>
> Really, this is very serious stuff. !!! We fired a little fast and
> knew we were taking a chance but let an up coming fireing date push
> us and somewhere in that decision,being Pyros anyway, we went for it
> with a what the hell, some seat of the pants research to see if the
> old timers were right with their warnings.
>
> I've always taken it real slow till no vapor is manifest in the flu
> or wafting anywhere from about on the kilns I've built previously and
> then taken it up to a good yellow heat. This is a time for the kiln
> to "settle in" and if there is any movement and subsequent debris
> sifting about there is no concern.
>
> It's also a good time to tune the bag walls and stack in some bricks
> and wasters in the setting area to chart the flame travel for future
> stacking.
>
> David Woof
> Earth and Fire Studios
> 525 Fiesta St.
> Clarkdale,Az.86324
> woofpots@hotmail.com
>
> Always a little over the edge; reverently taking an irreverent look at
> everything.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
>
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weaver on thu 14 jun 01
>>Last year two friends and I were standing six feet away from a
pre-fireing seven foot high cantenary when we were hit by a wall of
bricks as the mortar in the
arch exploded from the moisture in the mud. We were standing with arms
around each other for a "Kodak moment" when we were lifted off our
feet.<<
Wow! That must have been really frightening.
Going back to my brick bread oven again - We set an electric heater in
there for about a week after completing the construction of the oven,
and then we did a couple of partial firings (enough wood to keep burning
about two hours), before loading the whole thing with wood like for a
regular firing (which takes six hours). If we haven't used the oven in a
long time - more than a few months - we will do a preheat firing of a
couple hours again the day before the actual use of the oven in case the
bricks and mortar have drawn in any more moisture.
Forest
Janet Kaiser on fri 15 jun 01
I take it you are referring to Ray Dunn's new kiln,
Jacqui?
Apart from being brand new, Ray has built it to his own
design. Not only his first wood firing kiln, it is the
first time he has built one! I know he is pretty
gung-ho and he would not consider it the end of the
world, if there was a real disaster with a kiln full of
pots... On the other hand we are looking forward to
exhibiting (and selling!) his first Made on the roof of
Wales pots... SO, I really have a vested interest in
this!!
I believe he should seriously think of either an empty
firing or one with simple pots he has not spent much
time making i.e. not his usual more intricate work and
certainly not the ceramic seats he is making!
My three reasons are:
(A) to make sure all is well structurally and the
bricks, etc. do not decide to explode, collapse, melt
or whatever;
(B) to check he really has got the design right; for
example is his chimney really tall enough or even too
tall?
(C) to give himself a real idea of the quantity of wood
he needs.
Although (C) is a variable - especially several hundred
feet up a mountain, with very changeable weather i.e.
lots of rain and wind shooting up the valley at him
straight off the Atlantic - he may need more (surely
not less?) wood than he has estimated? He is buying
wood offcuts in, so there would be no alternatives
(apart from attacking the furniture!) if he found any
short fall half way through a firing. He also has no
experience of how the green wood (species unknown last
time I spoke to him, but probably fir) will burn.
I do hope he will have a kiln initiation firing with
some of us around to help... It is the least he can do
after all the suspense! He also needs moral support...
I was also just thinking... There used to be a petrol
station "the highest in Wales" on the road to Ysbyty
Ifan from Llan Ffestiniog and the Cat and Fiddle,
Derbyshire was "the highest public house in England"...
So I wonder if Ray will make marketing use of being
"the Highest Potter in England and Wales"? :-)
Janet Kaiser - Who was able to gorge myself on gorgeous
pots this week... A visit to David and Margaret Frith
had me in such a state of excitement, their helper
thought I was a sandwich short of a picnic... I
probably am, but when strangers start to notice, it is
time to wonder...
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
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