The beginnings of a new kiln
It’s been a hectic year in the pottery. I spent the majority of last summer collecting and cleaning kiln bricks and other materials to build the ‘Manabigama’ wood-fired kiln (more info and images to be found online). Since then I have fired it a handful of times with some success. Due to a bit of movement in the base of the chimney stack thanks to the kiln not being built on solid ground, I have decided to start over. This time I chose to pour an 8” concrete slab to make sure that this kiln wont go anywhere. Having slightly masochistic tendencies (are there any wood-firers that don’t?), I thought I’d mix the concrete with a shovel, the old school way. In the end it took 11 hours to mix and transport all of the concrete from the front of the house to the garden where the kiln is being built.
The next kiln I plan to build is very similar to the old one, however it will be a straight tunnel kiln, like a small anagama. For anyone that follows Oxford Kilns on instagram, it’s pretty much the same design as their test anagama. I’m very much looking forward to getting it built and firing a load of pots ready for Clay at the Cut on the 19th October, at Marsden, Colne Valley, near Huddersfield. My last firing had a couple of Shino glaze tests in that I’m very excited about and look forward to mixing up a batch of those.
Getting warm
A batch of tankards for the firing.
Plenty of rain, a mucky job.
