Pat Southwood on fri 5 sep 03
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Pat Southwood=20
To: v.pitelka@dtcom.net=20
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2003 7:40 PM
Subject: woodfiring and walmart
Hi,
Vince,
I am repying to this on line because my mail to you was rejected :')=20
I had 2 posts sent offline to me to say well done for asking for the =
whole walmart thing to come to an end, so I guess one mans meat is =
another mans poison. You must admit, it did run on a bit!
Actually it wasnt the walmart discussion per se. that got to me, some =
of it was quite interesting. It was one particular post yesterday, which =
veered well off topic into a self congratulary diatribe.
Sorry Vince, I seem to have managed to ruffle your feathers twice in one =
day.=20
I do respect your views, but equally, I assume that I am allowed to have =
my own too.=20
You state that most woodfirers in your country are dedicated =
conservationalists, plant trees and use scrap wood. I am very pleased to =
hear this. I guess you have more available wood than us!
I am not certain that it happens on an International scale though.
The bit about surface quality just for the sake of it was about SOME =
potters who are terribly self righteous about the whole woodfiring =
thing. I have met them. Some potters are so superior about woodfiring =
and dismissive about any other means as to make some of us feel more =
than a bit defensive. I dont like a glassy coat of make-up on my pots =
either. I really like the way woodfired pots look, the integration =
between form and surface is wonderfull. But, I can only use an oxidising =
atmosphere, so I have to experiment.
Oh, and b.t.w. our electricity is provided, at least in part, by =
windmills. (honestly!)
I live in a very rural area, We have no mains gas supply, and to be =
perfectly honest I am far too frightened to use L.P.G.
We live in a huge privatly owned estate that runs its own woodyard. I =
have enquired about purchasing scrap wood in order to do woodfiring, but =
it is way above my price range.
Maybe wood is a lot cheaper in your country?
Just to give you an idea of prices, I buy scrap wood from the estate =
woodyard for my woodburner in the workshop, I chop it myself and am =
charged =A335.00 a load. When I have chopped a load into pieces small =
enough for the woodstove it only fills 11 fertilizer bags. I am in the =
workshop 3 days a week and I have to buy at least 2 loads to get me =
through the winter. Apparently I get the wood a bit cheaper than others =
too, as my premises are owned by the estate (as is almost everything in =
a 10 mile radius)
Have you heard of people using ash for glazes made from =
photo-remediators? They are the plants that are grown on polluted soils =
specifically to "clean" them. They apparently pick up the metals from =
the soil so they should give interesting results.=20
I am going to ask the lord of the manor if he uses any so I can try =
them.
Best Wishes,
pat@southwood4.fsnet.co.uk
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