John Baymore on thu 5 aug 04
Bonnie,
Hi. Sorry it took a bit to answer your question about more info on the
reduction electric kilns in Japan that I mentioned in another
posting.......... but as you mentoned in your email.... I'm kinda' "clogg=
ed
up" with stuff to do . I decided to post this answer onto CLAYART
also as sort of the next "installment" about my experiences in Japan.
The reduction electric kiln is in very common use in Japan. In every one=
of my trips there I have seen them installed at various places. If you
are not really all that familiar with Japanese ceramics, you might not
realize that many of the pots that we in the west might assume were fired=
in a fuel fired kiln (the true romantics among us assume they're fired in=
wood kilns )........ are often fired in reduction electrics.
The reduction electric kilns themselves there are typically quite a bit
different from American electric kilns. While you can find some supplier=
s
offering the "exotic" and expensive foreign imports from manufacturers li=
ke
Skutt ....
most electric kilns I saw in use are from local suppliers and kiln
builders.
The reduction electrics that I have seen were all basically rectangular=
,
and while a "stock" unit from the supplier (shown in the catalog).... the=
y
were actually pretty much "site built" by the kiln company.
All that I have seen have had far better insulated walls than typical
American electric kilns...... typically at least 4 1/2" of IFB. Most are=
relatively large..... more like a small commecial gas kiln =
here...... internal stacking chamber of 2 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet is
pretty much the minimum. Almost all have been top loaders with a hinged
insulating castable or fiber module lid. The elements have typically bee=
n
very heavy duty, are ribbon type, and are mounted hanging on the inside
walls for easy replacement (no "grooves").
Some are computer controlled (for climb) and some are not. =
Two types of fuel have been in use that I have experienced. Propane and
wood. The wood firebox is typically located below the main floor and at
one end of the chamber. It is often an "addition" to the main rectangula=
r
structure of about 18" x 18" by 18" in size. This typically requires a
"pit" under one end of the kiln.... or the rest of the kiln being raised =
up
off a flat floor. The small flue exit is typically at the upper opposite=
end of the chamber..... although I have also seen the "come and go"
type.... where the flue is at the top on the same end as the firebox.
The gas burners are very tiny...... about the size of a Ransome
venturi-type blast pilot
.... and mounted and vented in a similar location to the wood fireboxes.=
=
The gas burners are usually mounted with a "burner block" mount..... and
very little secondary air is allowed around the burner retention nozzle.
I think the reason for the prevelence of these kilns in Japan is predicat=
ed
on numerous factors....... many of which are starting to apply here in th=
e
USA today.
The first factor is that, contrary to many potter's opinions in the west,=
=
many places in Japan =
have strict air pollution laws that prohibit other types of fuel kilns us=
ed
by potters. Or that make fuel kilns more difficult and expensive to
install. On this trip, after the residency I was lucky enough to have th=
e
opportunity to visit with (former Living National Treasure) Kondo Yuzo's
son Hiroshi, and grandson Takahiro who work in the Kyomizu Temple (and
pottery) area on the eastern side of Kyoto. The Kondo family is VERY
famous for it's porcelain production. (And my God!!!!! it is BLUE and
white .)
It is all now fired in reduction electric kilns.
The city of Kyoto (former capital of Japan before Tokyo) is located in a
huge inland basin surrounded by highlands..... sort of like Salt Lake Cit=
y
in the USA.......... and has a terrible issue with air pollution and
inversions. The city itself is quite large ........ and is very spread ou=
t.
The population contained in that large area is massive by western
standards. The two times I have been there.... my eyes almost continuall=
y
burned from the poor air quality. The selection of Kyoto as the meeting
place for the last world conference on air quality was not at all "by
chance".
It is a huge issue there and has been for some time.
There are many sources for the air pollution there.... from farmers burni=
ng
rice straw and husks in the fields to obaasan out burning household trash=
on the sides of rural area streets to huge industrial plants to cars and =
so
on. It is important to note here that potters ....while numerous... are
clearly FAR from the prime sources of air pollution in the Kyoto area. B=
ut
they have clearly been significantly "controlled".... while farmers CLEAR=
LY
openly continue to burn fields and homeowners and small businesses contin=
ue
to burn garbage. This situation is a somewhat scary precedent for those =
of
us practicing pottery here in the west...... what with Japan being kinda'=
"the land of the potter".
Years and YEARS ago ....like maybe in the late 70's and early 80's......
all of the wood fired kilns in Kyoto were fully shut down. In 1996 I
visited briefly with Kawaii Kanjiro's grand-daughter and while there we
looked at and discussed her grandfathers old noborigama (covered with
cobwebs and now part of a museum) and she told me that many of the potter=
s
headed into the hills east of the city to be able to continue working wit=
h
wood kilns even back at that time. In 96, she was saying that many used
gas kilns. This trip in 04, Kondo Hiroshi-san told me that if his family=
there did not have the "history" and "name" that it has........ even his
reduction electric kiln would no longer be allowed there. In fact, he to=
ld
me that you now cannot have ANY new reduction kiln installed in Kyoto. =
That includes gas kilns AND electric reduction kilns.
