The was our fourth firing. We continue to learn a great deal each time. This firing was no different. First, we were determined to take this firing to 40 hours wanting more heat work and ash deposit. We came within a half an hour of our goal. We were able to extend the firing just fine without over-firing the front of the chamber. As mentioned in an earlier post, we saw the effects heat work in action.
Second, we took a different tack toward getting heat to the rear of the kiln. Previously, we raked coals from the fire box toward the end of the firing to create room in the fire box for air to sweep over the coals. Create a hotter firebox, then draw this heat to the rear. In addition to the open airports, we were opening the stoking port to give the kiln as much air as possible. Air = heat! This contributed to more heat alright- concentrated in the front of the kiln. And hot coals at our our feet made stoking tougher and more tiring- not to mention the need to put the hot coals somewhere.
We found that raking hot coals is not necessary at all. In fact, it makes little sense when the idea is to get as much heat from your fuel as possible. A lesson I learned when younger (rake as few coals as possible) is taken to the logical end. So we have made life a bit easier by being a bit smarter and patient. It's these little things that experience brings. I especially like solutions that repair more than one problem, in this case- no coals to deal with and moving heat (work) to the rear of the kiln.
We stirred up the fire box regularly to keep the fly ash moving and to keep the surface area of the burning wood exposed to as much air as possible. This also was a better way to manage the coals. So patience in stoking and letting the firebox work was the key.
We also used quite a bit of pine bark at the end for color. I am not sure of the result- willhave to do it again.
We didn't use the Troy body this firing since the clay shipment didn't come in time. We plan to experiment with it more next time. Maybe the bark will have more of an effect on the lighter body. I like a darker body, but it would be nice to have a bit of light burning stuff to play with. I find the bodies that seem popular now like the B Mix seem to be on steroids, loaded with plasticizers. The Troy body is similar. Good for simple full forms and great for surface marks and tracks. I find it difficult to make pieces that demand more from the clay, some tooth (the folded walls I like are too thick- maybe with more time I will get it).
I want to play with some things like lithium wash and soda ash to see what happens. Making a slip out of the Troy body might be interesting also. And the old stand-by of Rutile and G.B. is always good.
Second, we took a different tack toward getting heat to the rear of the kiln. Previously, we raked coals from the fire box toward the end of the firing to create room in the fire box for air to sweep over the coals. Create a hotter firebox, then draw this heat to the rear. In addition to the open airports, we were opening the stoking port to give the kiln as much air as possible. Air = heat! This contributed to more heat alright- concentrated in the front of the kiln. And hot coals at our our feet made stoking tougher and more tiring- not to mention the need to put the hot coals somewhere.
We found that raking hot coals is not necessary at all. In fact, it makes little sense when the idea is to get as much heat from your fuel as possible. A lesson I learned when younger (rake as few coals as possible) is taken to the logical end. So we have made life a bit easier by being a bit smarter and patient. It's these little things that experience brings. I especially like solutions that repair more than one problem, in this case- no coals to deal with and moving heat (work) to the rear of the kiln.
We stirred up the fire box regularly to keep the fly ash moving and to keep the surface area of the burning wood exposed to as much air as possible. This also was a better way to manage the coals. So patience in stoking and letting the firebox work was the key.
We also used quite a bit of pine bark at the end for color. I am not sure of the result- willhave to do it again.
We didn't use the Troy body this firing since the clay shipment didn't come in time. We plan to experiment with it more next time. Maybe the bark will have more of an effect on the lighter body. I like a darker body, but it would be nice to have a bit of light burning stuff to play with. I find the bodies that seem popular now like the B Mix seem to be on steroids, loaded with plasticizers. The Troy body is similar. Good for simple full forms and great for surface marks and tracks. I find it difficult to make pieces that demand more from the clay, some tooth (the folded walls I like are too thick- maybe with more time I will get it).
I want to play with some things like lithium wash and soda ash to see what happens. Making a slip out of the Troy body might be interesting also. And the old stand-by of Rutile and G.B. is always good.
