Wood Kiln Firing

Independent glazing and wadding. Studio classroom access is limited from 9:30am-4pm while classes are in session. Please be respectful of students’ class time by limiting use of studio sink (fill a bucket of water and bring a sponge for outside cleanup) and ensure that glaze buckets are accessible to all. Glaze buckets are kept outside, so set up an outdoor table for glazing and wadding. There are multiple tents and a kiln pavilion to work under in the event of rain.

Please be considerate of others to make sure everyone gets their fair share of pottery in the kiln. Listen to the person loading (move away from the kiln for conversations or calls) and work together towards your shared goal of a successful firing.

First, prepare the wadding by forming it into small, pea-size balls. Load both chambers simultaneously, with one person in each chamber loading, one person handing pottery per each loader, and others finding pots or posts of the correct height and adding wadding as necessary. Wood can be brought in from the field under cover for future firings. The kiln may be lit around 2 pm. Please sign up and discuss firing shifts.

When stacking the door bricks never force or jam bricks into an opening. It is OKAY to have wiggle room. We have three steel bars to hold the door in place. Forcing fiber or thin pieces of brick into crevices is only going to push these openings further apart as the material heats and expands and can distort the shape of the kiln over time.

If you feel the need to cover gaps, use “door mud” or bag reclaim clay, which can be cut with sand or sawdust to reduce its shrinkage. We are stacking the bricks in such a way that alternating patterns of full and half bricks cover the seams. Tiny crevices will not affect the overall outcome/atmosphere within the chamber.

Two 3-hour firing shifts per person/share: Move driest wood from the shed to the kiln by wheelbarrow so you are always ready to stoke the kiln (check with Wood Kiln Instructor about what pile of wood to pick from). Stoke according to instructions, notes, or temperature and atmospheric goals at any given time until the firing is complete. All firing decisions are ultimately up to the Wood Kiln Instructor.

It is everyone’s responsibility to check in with the Wood Kiln Instructor during unloading to ensure all tasks are completed prior to leaving with your fired pottery. The kiln site and surroundings must be picked up and organized for the next firing. Kiln door bricks are taken down in order and stacked to the left of each opening. Bricks and kiln shelves must be handled with care! (Please check with Wood Kiln Instructor if you are unsure.) Kiln shelves are ground/scraped flat, painted with wash if needed, and leaned against the kiln on their edges or stored in a safe, dry location. Posts are scraped/ground, dipped in wash if needed, and put away. Kiln chambers must be vacuumed thoroughly. Avoid allowing fired wadding or debris to fall between floor bricks, which can push them out of alignment, creating larger gaps. Do not stack door bricks too tightly for this same reason. Scrape out and vacuum firebox ashes, sweep the kiln pad until clean of debris, store tools and equipment, and empty shop-vac into the trash. Tidy up around the woodpile if needed and gather kindling for the next firing.