So I just placed the kiln in “body reduction.” This is when I throw the balance of gas-to-air out of whack. Too much gas for an efficient flame… so the kiln is seeking air anywhere it can find it. Thus the flames shooting out of the kiln searching for air… like the movie “Backdraft.” It is also the time that the porousness is being sucked out of the bisque making the pots inside solid & vitrified. Who knew so much chemistry & physics would play into my simple little pottery world?!

Early this morning… WE HAVE IGNITION!!!
And a long day ahead of me in the studio firing the soda kiln
for next weekend’s ART IN THE BARN in Barrington.

Finished loading last night… carefully stacking every shelf from back to front & bottom to top. You want to get in as many pieces as possible, while still leaving enough room for the soda atmosphere to move around inside & hit every pot. Lots of new stuff just in time for next weekend’s ART IN THE BARN in Barrington.

Beautiful soda kiln bricks after a LOT of firings. The build-up is amazing… although not so good for the longevity of a kiln. Luckily, the soda kiln at Lillstreet is scheduled to be rebuilt at the end of the year.

Here we go again… seems like I just loaded this kiln a couple weeks ago?!

Removing the front door of the kiln is always exciting… as it reveals the fired work for the first time layer-by-layer, brick-by-brick. Fingers crossed that everything turned out well. Excited to see that there are some good colors, good clay surfaces & not too much of that “blasted dolphin-skin grayness” that happens in a lot of soda kilns! Looking good so far… and usually gets even better as you dig in further while unloading!

After a full day of cooling, it was finally time to crack open the top of the kiln to cool it completely to unload later that night… and to get a first sneak peek into the kiln!!!

After a LONG day of firing… when the last cone finally falls over, the kiln is at its top temperature right around 2,350-degrees!!! It’s been a very loud day with the flames, burners, air, fans, etc.!!! So when the kiln is finally done, it’s a weird feeling to turn the kiln off & have sudden silence! Hope it all went well & that everything looks good inside?! Just a silent glowing box of bricks as you leave for the night… with fingers crossed.

By the end of the firing, when the kiln is almost to its top temperatures, the last of the pyrometric cones are dropping fast. I start to insert the soda-mixture when cone 8 goes down & cone 9 is soft. When the mixture of soda ash & soda bicarbonate is added into the kiln, the flames go WILD as the mixture burns & the moisture evaporates instantly! Causing crazy-cool flames to come shooting out EVERYWHERE!!! Not for the weak of heart… or those afraid of flames.

I think most potters are pyromaniacs somewhere down deep! HA!!!

After a couple hours of the kiln firing & warming everything up, the temperature starts to build rapidly. At a certain point in the firing, you put the kiln into body reduction. Forcing the balance of the “air-to-gas” ratio out of whack. Not enough air for a stable flame. So the flames seek out extra oxygen wherever it can find it. Pulling the air from the porous pots… and reaching out through any cracks in the bricked-up kiln door! Very exciting!