Well, it looks like they finished building the new soda kiln today at Lillstreet. Yeah!!! Huge thanks to Doug Jeppesen & Neil Estrick for leading the team to get the job done. As well as soda monitors Fred, Amanda, Adam & Sam. So nice to have anew kiln with a new arch. Remember my last soda kiln firing?… the last firing in the old kiln. You’ll see how the arch of the old kiln was nothing arch-like… it was almost straight across and not very safe! Here’s a little reminder…

So clean. So new.
Yep, a couple firings should take care of that!

Today they added the arch. The bricks are in and the wooden frame is gone!
If you recall the photos from my last firing in the old soda kiln, our “arch” was pretty much straight across. Good to see that this kiln is starting out with a pretty dramatic arch.

Thanks to Lillstreet Soda Monitor Amanda for sharing these photos on Facebook…
and for being part of the kiln rebuilding team. You guys are rockin’ it!!!

The kiln rebuilding looks to be coming along nicely. Today the team got the steel frame back in place. As well as building the wooden frame for the arch bricks to sit on. The kiln looks a little smaller than the old one… but I’m sure it will “grow” as they add the arch bricks tomorrow.

Doug Jeppesen, Neil Estrick and the kiln building team made some great progress today on the new soda kiln at Lillstreet Art Center. It’s starting to look like something is coming together! Can’t wait to see those brand-spankin’-new kiln bricks after a few soda firings!!!

Several skids of new kiln bricks showed up at Lillstreet today. Looks like some kiln building is about to take place!?… I think the plan is for Doug & Neil and the kiln building team to start building tomorrow. Can’t wait to see it all come back together.

It looks like not much is happening in the soda kiln room these days. It was a quick rush to finish my firing and clear out in time for the demolition. And now it seems to just be sitting there empty. Although if you look inside the room, you’ll see that the newly-poured cement foundation has been uncovered and is now drying & curing.

Tonight is the first night of the Fall session of classes at Lillstreet.
I’ve got a full class to start with the basics of wedging, centering & throwing.
And if I can’t get ’em with that… I’m sure some Oreo’s will help me win them over!!!

The cement foundation was poured today for the new Lillstreet soda kiln.
I’m sure it’s going to take some time for that chunk of cement to dry!!!

Good thing I fired my soda kiln last weekend and unloaded Monday night.
The soda kiln I use was completely demolished on Tuesday!!!
Looks I got out just in the nick of time!!!

Yes, the soda kiln at Lillstreet Art Center was completely torn down yesterday so that they can make a newer & improved version. Everything is gone except for the burner system!!! The current kiln was having some”moving” brick issues… and the arch was pretty much flat and “non-arch-like” towards the end. So now we have a practically empty kiln room… except for the piles of sand, dust & debris.

There are pieces & parts everywhere. Trying to save as many bricks as possible.
As well as the steel framework from the floor… and the side & corner posts.
Might be reused… might just become a souvenir?!

And bricks pretty much stacked up everywhere… in the kiln room, on carts, on shelves…

This will all be cleaned up and a new concrete foundation will be poured. Once that cures, they will start building the new kiln brick by brick. It’s pretty exciting… but a HUGE amount of work. Oh, I remember… I was one of the ones who built the very first soda kiln at the new Lillstreet location along with my friend & potter Emily Murphy. Special thanks to all of the volunteers who are working on this kiln demolition & re-building project!!!