Talbott on mon 2 feb 98
A few years back Celia was talking about glazes while looking
through some pottery magazines and books (I had little interest in pottery
then) and I said well how do you get a glaze like that one. Well she
explained you must have a gas kiln to get a glaze like that and I said well
just buy one (at that time she only had an electric kiln) and she said they
were expensive and I asked how much she said about $20,000 to get one like
I want and I said "OH". And I said well then lets just build one (both of
us knowing nothing about it) and she said okay.
That was the start of a long search which led us to a book "The Art of
Firing" by Nils Lou and a few other books. We also considered having
someone else to build it for us but finally decided to do it ourselves.
Finally Celia settled on Lou's book because it fit her liking, the only
change was that she decided on a sprung arch roof vs a flat roof. Celia
studied that book long and hard and KNEW what was and had to be done. She
decide on a 50 cubic foot kiln and with a little persuasion from me decided
to build a CAR kiln. That was one of the best decisions we ever made.
That summer I built forms for a kiln pad and we poured the pad and
constructed a metal roof over the pad to protect the future kiln.
Finally the pad was ready for the kiln to be laid. Celia knew and
understood the design and construction of the kiln. We obtained IFB's and
hard bricks from a local refractories supply company. The framework was
welded up by a local welder to whom we supplied detail blueprints. Working
afternoons and several long weekends the kiln was finally completed. The
labor was not intense but having several folks around including Celia's
parents help from time to time sure made a difference. The arch roof was a
little technical, building the arch support form was relatively easy for me
since I do woodworking.
However, I personally would never undertake such a project by myself but
two people working together who are determine and organized can build a
kiln FAR easier than one working alone. Point is: building a kiln is
primarily a matter of mental capacity of being able to follow and
understand design and construction. Having tools and a feel for building
is likewise important. Most kiln builders know that the labor is the easy
part, it is the planning and researching part that is tough for a first
time kiln builder. ...Marshall
101 CLAYART MUGS (Summer 1998)
2ND ANNUAL CLAYARTERS' GALLERY - NAPLES, MAINE (Summer 1998)
E-MAIL ME FOR APPLICATIONS
http://fmc.utm.edu/~dmcbeth/cag/naples.htm
Celia & Marshall Talbott, Pottery By Celia, Route 114, P O Box 4116,
Naples, Maine 04055-4116,(207)693-6100 voice and fax,(call first)
Clayarters' Live Chat Room, Fri & Sat Nites at 10 PM EDT & Sun at 1 PM EDT
http://webchat12.wbs.net/webchat3.so?Room=PRIVATE_Clayarters
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