Oxidation firing only in Kyoto!!!!! His recently "gone independent"
apprentice had to relocate out of the Kyoto area to install a gas kiln an=
d
fire reduction.
Another factor is that a reduction electric in Japan is typically cheaper=
to purchase / install than the equivalent reduction gas kiln. Not too ma=
ny
newer potters in Japan build their own gas kilns. Most purchase a
commercial unit from one of the numerous suppliers of these units. These=
fuel kilns come in ALL sizes and designs. There are many choices.......
and they all appear well built and well designed. Really NICE units. =
HOWEVER........... if you think a Bailey or an Alpine or a Geil kiln is a=
bit on the expensive side HERE to buy........ the cost of a new small
commercial gas kiln in Japan is STAGGERING. A new SMALL gas kiln in Japa=
n
typically sets a potter back something like the equiv. of around
$45,000.00. Yes... they are generally VERY well put together.... but the=
upfront investment in a gas kiln is HUGE. So the reduction electric look=
s
very good simply in "economic comparison".
Another factor is the ease of FINDING a reduction electric kiln. It is a=
viable option there to compare one to installing a gas, oil, or wood kiln=
. =
That is a BIG contributing fator. You can gain some of the benefits of
having an electric kiln .......like readilly available inexpensive
computerized controllers
.... with reduction firing effects. =
Here in the US... if you want to have a reduction electric .... you jus=
t
about have to cobble up one yourself. And since no one uses them here...=
.
you are sort of out "paving new ground" alone. (BTW,......Is the Axn=
er
one out yet?)
Then there is the convenience in the installation. The venting for these=
kilns is pretty simple and you are dealing with a small volume of low gra=
de
hot gases.....not much different from venting a non-reducing electric kil=
n.
The reduction does not take large amounts of fuel burning to get the
results. So such a kiln can be pretty inexpensively installed in a place=
that a fuel fired kiln would require an incredibly expensive venting
system. You also don't need to store large amounts of propane or oil in=
tanks.... or huge piles of wood in stacks on the pottery site. Kondo-san=
told me that to reduce his electric kiln (rectangular about 36"w x 60"l
x36"d) it takes him only four bundles of wood (a wood "bundle" in Japan i=
s
about 20"-22" long and maybe =
18" in diameter) over about 4 hours of time. =
There was one US manufacturer of a reduction electric kiln a long time
ago....back in the mid 70's if I am remembering correctly. (They were
located near me here in the Boston area...and I think I did some kiln
consulting for them at one point.... but I can't remember anymore without=
looking in old records .) The company name was "Reduction Productions=
"
and the kiln was called "The Stoker" and then "The Stoker II". For some
unfortunate reason, it never really caught on....... guess it was kinda'
"ahead of its time". After about maybe 7-10 years the company closed. I=
think that was mainly due to the fact that at that time it was still
relatively easy to install a gas kiln in most locations in the US.... the=
NIMBY factor over businesses and kilns in residential areas had not yet
crept in so badly as it has today. The kiln was well thought out and
worked quite well. Built VERY well and very durable. It used extra heav=
y
Kanthal elements and a drawer assembly in the floor that you put charcoal=
briquettes into to cause the reduction. A simple exit flue that connecte=
d
to a wood stove type stovepipe was used to vent it.
Maybe someone will read this and start a new company supplying these unit=
s
once again?????
Anyway........ hopefully this info is of some use to you. Whew.... turne=
d
out to be very long! I will eventually have some pictures of them
available when I get the 30+ rolls I shot in the 2 months developed (I ne=
ed
a mortgage on that ). Thanks for asking.
best,
.......................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086-5812 USA
JBaymore@compuserve.com
http://www.JohnBaymore.com
603-654-2752 (studio)
800-900-1110 (studio)
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop: August 20-29,
2004"
Lee Love on fri 6 aug 04
John,
Maybe you've seen more electric kilns in Mashiko. I've
eyeballed only one, when I visited in '93. It looked like a factory
unit and was a charcoal box reduction electric. The potters it
belonged to were a couple who moved to Mashiko from Kyoto. They moved
here to get out of the shadow of their teacher and so they could make
"original", rather than traditional work.
Lee Middleman was here for the afternoon yesterday. He did a
stopover after a trip for a conference in Korea (folks he met at
Kanayama.) He bought a genuine Korean kickwheel there and it is
following him on "a slow boat."
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://www.livejournal.com/users/togeika/ WEB LOG
http://public.fotki.com/togeika/ Photos!
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