Clennell on tue 24 jun 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>On Sun, 22 Jun 1997, The Shelfords wrote:
>> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> Hi everyone, and especially woodfirers -
>> HELP! The environmental watchdogs here have decided that the Tozan
>> noborigama in Nanaimo, B.C. is putting out too much black smoke, and the
>> kiln will have to be shut down until we can install something to clean it
>> up.
Dear Fellow woodfirers: This plea for help is kind of troubling me. I
fired a two chamber noborigama kiln here for 13 years. When a fresh charge
of wood fell down from the Bourry firebox a big cloud of black smoke would
float down over the little village of Oxenden where all my neighbours live.
If we salted the second chamber and it was an overcast day a cloud of
white smoke would walk down the hill and engulf our little village and
friends. I always rationalized this scenario by saying it's just like
burning a wood stove but I burn all the 4 bush cords in one day. I knew
when new folks moved into the village and built their two hundred thousand
dollar homes that things would change- mostly attitudes. Are you burning
rubber tires up there? Would you please not fire this weekend we're having
a barbeque? Should I comply or tell them to kiss my arse?
Thats where the troubling thoughts come in! I do care about conservation
and the environment and my good neighbours. I did read something from Jack
Troy talking about carbon being good for trees, and driving to the store
for milk is worse for the environment than a good ole anagama firing. I
think it was Jack. This is stuff I want to believe but the black smoke
just looks plain bad. We took to doing the heavy stoking at night so the
smoke would creep in bedroom windows and asphyxiate the neighbours during
the wee hours. They didn't see it coming though.
I don't know where the Tozan kiln is, in relationship to the community. I
understood that Naniamo is a retirement community. If you are in town you
got tree hugging wrinklies to deal with- and that spells TROUBLE with a
capital T.
There is going to be a wood fire conference in 99 at Universtiy of Iowa and
I sure hope that Steve Harrison from Australia is invited. Steve has just
sent me the design for his NO-bulli-gama wood kiln. No smoke,12-18 hour
firing,easy to build, easy to fire and CRUSTY ash glaze surfaces. He tells
me he hasn't fired his anagama since he designed this kiln. This is an
answer but probably not the one you want to hear- turn the Tozan into a
restaurant and build a NO-bulli-gama!
I usually end with- Lang May Yer Lum Reek translated from Gaelic means Long
may your chimney smoke but I guess in your cause that would mean short
life and not the intended long one.
May Tarzan save the Tozan!
Cheers,
Tony
Sheila and Tony Clennell
Gleason Brook Pottery
Box l0, RR#2,
Wiarton, Ontario
NOH 2TO
Canada
Phone # 1 (519) 534-2935
Fax # 1 (519) 534-0602
E-mail clennell@bmts.com
Georges Mignault on wed 25 jun 97
Hi Tony,
I've recently subscribed to ClayArt, and I have to admit I was intrigued by
your Australian NO-bulli-gama design you wrote about. Of coarse, I'm a
complete newcomer to the world of ceramics, but am currently working on
putting together my own workshop. Though kilns are something I was going to
put off until last, I would still greatly appreciate a look at you're
designs. In fact, I'm open to any ideas and designs to do with equipment
used in a ceramics workshop, including recommended layouts of the workshop
itself. I suppose I will break-down and buy a good book on the subject
eventually, but then, for me, it always seems like it takes me a while, and
quite a few bucks, to find the right one. So, suggestions on good reading
material would also be appreciated. Lastly, I have a question I think I
already have the answer to: How or where do I find inexpensive, good
quality, electric wheels?
Thanks,
Georges Mignault
mingyo@west.net
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