A woodfiring is a special event, an event that only happens every six months and is a massive investment in time, materials and skill.
Tina lets me have space in her big and beautiful kiln, I am not properly up and running at the moment so my pots didn’t take up much space, I had a box of bisc from Croydon and the remainders from the raku firing.
The kiln had been candled over night, a thumping great log had been put in the ‘firebox’ the one that doesn’t pull as well, which was rather smokey when properly stoked. We were late on the scene at 7.30 am, Tina’s husband Graham had been up at three doing the honours. The right firebox was being stoked with chestnut only, so Tina could have one type of ash for glazes in the future, a very sweet circle of use. The day progressed with the usual pyrometer/thermocouple problems, it was when cone 8 went over that we learnt that the pyro was only a hundred degrees out, it did show us the rise though. Eventually after homemade pizza the firing was over, the crash cool and then the doors were closed and all there was to do was the dessert.
On Thursday, three days later was the grand opening, there was no brass band though. It was clear from the start that it was a very good firing , good reduction and enough heat. My jug in the flame path was a pleasant surprise, we will be using that space again for taller pots. There was lots of blue this time. My pots were all very well fired.
A whole lot of pots, the kiln is now going into hibernation and will awake again next spring.
Whitecroft Pottery 